Oil Patch workers will soon have more than 2,000 rooms in crew camps in Dunn County, officials said Wednesday.
Planning and Zoning Commission members approved 400 additional units for Target Logistics' crew camp 10 miles north of Dickinson on Tuesday at a meeting in the Dunn County Courthouse in Manning.
The Boston-based lodging company has 600 rooms in the Joy Haven subdivision, said Stan Katz, vice president of construction.
The commission will also review a request next Tuesday from Target Logistics to add 650 units to the facility, bringing the camp's unit count to 1,650.
An oil boom in western North Dakota has brought more people to the area, Katz said. The company will build the units as needed, but he said the rooms will probably fill up.
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"We're so confident that we are applying for the permits," he said. "It's going to happen."
Commissioners also ap-proved a 500-unit man camp to be built on the Dunn/Stark county line immediately northwest of Highway 22. Five Diamond Fund Managers of Draper, Utah, plans to build it in two 250-unit phases, Brian Hymel of FDFM said.
Temporary housing is needed in the area, Hymel added. Once the oil boom is done, the companies can pick up and leave.
"It eliminates a lot of stress on the local market for renting," he said. "If you have hotels popping up all over the place, you are going to have a lot of empty rooms."
Representatives from the hospitality industry don't agree. They opposed a 3,000-unit crew camp at a Dickinson City Commission meeting Monday, saying it will kill the industry and destroy quality of life. The commission unanimously approved the project.
Hymel added the company may apply to add 500 rooms to the facility depending on the market. FDFM has not applied for those units. Construction on the approved facility could begin as early as late fall.
The Dunn County Commission must approve the permits. It will review the three requests at 9 a.m. July 6 at the Dunn County Courthouse.
