The DiVine Village, a 188-site luxury RV resort that has been in the works since 2021, is nearing the end of the planning stages.
Florida entrepreneur and developer Tom Petrillo stopped by The Nugget office last week to discuss exactly where the Town Creek Church Road project currently stands, and what the public can expect from the complicated process going forward.
Petrillo said he is better prepared to discuss the details of the plan now than when he last talked to The Nugget by phone in January.
“When you and I spoke early on, that was more of a Q&A,” Petrillo explained. “You had questions, and I wanted to provide as much transparency as possible. But my intent was never to go out and talk about something until we understood exactly what we can do, what’s feasible.”
Now Petrillo says he knows exactly what’s going onto the property.
The latest plan aligns most closely to the original design submitted by Petrillo all the way back in September of 2021. It does not include additional “casita” RV sites that had been referenced in Petrillo’s subsequent Georgia Environmental Protection Division application, and reduces the total number of cabins on the property from eight down to two.
County Chairman Chris Dockery said that adhering to the parameters of the previously-approved plan is a requirement for Petrillo’s project to be vested, or “grandfathered in,” under the pre-2022 land use code.
“When you’re grandfathered in, you can’t be grandfathered in on a concept. You have to be grandfathered in on a plan,” Dockery indicated.
So far, Petrillo has successfully obtained one land disturbance permit and two demolition permits from the County to remove select trees and abandoned buildings from the property.
Petrillo has also already registered the campground with the local Chamber of Commerce.
However, he said construction will not begin until he gets approval of a Land Application System (LAS) application currently pending with the GA EPD.
“Everything hinges on this EPD approval. I’m not going to build until I have it,” he said.
LUXURY CAMPING
Petrillo said that RV camping can take one of three different forms: campgrounds, entertainment centers and luxury resorts. He said his operation will definitely fall into the latter category, as he will be marketing primarily to owners of RV’s valued at between $250,000 and $2.5 million dollars.
“Primarily, we will host motorcoaches and fifth wheels. And it’s not to say there won’t be others in there, but it is to say that’s our primary target audience, and the nightly fees will be representative of that, as well,” Petrillo said.
He described DiVine Village as a “Four Seasons-level resort” that will include amenities like a welcome center, a large clubhouse with outdoor swimming pool and pickleball courts, a laundry/bath house and maintenance building, in addition to 188 RV campsites and two cabins.
Petrillo said he anticipates a second phase of development on the ridge line of the property that would tentatively include 50 additional premium RV sites, which would push the total number to 238.
However, he would have to petition the County before beginning construction on a second phase.
When asked about whether those premium RV sites might include casitas, or permanent structures with moveable walls that connect to an RV, Petrillo could not provide a definitive answer.
“I didn’t say that I’m not doing it. That’s not what’s in for review right now,” he said.
MAKING ACCOMODATIONS
“At the end of the day, we want to be good citizens and neighbors,” Petrillo declared.
He said he has already been in communication with the closest neighbor to the property.
“When we submitted our first drawing, it included some 'glamping' tents, and it also included an amphitheater,” recalled Petrillo.
He said the neighbor reached out immediately with concerns about noise pollution coming from those particular sources.
“The way that I view this stuff is how would I want to be treated? So I said, ‘Those are gone.’ And this is before anything really got escalated,” Petrillo added.
He indicated his belief that any negativity regarding the development has come from respect for the existing community, coupled with an understandable fear of the unknown.
“I get that, and I respect that,” he said, noting that the closest RV site would also be a full 600 feet away from the neighbor’s house.
Petrillo says he is taking environmental concerns on the property seriously, as well.
“The density requirements that we had originally looked at and were going to abide by allowed for over 500 RV sites. Now we are way below that. Why? Because it makes sense for the environmental impact on the property and the beauty of the property.”
Petrillo said that while he is still awaiting the GA EPD’s final decision, he is confident that they will ultimately approve his LAS application for wastewater management.
“The good news is that all the comments are in,” he said. “And, in reviewing the comments that were made, there’s nothing in there that hadn’t already been thought through, fortunately.”
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Petrillo said he views himself as less of a competitor to other local businesses, and more of a partner instead.
“One of the things we’ve made a conscious decision to do is also involve the community in the project. So yes, it’s for our visitors, but we’ll also be offering them opportunities to come in for community events,” he said.
Locals will be able to purchase a day pass during the off-season that will allow them to participate in the five to six planned activities on site each day.
Petrillo does not expect to pursue a liquor license himself, but plans to invite local wineries to come and offer wine tastings in the clubhouse.
“They’ll also be able, if their license allows it, to sell wines to our guests,” he added.
The clubhouse will also contain a 3,000 square foot multi-purpose room, which he said could be reserved for gatherings by local organizations.
Petrillo said the resort would not be hosting weddings.
“Why? Because our local community is already doing plenty of weddings.”
He said the park could serve as another source of local accommodations for weddings and other events, even for those who don’t own their own RV.
“They can call groups like Outdoorsy or RV Resort, and they can have an RV brought in for the weekend. They can rent it from them, and then they take it right out,” Petrillo explained.
He is also looking at collaborating to bring local wine tours and food trucks onto the property, as well.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to promote the local community, because the majority of the people that are coming will be coming from other communities. Specifically, our biggest target is the Atlanta metro.”
LOCAL IMPACT
Petrillo said he had an independent organization called Strategic Performance Group conduct an economic feasibility study on the project at the request of his bank.
“By year three, we believe that we’re going to attract over 10,000 unique visitors to Lumpkin County and Dahlonega,” Petrillo said.
He said those guests would spend an average of $435 per visit outside the park.
“On 10,000 people, that’s worth about $175,000. Then you look at the lodging tax: that’ll be over $650,000. Our contribution through this project is over a million dollars worth of tax revenue to the County on an annualized basis,” he added.
COUNTY COMMENTS
Chairman Dockery made it clear that if Petrillo varies from his 2021 plan in any substantive way, he will need to go through either a variance process or a Special Land Use Approval (SLUA).
“If he says he wants to do casitas, it’s not within the land use regulation,” Dockery said emphatically, although he added that the developer certainly has the right to submit additional requests.
“He can say ’It’s phase 2, and this is what I want to do.’ But until he’s approved by the County, he can’t do it,” Dockery said.
The Chairman did note the developer’s willingness to cooperate on other issues.
“He’s agreed to doing a vegetative buffer: a blind for surrounding properties," said Dockery. "I’m pretty excited about that. I think it’s the neighborly thing to do.”