A 50-acre property off U.S. 20 and Tremont Road in Porter that a local couple wanted to develop into an RV resort is now being marketed for sale nationally by a real estate company that specializes in the outdoor hospitality industry.
Trevin and Kimberly Fowler, operating as Third Coast RV LLC, obtained from the town of Porter a Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement on May 24, 2022, that governs how the property would be developed. The property was purchased shortly afterward for $400,800 from the Lake Erie Land Co., Porter County property records show.
As part of the development, Third Coast RV LLC also went through the process of annexing 10 acres on the eastern side of the parcel into the town of Porter from Westchester Township.
The property at 1475 N. Tremont Rd., which includes a farmhouse that has been renovated and outbuildings, has a $2.9 million asking price. The plan proposed the possibility of turning the farmhouse into a restaurant and installing a swimming pool.
The PUD that Third Coast RV LLC agreed to with the town of Porter is still in effect and is being marketed as part of any potential deal.
A sales description of the property states that it could accommodate 180 full hookup RV sites and 15 park model cottages with completed site planning, utilities and grading. The site improvements could help significantly reduce development risk and accelerate the potential for revenue.
Bob Kaplan, the founder of NAI Outdoor Hospitality Brokers based in Basalt, Colorado, said there have been a few inquiries about the property, which has been on the market for more than three months.
Kaplan, who is an experienced broker, said this is a difficult time to sell because of interest rates. He said the property could present an exciting opportunity for the right developer.
“We can cast a wider net and hopefully bring in the right developer,” Kaplan said.
The Fowlers were not available for comment.
In December 2024, Trevin Fowler told the Porter Plan Commission that he had encountered rising labor and material costs that drove the projected cost for executing the development up to $16 million from around $10 million.
The Fowlers moved forward with their ambitious plan for the property during the pandemic, when construction costs exploded.
Trevin Fowler told the commission then that they were moving slower on executing their plan. He said they were working on securing resources for the project.
Michael Barry, Porter’s development director and building commissioner, said he hasn’t discussed the project with Fowler in some time.
The PUD agreement for the property is in effect through May 24, 2027.
If the property is not sold by then, Barry said the owner would have to apply for an extension of the PUD.
The project had the support of town officials and Indiana Dunes Tourism, which recognized that an RV resort would meet a need for campers visiting the Indiana Dunes National and State parks.
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“It’s too bad. I liked the idea. We all liked the idea,” Barry said.
Rob Albrecht-Mallinger, president of the Porter Plan Commission, recently observed during a plan commission meeting, on a proposed PUD for a mixed-use development with a goat farm, that the town has had a recent history of a developer obtaining a PUD and not following through.
Weiss Entities of Chicago in 2019 unveiled a $35 million proposal for five buildings with 311 luxury apartment units on a 17.5-acre property off U.S. 20 that formerly had a waterpark. The Porter Town Council granted Weiss a Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement for the property, but the developer backed out.
Jim Woods is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.