There are only 1,000 parking spaces available, so you may want to get in on this quick: A California developer is turning a vast area of underground caverns into a post-apocalyptic shelter. The Atchison, Kansas, caves cover 45 acres and have room for 1,000 RVs; customers will be charged $1,000 for each linear foot of RV space and $1,500 for each person's food (the AP does some easy math, pricing a 30-foot vehicle that houses a family of four at $36,000). The caverns are between 100 and 150 feet underground and will boast doors that can handle a one-megaton nuclear explosion as few as 10 miles away. Sales haven't begun yet because developer Robert Vicino is waiting for a "critical mass" of reservations. Vicino says the former Army storage facility, some 50 miles northwest of Kansas City, Mo., will be the world's biggest private underground survival shelter, the AP reports. "I do believe I am on a mission and doing a spiritual thing," he says. The caverns were originally dug in the 1880s as part of limestone mining work and later used as an Army storage facility. Investor Coby Cullins won the property at auction for $510,000 in April. Soon after, Vicino arranged to buy 75% of it for what will become the Vivos Survival Shelter and Resort, adding further intrigue to the town of Atchison—the supposedly haunted birthplace of Amelia Earhart. Humanity's Survival Lies in ... Kansas Caves? - Caverns can host 1K RVs
Wonder what they are doing for water, waste ect to handle that many folks.... $1,500 for food per person does not sound like they are planning for much time in this AO without resupply. @tulianr do you have a link to find out more how they are handling these logistics.
Sorry. I posted the link at the bottom of the story, but when I saved the posting it turned into a title. I'll try again. Humanity's Survival Lies in ... Kansas Caves? - Caverns can host 1K RVs
Not much on the side of logistics at this point. It's all still in the buyout phase, to bring in cash for the initial investment used to purchase the property. Then, there's sales tax and property tax, which will be a dart in the face, and numerous licenses and other schemes that we peasants must comply with, which will make this all a major pain. If it gets off the ground, that will be amazing. If it stays active in place for more than five years, it will be a miracle.
The most important regulation he will have to follow is to maintain proper insurance on the property and buildings. He may have bought it for 500k, but the Actual Replacement Value (ARV) is going to be in the many, many millions because of the size and uniqueness. His insurance payment alone will be 25-100k monthly. Hope he has deep pockets. They will require the property to be insured BEFORE they will allow him to charge a dime in tours, fallout real estate etc... Great property if you have the cash and want something for just yourself. My 2 cents.
Oh man....this thing seems just like The Citadel scam...um...I mean plan, but a subterranean variation of it. An underground HOA of troglodytes would not be at the top of my list of post apocalyptic survival options. Vivos Survival Shelter: Robert Vicino Says Kansas Caves Could Save Human Race After Apocalypse
I hadn't even thought about insurance, which adds to the problem. I didn't even mention the zoning laws and regulations, inspections and upkeep to an ever-demanding government. With people expected to live on site, even if it were to somehow fall under special campground rites, I am not sure how they can go about zoning that many people living there without spending a ton of cash. Fire, water, sewage, etc...this all comes into play. Maybe a campground is exempt for most of this.
