[Update, 10-26-24]

FANTASTIC NEWS!  At Wednesday’s meeting, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny Camp Nearby’s application for a special use permit.

A huge shout-out to all the people who voiced their opposition to this project: the neighborhood groups that mobilized; the people who packed the Planning Commission and Board meetings; all those who wrote letters to the Township; the folks who coordinated the sign effort and everyone who displayed one; and the almost 2,500 people who signed this petition. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We don’t want to declare victory prematurely because the Camp Nearby applicants can administratively appeal the Planning Commission’s decision. But the Planning Commission's vote was a huge win.  So we are closing this petition and no longer collecting signatures. We’ll re-open the petition if there are any more significant developments.  

At least for now, though, hip hip hooray!

[Update, 9-10-24:

The out-of-state developer behind Camp Nearby has submitted a revised proposal for the Camp.  Among other problems, none of the revisions address the core issue with Camp Nearby: its density.  The developer still intends to put 66 campsites on the red barn property.  The preliminary traffic study in the revised proposal predicts that when it is full, Camp Nearby will create an average of 229 trips per day--even more than the developer stated in its original application.  At peak times, vehicles—including motor homes up to 21 feet long--will be moving in or out of Camp Nearby every 3.5 minutes on average.  You can read the revised proposal here.

Camp Nearby remains a large commercial development that does not belong in a rural preservation district!]

An out-of-state developer wants to turn Herban Farm into an RV park named “Camp Nearby.”  The project threatens to destroy a picturesque stretch of rural highway and degrade the water quality of Crystal Lake.  It also creates safety concerns along M-115.  But Camp Nearby won’t happen so long as Crystal Lake Township denies the developer’s application for a special use permit.  

Sign this petition to tell the Township you OPPOSE Camp Nearby.

Camp Nearby would have hook ups for 40 RVs of up to 30 feet each and an additional 28 camping sites, some with A-frame structures.  The project also includes a pool, saunas, gym, coffee bar, laundry facilities, manager’s residence, and playgrounds.  The density and scale of this project isn’t anything like what most of us imagine when we hear the word “camp.”  This is a large commercial development on 17 acres in one of the Township’s rural preservation districts.  

The developer estimates that when Camp Nearby is at full capacity, it will generate 177 trips on M-115 each day.  And the increased traffic and entrances onto and exits from M-115 aren’t the only safety concerns. Camp Nearby would be close to the Crystal Lake public boat launch and access point on Onkeonwe Road.  Because parking on Onkeonwe is so limited, “campers” will walk across M-115 to reach Crystal Lake.  M-115 is not designed for foot traffic.

Increased activity at the Onkeonwe launch threatens the water quality of Crystal Lake. Since that boat launch is not equipped with sophisticated washing stations or monitored, whatever is on visitors’ boats—including invasive species—will end up in Crystal Lake. Moreover, the waste water from Camp Nearby’s bathrooms and laundry facilities will flow into an enormous septic system located within the Crystal Lake watershed.  

The developer wants to saddle the Township with all these risks even though the project has almost no upside for the Township.  Beyond the initial construction work, Camp Nearby appears to create only 2 – 4 seasonal jobs.

Herban Farm is located in a rural preservation district.  The Township’s zoning ordinance states that rural preservation districts “are intended to recognize the unique, rural character of Crystal Lake Township and to preserve, enhance, and stabilize existing areas.”  Camp Nearby threatens to destroy—not preserve and stabilize—that unique rural character.

If you care about Crystal Lake Township and Crystal Lake, please sign this petition now!  It is critical that the Township is aware of opposition before it votes on Camp Nearby’s application for a special use permit.

You can learn more about this threat to the Township and Crystal Lake by reviewing Camp Nearby’s application for a special use permit.