Jim Thorpe Borough Council is set to vote this week on a plan calling for 275 lots for RVs, cabins and camping on top of Flagstaff Mountain.

Council will vote whether to grant preliminary approval to developer Jake Arner’s plan for a campground located off Flagstaff Road.

Arner currently lets the public access a viewpoint on the property known as the “100-mile view.”

Arner, through his development company Canyon Rim Estates LLC, is proposing the campground on three properties he owns totaling 359 acres. The property is located in the R-2 residential and special zoning districts. The borough planning commission has recommended that council reject the plan.

The 359-acre property was previously approved for 84 residences on large lots, but Arner said a campground would be a better fit for the town.

He said his proposed campground would increase foot traffic for Jim Thorpe’s businesses while using ride-sharing services to alleviate what he sees as the two biggest issues facing Jim Thorpe: traffic and parking.

“That’s the goal, to cooperate with the town to bring more business in a less impactful way, and solve their small issues that they have,” he said.

Arner says campsites for RVs will lead to more tourists in Jim Thorpe, particularly during the week, when business is more scarce.

He said RV campers typically stay at a site for about three days, and spend more than a permanent resident would.

“It would be ideal for the shops downtown to be open seven days a week so it could be a seven-day-a-week town,” he said.

Arner said ride-hailing services like Uber would allow campers to travel downtown from the campground without parking, therefore alleviating traffic and parking issues in town.

If the proposed gondola connecting Flagstaff and downtown Jim Thorpe comes to fruition, that would be another option for campers.

Approximately 19 campsites would be reserved on busy weekends for tourists to park and use. He said that would help businesses in town, especially the gondola.

Arner said he believes campsites would have less environmental impact on the borough than residences because they wouldn’t require as much paved area.

The campsites would be an accessory to the current approved primary use on the site, which is agritourism.

He said he is currently growing organic blueberries and raspberries on his property, which are used to make wine.

Last year, borough council approved Arner’s plans to build a farmstand on the site.

Arner said based on the popularity of the 100-mile view, the winery made sense. He is awaiting permits to build a permanent building which will be used for the winery business.

“People absolutely love it and just go up there and walk. I figured, if they’re going up there and walk, they can walk right to the winery. It can continue to grow, and it’ll be a good thing,” he said.

It is not Arner’s first proposal for the site.

In 2005, borough council approved Arner’s plans for Canyon Rim Estates, an 84-lot residential development on the same land. The development still hasn’t been built.

Council and Arner both approved an agreement where Arner would pay some of the cost to improve Flagstaff Road, but only if the development went forward.

Arner is already making plans for the next step if council denies the plan.

After submitting the campground plan he submitted yet another plan using the same layout as the campground — but with 275 residences instead of campsites.

Arner said he’s confident that the backup plan meets the borough zoning ordinance, and that borough council would have to approve it.

That plan is currently on hold as Arner awaits council’s decision on the proposed campground.