Sussex council: Park models can remain

At its Sept. 27 meeting, Sussex County Council reversed a condition imposed by the planning and zoning commission in December 2014 requiring the owners of Sun Outdoors Rehoboth Bay, formerly known as Massey’s RV Resort and Campground, in Long Neck to remove all park model RVs from the resort at the end of each season.

With a 5-0 vote, the commission amended one of the original conditions of approval to allow Sun Massey RV LLC, owners of the resort, to keep the existing 63 park models on the 54-acre property after the campground closes for the season after the first weekend in November.

David Hutt, attorney for the owners, said the request was made for a second time – it was denied in 2017 – due to the cost of unhooking and moving the park models, which he said exceeded $150,000 two years ago.

He said during 2020 and 2021, the owners could not find a hauler to move the park models and they remained on campground property.

Hutt said someone complained to Sussex County code enforcement and a notice of violation was issued.

The condition was originally put in place to remove the park models from the county's special flood hazard area. Hutt said no other campground in the county is required to remove park models or any other type of RVs. The campground borders Romans Pond and Massey’s Ditch, which are tributaries of Rehoboth Bay.

“There are thousands of RVs and park models that remain on sites in Sussex County year round,” he said. “There are other campgrounds in these flood areas on Long Neck Road with the same conditions and the RVs remain there.”

The park models in the special flood hazard area must be anchored and tied down to meet county code requirements.

In addition, Hutt said, park models remaining in the resort can’t be classified as permanent structures like manufactured homes because the maximum size of a park model is 400 square feet. The county’s definition of a manufactured home starts at 450 square feet.

“They are built to RV standards and not intended for permanent home occupancy,” Hutt said.

The park models, or cottages, include full kitchens and bathrooms, sleeping room for up to seven people and a screened porch.

Hutt said the campground is closed five months of the year with only staff on site. Hutt said only park models will remain in the campground.

Sun Outdoors, which is open April 1 through Nov. 1, has 216 pull-through camper sites, 70 park model sites and five tent sites.