RV park proposed for Air Industrial Park

A new business proposal to construct a 120 to 125 site RV park in the Air Industrial Park on Park Drive was made brought before members of the Community Development Authority. Gary Rickard, a downstate campground owner and seasonal Lake May resident, went before the CDA early Wednesday morning to make his presentation. He proposes to construct the ?most modern park in northern Michigan.? He said it would be a park so exceptional in design and bring 300 to 400 people in at the height of the camping season. The park would be built on four city industrial lots on the north side of Park Drive and would total 12.2 acres. Rickard has been associated with family run campground in New Hudson since 1971.

Rickard said the RV park would provide a natural transition between the residential zone to the north and industrial zone to the south. He added that the dense perimeter foliage would provide a nearly complete screening between the residential zone and the park. A discreet perimeter fence would provide security for the city and park residents, said Rickard. Mayor Beach Hall said the lots have been vacant for as long as anyone can remember. He said a member of the city council recently remarked that some of the trees on the sites should be removed, so any potential developer would know they are there.

THE PARK would fill a void of private campgrounds in northeast Michigan, said Rickard. He presented a map of northeast Michigan to CDA members that showed campgrounds with full hookup sites along I-75, and in Montmorency and Alpena counties. ?Some campers insist on full service,? said Rickard. It is his best guess that the Rogers City area is not catering to 40 percent of the campers that will not stop at state sites, and not camp unless they are serviced with water, electric, and sewer hook ups. Rickard would include pull-through sites, 40? wide and 50? deep sites with grass and screening landscape, minimum 50 amp metered electrical hookups, city water at each site, sewer connections, bathroom and shower facilities with privacy, hard wire telephone service availability, wireless Internet service, and a picnic table on a concrete slab.

Additional park amenities would include a group meeting room, modern playground equipment, bicycle friendly ingress and egress, free bicycle use and limited bicycle rental, and a limited foot trail system through perimeter green space. He would propose a bicycle pedestrian access onto South Sixth Street. ?I want to be very sensitive to the residents,? said Rickard of the people living along South Sixth and Seventh streets. He wants them to, at the least, ?hear a little laughter once in a while.? Another reason to seek the site is its proximity to Lake Huron and the bike trail. In addition, the RV park also would provide convenience to construction crews working on the Wolverine Power plant, if the project comes to pass.

RICKARD ALSO said he talked to a potential neighbor at Lee?s Ready Mix, and was told they start their operation at 7:30 in the morning. ?They will turn on their air conditioners and shut their windows,? said Rickard of his campers. He is interested in the lots, in part because they are in a Renaissance Zone until 2018. He presented a list of que

stions that included the cost of the property and fees to tap into city services. CDA member Larry Bruski asked if the park would be an appropriate use for the land. In response, Hall said there were ?no major restrictions.? Rickard expects to bring five to six jobs to the business venture, and maybe more, and during his presentation stated the park would support local business, because the campers would need more propane and eat meals in local establishments. Rickard called the site ?ideal,? but there are questions about potential limestone just below the surface, which could make the project cost prohibitive.

It was pointed out that the CDA had no legal authority over the property, because the CDA does not own the lots. Hall said it would have to go before the planning commission, zoning, and then, ultimately, to the city council. CDA chair Dick Long entertained a motion of support for Rickard?s project, which was made by Bruski and supported by Jim Dempsey. The vote of support was unanimous.

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