Owner wants to convert Conneaut Lake Park lands into RV park

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·2 min read

Sep. 19—SUMMIT TOWNSHIP — The owner of Conneaut Lake Park apparently wants to make it into a family recreational vehicle (RV) park.

Keldon Holdings LLC is proposing to add more than 460 recreational vehicle sites to property plus related facilities as well as recreational facilities.

But, to do the expansion the way Keldon has proposed, it needs approval from the Summit Township Zoning Hearing Board.

A public hearing on Keldon's request for a variance is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. before the board at the Summit Township Building, 10956 Plum St., Harmonsburg.

Keldon wants relief from the required 70-foot setback from perimeter property lines and public roadways for RV parks. A 70-foot buffer would be required on both the east and west side of State Highway 618 and south of Reed Avenue due to RV sites being added.

"No comment at this time," Todd Joseph, owner of Keldon Holdings, responded via text to a Meadville Tribune request for comment on the project.

A preliminary master plan map filed with the township adds 109 recreational vehicle sites west of Route 618 to the park's Camperland property. There are 57 full hookup RV campsites that already were approved by the zoning hearing board in 2019 with an additional 52 full hookup RV campsites plus restroom/shower facilities, utilities, parking and stormwater management.

The 57 RV campsites approved in 2019 by the zoning hearing board were part of a proposed expansion of Camperland when the amusement park was under the stewardship of Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park, a nonprofit corporation that oversaw the amusement park's operations.

East of Route 618, there are 360 new 2,000-square-foot RV cabin sites planned on what once was the amusement park lands. The plan including a new swimming pool with both a kiddie pool and splash pad. A new miniature golf course and the amusement park's fabled carousel would be part of an area labeled "Outdoor Amusement Center."

The amusement park's former convention center building would be repurposed as an indoor amusement center, bar and concert hall. The site also would have two boat storage facilities.

Keldon bought the amusement park — including grounds, amusement rides, water park and other assets — from Trustees of Conneaut Lake Park for $1.2 million at a public proceeding in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in March 2021.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.