Abilene City Council approves new RV park

The Abilene City Council voted unanimously Thursday to approve a new RV park close to Lake Fort Phantom Hill.

The property consists of 25.44 acres of land on 9017 West Lake Road and Collet Road about one mile from the lake.

'Pretty much an eyesore'

A lone concerned citizen spoke out strongly against the new RV park at Thursday morning's City Council meeting. His own property is less than 3/4 of a mile from the RV park.

He said Lake Fort Phantom Hill is a "very ugly lake" that is "pretty much an eyesore." He said an RV park would bring nothing to it. He also said RV parks could bring lots of trash and noise to the area.

The neighbor said nobody is going to develop the area further around an RV park, and people could live in such a park in an attempt to avoid paying property taxes.

'With potential for expansion'

Cedric De Bourbon-Poisson, owner of the land in question, spoke out after the concerned citizen to explain why he thinks this RV park could instead be beneficial to the city.

The main stance of his argument in favor of the park centered on the promotion of new tourism to Lake Fort Phantom Hill.

De Bourbon-Poisson has lived in Abilene for 15 years and is a veteran of the U.S. military.

He said his proposed RV park would prioritize nature over anything else by donating 7 acres of his property to become an open wildflower meadow. He hopes this would in turn develop into a larger butterfly meadow and act as a nature preserve for butterflies.

The owner also said there would be rules, such as quiet hours in the resort. The rule list in the agenda packet was extensive.

According to the City Council agenda packet, the proposed resort includes a "50-foot buffer from Collet Road and existing mature trees along this road will remain."

De Bourbon-Poisson was also quick to point out he has a "modest 40 site plan, with a potential for expansion."

According to the City Council agenda packet, the applicant proposes "a 60 space RV Park that includes: a dog park, playground, garden, a pool, and a butterfly observatory."

The agenda packet also said, "The applicant proposes to develop the park in phases."

When asked by City Council members if he had spoken to the Lake Fort Phantom Hill Association, De Bourbon-Poisson said, "They don't exist."

Councilmember Kyle McAlister pointed out there is such an association with a president.

Then De Bourbon-Poisson said he had in fact contacted the president and never heard back.

The president of the association, Haley Jo Oates, spoke out at Abilene's City Council in October 2023 when the council approved the sale of the remaining open plots at Lake Fort Phantom.

The Reporter-News had not received a comment from Oates about the approval of the new RV park as of Thursday morning.

Whether or not the concerned neighbor or the Lake Fort Phantom Hill Association agrees, the City Council has spoken. There will be a new RV park coming soon to the lake, along with a 7-acre nature preserve.

This RV park will be "generally consistent with Very Low Residential Zoning," according to the agenda packet. The maximum density for RV parks is 12 units per acre, and this one proposes 60 units per 25 acres.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene City Council approves new RV park, near Lake Fort Phantom