Luxury RV park sets sights on Danville

Danville visitors could soon be setting up camp at the area’s first luxury RV park if City Council approves a special use permit for The Palace Resort, a project that could generate $1.3 million in annual city tax revenue.

The matter was set to go before Danville City Council on June 20, following the planning commission’s May 8 recommendation that Florida developer Joe Cubas be allowed to develop the 46-acre RV park near the North Carolina border. However, in response to neighboring residents’ concerns, City Council has tabled a decision on the RV park until a traffic impact study can be completed, which could take up to a year.

If approved, construction of the RV resort would take about six or seven months. Cubas, manager of J. Cubas Holdings LLC, had said in May that he had hoped to have the resort operating by late 2024, when the permanent Caesars Virginia resort casino in Danville is also expected to open.

The year-round RV park would have 333 RV sites, some with outdoor kitchens/gazebos, known as casitas. Other planned amenities include pools, spas, restaurants, a clubhouse, a gym, and tennis and pickle-ball courts. Shuttles would transport guests to the casino, as well as to downtown Danville, Martinsville Speedway, Virginia International Raceway and other destinations.

Cubas originally wanted to build The Palace Resort in Pittsylvania County, but its board of supervisors unanimously rejected the project last fall after residents voiced concerns about property values and the resort’s impact on nearby churches. Danville City Councilman Lee Vogler encouraged Cubas to seek a site in the city.

“I convinced him to give us a try,” Vogler says. “City Council is proactive in saying yes to things that bring in tourism and grow
our city.”

Danville’s location near the state line puts the region in good stead to tap into the booming RV industry, which has an annual economic impact of $2 billion in Virginia and $3 billion in North Carolina, according to the Herndon-based RV Industry Association.

“A number of our visitors travel by recreational vehicle,” Danville Economic Development Director Corrie Bobe says, noting that the planned RV park “will allow space for them to lodge and have quick access to tourism assets.”

The Palace Resort is another sign that Danville is successfully shedding its image as a fading textile town, Vogler says: “This is a big win for us and the region. It ties in with everything we’re doing to grow the economy.”