Camp area concerns neighbors

A recently approved campground in Penn Forest Township is drawing concern from neighbors.

The township zoning hearing board in March approved Scott A. Dietrich’s application for a special exception to allow him to operate a campground in the township’s R-2 zoning district. Dietrich owns 416 acres in the Bear Creek area with a street address of 44 Acacia Drive.

Dietrich also received a variance to build up to four cabins and one to four campsites on his property. The sites are operated in partnership with tentrr.com, a startup company which partners with property owners to set up and market campsites.

Tentrr has been called “Airbnb for campers.” There are other Tentrr sites near Palmerton, Beltzville Lake and Blue Mountain Resort.

Dietrich’s two listings advertise campsites for up to eight campers, at a cost of $150-$170 per night. Campers can add extra firewood or bedding for an additional cost.

The sites have been well-received by campers — one of Dietrich’s listings, called “A Creek Runs Through It,” has eight reviews, all with five stars.

Some neighbors are not as impressed. On Monday, a handful of residents turned out at the township expressed their opposition to Dietrich’s campsites, which they said have been operating for about a year. Some of the same opponents also turned out in 2011 to oppose Dietrich’s plan to locate a ropes course with a zip line on the same property.

Darren Reinart, a township resident, said he is concerned that Dietrich’s campsites do not have permanent bathroom or shower facilities, unlike campgrounds at area state parks.

A listing on tentrr.com for “Retreat on Bear Creek” states that the sites are equipped with a “sun shower”and “Camp Loo.”

According to the tentrr website, the camp loo is a box with a toilet seat and a bucket inside. Campers are instructed to line the box with a bag before using the bathroom, and then dispose of the bag in a trash can.

Reinart said he’s concerned that the water from the solar showers is draining into local waterways, and questioned where the disposed waste was ending up.

“Where is that garbage going?” Reinart said. “Also there’s graywater involved here, where they have solar showers and there’s no septic system. It’s going right into the Little Bear and Bear Creek.”

Joseph Urban said he supports people using their property to make a living, but he feels that Dietrich’s plan would have a negative impact on the high quality waters of Bear Creek. He said he recalled drinking water from Bear Creek 30 years ago without consequence because of its high quality.

“It’s been a pristine native trout stream for a number of years. And I believe that what Mr. Dietrich is trying to establish is going to hurt that waterway,” he said.

A homeowner, Chuck Sang, said he comes to the area for solitude, and the campsite would negatively affect that.

“Hearing about first the zip line, now I’m hearing about the camps, and I’m not too thrilled about that,” he said.

Another resident questioned whether Dietrich has a commercial permit for the township’s transfer station, or proof of a private garbage hauler, like all other township residents must provide.

Reinart asked the supervisors to look into the zoning hearing board decision and see if they followed the right regulations.

Township solicitor Thomas Nanovic said if a resident was opposed to a zoning hearing board decision, they would have to appeal it to a higher level. The appeal period for the zoning approval was 30 days and expired on April 7.

Nanovic added that if Reinart had concerns about wastewater flowing into the nearby waterways, he should make a complaint to the township’s sewage enforcement officer.

Supervisor Roger Meckes said it was the first he heard about the sanitary concerns.

Reinart claims that the relief the zoning board granted gives Dietrich the ability to operate up to 200 campsites on the property. Zoning board solicitor Michael Greek said that isn’t true.

Reinart said that raises concerns, because the only access to Dietrich’s property comes through private developments like Sunrise Ridge and Bear View. The roads in those developments are owned and maintained by private homeowners associations, not the township.

“Why wouldn’t Penn Forest have to pay for these roads then, if you’re going to allow business of that magnitude to go through a development,” he said.