Oswego moves to annex former Hide-A-Way Lakes campground; hears redevelopment plans

The Oswego Village Board moved to annex the former Hide-A-Way Lakes campground during a meeting Tuesday evening, April 19.

The property, located just west of Route 71 at 8045 Van Emmon Road in unincorporated Oswego Township, is now being redeveloped as the Fox Bluff Vacation Cottage and RV Resort.

Lance Beatch, who purchased the property in December 2020, explained his plans to completely overhaul the former campground which had been the site of frequent calls for police and fire service since it opened in the early 1970s. He detailed what he has accomplished thus far and his plans for the site’s future.

Beatch said he has already radically improved the site by removing over 225 RV trailers that were abandoned, clearing the debris and repositioning the property to create a premier recreation destination.

The common area buildings have been updated to a “farmhouse chic” theme, and new fishing piers, a playground and a basketball court have been added. In the coming weeks a resort-style pool with cabanas will be installed and camp sites will continue to be upgraded, according to Beatch.

“It’s going to go from one of the ugliest places in Kendall County to one of the prettiest here in the next few weeks,” he said.

Beatch said he was interested in the property for a number of reasons. The 151 acre plot contains over a mile and a half of waterfront property on the Fox, Morgan Creek and several spring-fed ponds.

The site has 650 existing RV sites, already making it one of the largest RV parks in North America, and is permitted for 500 more according to Beatch.

Beatch also noted the site’s proximity to Chicago and the fact that the park is licensed and set up for a four month season as factors that give the park so much potential.

“When it grows up, it will be one of the best RV resorts in North America,” he said.

Fox Bluff will house a mixture of RVs, rental units, glamping tents and park models. Glamping, as the Oxford dictionary describes it, is a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping.

Beatch detailed the types of units he plans to build, describing the glamping tents as similar to safari tents that he anticipates will rent for $400 or more per night, and various park models ranging in price from $20,000 to $120,000.

Lot spaces will be rented on a seasonal basis with options for short-term rentals for RVs. To maintain a level of quality, Beatch said, guest RVs will be required to be less than 10 years-old.

Beatch began investing in mobile home and RV parks while working at a real estate investment bank in Toronto. He moved to Chicago to work at Equity LifeStyle Properties, a real estate investment firm specializing in manufactured home communities and RV resorts, where he became the head of asset management, overseeing development of new projects and taking care of hundreds of lots at their existing properties around the US.

He later co-founded Cove Communities, a multinational RV, rental home, and resort company where he developed RV parks and vacation destinations in the US, Canada and the UK.

Village trustee Tom Geist asked about the projected timeline for the project in coming years.

Beatch said that this year he has been focused on getting the pool in and updating many of the existing sites and utilities, and in the coming months, he will begin planning and looking towards expansion.

Village Trustee Brian Thomas asked Beatch how this project compares in size to the RV park projects he has worked on in the past.

Beatch said that while he has worked on many projects of various magnitudes in the past, given the size and number of lots permitted, this location has potential to be in the top five resorts he has encountered.

Village Trustee Jennifer Jones Sinnot raised question as to how glamping would be feasible in the winter.

Beatch assured the board that the tents could be lined and equipped with a pot-belly wood burning stove and heated floors.

“There’s already been a huge transformation at Fox Bluff and we’re looking forward to having this upcoming luxury campground destination in our own backyard,” said Village President Troy Parlier. “With the projected tax revenues and travelers stopping at Oswego businesses, it’s a win-win.”

Fox Bluff is currently taking RV reservations for the summer season and plans to roll out vacation cottage rentals in the coming months.