Published: March 25, 2008 08:52 am      

The other side

Get ‘the whole story’ on Camp Catalpa says developer

The “whole story” about his plans to convert Camp Catalpa into a for-profit RV park is not being told, according to Allen Grant Jr.

On Feb. 26, the Richmond City Commission approved a no-bid lease of the 15-acre park to Lakeview RV Park LLC, owned by Grant and his brother Tim.

The lease calls for the developers to build and operate the park, paying 10 percent of their gross receipts to the city. Grant said he is prepared to invest more than $1.5 million in the venture.

The Richmond Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall on the city’s proposal to rezone both Camp Catalpa and Lake Reba parks from R-1a (Single Family Residential) to PSP (Public, Semi-public).

Opinions differ on whether the land must be rezoned for the RV park to proceed.

An RV park at Camp Catalpa would complement the other attractions around Lake Reba, including the city’s golf courses and new aquatic center and give the community an economic boost, Grant said.

At present, much of the park’s 15 acres are little used and have been allowed to deteriorate, he said.

“I would encourage anyone interested in this issue to visit Camp Catalpa, look all around the park — not just the picnic area — and see what kind of shape it’s in,” Grant said.

In the mid-1990s, Grant said the city contracted with him to renovate the park. “We had it all looking nice, the way the picnic area does now.” Since then, much of the area has been neglected, little used and has become overgrown with brush, he said.

Except for the picnic area on the park’s north said, the primary use of the wooded area in recent years has been the “Haunted Forest and Z-maze” set up by the city parks and recreation department each October, Grant said.

Beginning last fall, volunteers from a local organization cut a disc golf course through sections of the brush.

The park was last used for Halloween activities in 2005. A downtown “Hoe-Down” on the Saturday before Halloween took the place of the Haunted Forest and Z-maze in 2006 and 2007.

Old lumber, logs and dead trees are now piled up on the Z-maze site, which is surrounded by a yellow “Keep Out” tape.

Sections of the walking trail around the park also have become overgrown, including a rusting pedestrian bridge on the park’s west side. Litter, including beer and soft drink cans, can be found along the walking trail and on the shore of Lake Reba. Gullies allow surface water to wash litter and soil into the lake.

“Why haven’t the people who say they want to ‘Save Camp Catalpa’ spoken up before now?” Grant asked.

“We want to create an RV park that will be an asset to our community,” he said. “We have commissioned a landscape architect to draw up our plans and will have horticulturists advising us on how best to cultivate the trees and retain Camp Catalpa as a bird sanctuary.”

RV campers include many retired people who enjoy bird watching, he said.

Up to 110 RV pads would be constructed in park, but its rolling terrain would be largely unaltered, Grant said. Any fill dirt needed would be brought to the site.

“Our plans also include putting a fishing dock on the lake shore, a wood-chip trail around the park and construction of a walking, bike and golf cart path to Lake Reba Park,” he said.

A camping area available to local scouting and church groups also would be included.

Paid staff would be on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week to supervise the facility. “It will not become a nuisance to anyone,” Grant said.

A development plan for the RV park would need approval from the planning and zoning commission before construction could begin. Erosion and surface water control are required elements of such plans.

A state license also would be required before the RV park could open.

Grant said the idea for the RV park occurred to him during family visits to the Smoky Mountain area of Tennessee.

“My brother and I saw some really nice RV parks in that area over the years,” he said. “We thought it would be good to have something like that in Richmond.”

Before proposing to lease Camp Catalpa, Grant said he approached a property owner about purchasing land adjacent to the Lake Reba aquatic center. Negotiations with the city about leasing Camp Catalpa began in the fall of 2007.

“When the city learned that we would pay all the development cost plus 10 percent of the RV park’s gross receipts, they became interested,” Grant said.

Grant said he was not involved with how the city commission went about approving the lease.

Opponents of the RV park have said information about the proposal should have been announced before hand and the public given an opportunity to comment. The no-bid nature of the lease also has been questioned.

At Wednesday evening’s zoning hearing, Grant said the planners will be presented a petition containing the names of managers of numerous local businesses that cater to tourists.

An economic impact study conducted by Michigan State University found that an RV park of the size he is proposing could bring more than $1 million of revenue to local businesses each year, he said.

Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 623-1669, Ext. 267.