Plans for a proposed recreational vehicle park in Waldoboro are no more.
Cheryl Moir, owner of Country Critters Campground in Tennessee, was hoping to buy a plot of land near Route 1 and Main Street for an RV park. But after experiencing backlash from the locals, Moir said she is withdrawing the plan.
Moir said she picked the town of just over 5,000 residents for the campground because she stayed there as a traveling nurse one year, and loved the community. After speaking with the visitor center in Portland that confirmed the need for an RV park in Waldoboro, Moir looked into the property on 220 Main Street.
However, despite the need, community members objected to the proposal since the property is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
Among them was Jesse Groth-Kennard, who owns property next to the proposed campground. Groth-Kennard said the neighborhood is quiet and mostly older people.
“This would be a perfect location because it’s so close to Route 1,” Groth-Kennard said. “Every other campground they’ve ever gone to, they’ve had to drive a few miles off Route 1. Well, that’s for a reason. That’s because we don’t put campgrounds in people’s backyards.”
Moir said she doesn’t want to open a campground in a place where the neighbors don’t want it.
Although the planning board already approved the project, Moir said she has since told the Waldoboro city planner that she will be withdrawing the plans for the campground.
“They don’t appreciate it in that particular spot,” Moir said. “I’m not going to have neighbors unhappy, there are plenty of places that are happy to have a campground next door.”
But Moir said she hasn’t yet written off Waldoboro as a location. She said she likes the community.
“I’d like to thank the community for allowing us this opportunity to talk with them, because it’s a good community,” Moir said.