Campground regulations in Pennsylvania’s Freedom Township may soon change after residents voiced out their concerns, according to a report.
Township supervisors on Wednesday last week instructed their attorney to draft a proposed change to the zoning ordinance, said Township Manager and Zoning Officer Zach Gulden.
The amendment would take out campgrounds from the Rural Conservation zoning district and instead place them within the Mixed-Use and Commercial district.
In the current situation and under the proposed change, campgrounds are considered for conditional uses, which means they’re allowed only if they meet specific requirements set out within the ordinance, Gulden said.
A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. on March 16 and will be followed by a special session where the supervisors will be able to vote on the amendment. Gulden said that the township and Adams County planning officials are to review the amendment.
A large number of the public expressed their opinions at a meeting of the planning commission as well as via email or phone after the proposal for an “upscale recreational vehicle park” with up to 271 parking spaces at 2047 Pumping Station Road. Gulden said the township “didn’t receive one” positive feedback.
The proposed amendment isn’t directly connected to the proposal. However, it applies to the entire zoning district and responds to concerns that the public has raised, Gulden explained.
The property owner, the Alan D. Trider Revocable Trust, withdrew the plan after the county and township officials sent letters with unfavorable suggestions.