Campsite expansion brings concerns
Chestnuthill residents raised concerns over expansions at the privately owned Silver Valley Campsites on Silver Valley Circle in Saylorsburg at the supervisors meeting Tuesday night.
Susan Garcia, who lives by the campground, claimed it is putting in new water and electricity and asked how the plan will affect neighboring wells. She said that people at the campsite are also burning garbage.
The supervisors referred questions to zoning director Matthew Neeb.
The current expansion plan has not been brought before the township yet, Chairman Carl Gould II said.
Vice Chairman Chris Eckert said that the township doesn’t permit burning trash.
If the burning happens during business hours, residents should call Neeb, Eckert said. After hours they should report it to the fire department.
Neighbors also raised concerns about loud music coming from the campsites and recreational vehicle traffic along the roads.
Other neighbors Louis and Sandra Domenico put forward a proposal to resolve a subdivision discrepancy on their land that has to do with the campground.
After the meeting, Louis Domenico said that he has provided evidence to the township that the campground previously added 28 RV sites to property adjoining his property and claimed it was without township approval.
Domenico also claimed that 24 of the RV sites are within 150 feet of his property line, violating his setback rights and keeping him from being able to hunt.
“This setback violation infringes on my use of my land,” Domenico said after the meeting.
Because of a prior land swap plan involving the two properties that doesn’t match current property deeds, the Domenicos need the campground to cooperate before the township can approve their subdivision plan.
But Domenico said the campground owners won’t do that unless he stops contesting the original campground expansion.
After a long discussion involving multiple issues, Gould said the Domenicos need to work out this issue with the campsite owners.
“You guys as neighbors gotta learn to play nice,” he said.
The township can arrange to host this discussion between the property owners, Gould said.
Comments
And why does the Chairman ask the neighbors contesting the illegal expansion to "play nice with the neighbors"? The campground was willing to sign off on the 29 year old plan until the property owner contested the illegal expansion and setback violation. Sounds like the Township should take it's advise and play nice with the law abiding property owners! Another scandalous, corrupt, power-hungry Township official that only cares about a paycheck, benefits, and retirement package instead of doing their job!
And at the Supervisors meeting the Chairman says it's up to the violated property owner to work this out??? What kind of absolute nonsense! I guess the old saying that you just do what you want and ask for permission later seems to have validity.
The worst part is that this will end up in the court system and taxpayers will foot the bill for the Township's legal expenses. They said that at the meeting.
If the Township would just enforce the ordinances, this could all be averted.
Time to stand up to elected officials that think they are running a dictatorship and pick and choose who they want to enforce ordinances upon and who they don't.