The owner of Bellefonte Airport (Pennsylvania) and a developer with plans to build a campground at the airport appealed against Benner Township’s officials’ denial of the proposal.
Marina Elnitski and Maison Lodging asked a judge to reverse the township supervisor’s refusal of their application for a conditional use that would allow the venture to go forward, as per a local report.
The 44-page document alleged that managers Randy Moyer, Larry Lingle, and Thomas Moyer relied on “irrelevant, incompetent, and speculative” statements from those who opposed the plan.
The decision was an “abuse of discretion and error of law,” wrote attorneys Marcy Colkitt and Andrew Kennedy.
According to them, the property is zoned agricultural, and camping and RV parks are permissible uses.
The airport had plans to build 100 RV sites as well as a clubhouse, which is 2,500 square feet. The expansion was expected to create a dozen jobs.
However, the township‘s board of supervisors didn’t seem to be fazed.
Their concerns include additional traffic and altering what they consider to be the “essential character of the neighborhood,” township solicitor Rod Beard wrote in a January decision.
Residents who opposed the plan expressed concern about the noise and potential alcohol abuse. According to Beard, the proposal is “unsuitable” and would be “injurious to the health, safety, and welfare of the community.”
