The Alberta Views RV and Golf Resort is working the nuts and bolts for the long-awaited opening of the facility this summer.
“I grew up in Rimbey so this area is very familiar to me and I wanted to kind of do something closer to home,” said project owner and developer Bill MacLean, adding, “We have put quite a bit of effort into the project so far and… we are hopeful that it can catch a bit of a wave in terms of demand. We have had a really good response in the past about the opening of the golf course.”
Formerly operated as the Last Hill Golf Course until 2009, a rezoning application for a Recreation ‘P-R’ District has been submitted to Lacombe County to accommodate the proposed Alberta Views RV and Golf Resort. This would include a nine-hole golf course and 100 full-service recreational vehicle sites. The property is currently zoned as Agricultural ‘A’ District.
A public meeting was held Feb. 15 at the golf course clubhouse to inform residents of the rezoning application. Project engineers also shared brief reports of studies conducted on Traffic Impact Assessment, water suitability study, stormwater management, water licence and water division up to 160 RV units, and sanitary and water servicing.
If the re-zoning application is approved the site would be leased to a customer on a yearly basis with access to service only during the camping season, typically between May and October of each year.
“There are other RV parks and they are at lakes. We don’t have a lake, but we have a nine-hole golf course, and we will put in some other smaller amenities like six court pickleball court, a swimming pool and a playground and there have been talks of maybe an e-bike track. Our motivation for doing it somewhat has to do with COVID, because of the cross-border traffic being slowed down, people are more apt to stay home,” said MacLean, who co-owns the business with his wife Carla MacLean.
With the increase of gas prices as people prioritize travelling shorter distances, MacLean hopes to catch the rising trend of staying in central Alberta. “There are hundreds of thousands of RVs in Alberta and we are looking for a very small segment of that to be able to fill our park up,” he said.
MacLean aims to sign contracts with area businesses to contribute to the local economy. The inclusion of this facility in town will also bring business to local grocery and general stores, among others.
“Once people come out here, they don’t want to go back to Red Deer or Calgary to get things, they’d just go into Eckville. Our hope is that it can be a real benefit to the community,” said MacLean.
The 100 RV sites will be complete with power, water and sewer. The project will also reconstruct Range Road 34 to a residential subdivision, consist of a storage lot, parking stalls, shower and water facilities in the RV park.
