The former KOA campground on Fox Farm Road, seen here Sunday, is the proposed site for a new 80-tent glamping resort. (Enterprise photo — Lauren Yates)

WILMINGTON — Kampgrounds of America Inc. — or KOA, the company known for its RV and tent campgrounds across the U.S. — wants to build an 80-tent “glamping” resort at the former KOA campground on Fox Farm Road in Wilmington.

Right now, the former KOA on Fox Farm Road sits deserted. From outside the knocked-down fence that stretches across the entrance to the old campground, old tent and camping sites can be seen abandoned. A couple of Coca-Cola fridges sit empty, gathering dust. But soon — if the KOA company can get approval from the Adirondack Park Agency, the state Department of Environmental Conservation, the state Department of Health and the town of Wilmington’s Planning and Zoning board, according to Wilmington Code Enforcement Officer Doug Nemec — the site could be filled with 80 platform-style “glamping” tents, a lodge and restaurant building, a pavilion and a pool with a cabana building, a general manager’s house, and a dormitory-style building with enough rooms for up to 12 future employees.

Glamping, short for “glamorous camping,” has risen in popularity in recent years among people who are seeking outdoor experiences with the comforts of home, according to the KOA’s website. Glamping tents often include furniture, electricity, fully-functioning kitchens and storage.

According to site plans for the Fox Farm Road proposal submitted to the APA — available at tinyurl.com/242aysp6 — the project also proposes to construct a dog park, a “wellness tent,” grill stations, a maintenance building and parking areas with a total of 161 spaces. The old campground backs up to the West Branch of the AuSable River, and the property contains around 1.2 acres of wetlands on the northernmost edge of the property, according to site plans. It appears that KOA is proposing to maintain a more than 75-foot setback for tents closest to the river.

KOA is also starting the process of revamping two campgrounds down the road, on state Route 86 in Wilmington — including the former North Pole Campground, which would be called KOA Riverside, and the former 100 Acre Woods, which would be called KOA Mountainside, according to town Supervisor Roy Holzer. However, little else is currently known about the Fox Farm Road project and the state Route 86 projects. Holzer and Nemec deferred comment about these projects to KOA representatives, and repeated attempts over several days to contact the representatives, as well as a representative from Terramor — a company under KOA that has a hand in the Fox Farm Road project — were not returned by press time Tuesday.

The proposed Fox Farm glamping proposal is currently open for public comment with the DEC and the APA. While the DEC’s public comment period ends Thursday, the APA’s public comment period ends May 5.

KOA needs an APA permit for the project because the plans propose an approximately 25% expansion of the preexisting accommodations on lands classified as “moderate intensity use” by the APA, according to APA Public Information Officer Keith McKeever. The moderate intensity land use classification allows for “relatively concentrated residential development,” according to the APA’s website. McKeever said the project is subject to a public comment period because it’s considered a “major” project — meaning the project proposal involves more than a single-family dwelling and/or a two-lot subdivision. People who want to submit public comments for the project with the APA can fill out the form at tinyurl.com/242aysp6 or email RPcomments@apa.ny.gov.

The DEC has jurisdiction over the proposed glamping project because the proposed plans include replacing the campground’s current wastewater system with a new system that would discharge treated sanitary waste to groundwater. The DEC has jurisdiction over three of four outfalls in the proposed project. Details about DEC’s jurisdiction over the project are available at tinyurl.com/yc4ce5pw. People can submit public comments about the project by emailing DEP.R5@dec.ny.gov, writing to Erin M. Donhauser, NYSDEC Region 5 Headquarters, 1115 state Route 86, Ray Brook, NY, 12977, or calling 518-897-1234.