A recreational vehicle and camping park is coming to Union Township.
Township supervisors, on Thursday, approved a conditional use request by Ricki Trinidad, the president of Royalty Camping 1 LLC, for a RV camping park called Royalty Camping.
The camping park will be located in a 30-acre area of land just off Old Youngstown Road in the Central Commercial zoning district.
Trinidad said Royalty Camping would include “luxury cabins” with modern amenities and utilities and spaces for RVs, vans, teardrop campers and tents.
It will also have volleyball, basketball and pickleball courts, picnic tables and gazebos, a playground, bathhouses, a reception and recreation facility and a lazy river pool.
Trinidad said he already has verbal confirmation for funding from banks and private donors, needing an official confirmation from the township for formal letters of financial backing to be presented.
Township Solicitor Jason Medure said the original design plan, which was presented during an April 17 public hearing, had the park located in the R-3 Residential zoning district, but after concerns from residents, the design was changed to move the park to the Central Commercial district.
The supervisors approved the conditional use request with different conditions that must be followed.
“The approval of this application is contingent upon receipt of all permits and the ongoing compliance by the applicant with the conditions imposed,” Medure said.
The conditions imposed for Royalty Camping are:
- Entry and exit to and from the RV park will proceed off Dworman Way or any other right-of-way off West State Street.
- The entrance to the RV park will be gated, while the entire park will be enclosed by a six-foot vinyl fence.
- The park must be closed Nov. 1 through April 1, and when the park is open, it must have 24-hour manned security.
- For any residential property that is abutting the park, shrubbery or an evergreen tree will be planted to cover the park.
- Any road created for ingress and egress must be at least 33-feet wide and must meet PennDOT standards.
- No individual or group can stay longer than 30 days cumulative during a season, regardless of whether they change spots in the park.
- The park will have one mixed-use building, 49 RV lots, 24 pull-through RV lots, 24 van/teardrop lots, 25 van lots, 18 tent sites, 12 rental cabins, five bathhouses, one playground with the courts, eight picnic shelters, four gazebos, one lazy river, one man-made pond and at least 30 parking spaces for the cabins.
- The park will have public sewage and water, follow all township ordinances, have LED lighting and must have ringed campfires.
- The prices for the park must not be lower than $60 a night for the standard RV lots, $70 for the pull-through RV lots, $40 for the van/teardrop lots, $30 for the tent sites and $80 for the cabins.
Medure said all park facilities will be for paying customers only, no all-terrain vehicles are allowed, but golf carts can be used by customers.
He also said Union police and state police must be allowed access to investigate any incidents or concerns.
“A lot of these conditions were not simply created out of thin air. They were brought up by the applicant himself,” Medure said. “The conditions imposed are considered reasonable to protect the health and safety and welfare of Union Township residents. None of these conditions are prohibited by state law.”
Trinidad said the pond will be used as a wet retention pond to help with stormwater runoff.
He also said the fire pits will be “smokeless,” meaning the pits eliminate the smoke before it gets into the air.
“It’s an added benefit for campers,” Trinidad said.
Trinidad did admit this is his company’s first RV park, and that one of his properties in Florida filed for bankruptcy in the past, but was a result of the lockdowns imposed during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said it would take eight to 12 months for construction once the permitting is approved. More information on the park is available at royaltycamping.com.
Following Royalty Camping, Trinidad said he would like to develop new town homes, single-family homes and other commercial development in the 62 surrounding acres of the area near the park.
In other township news, during its May 18 meeting, the supervisors appointed resident Jay Walker to the township zoning hearing board.
