The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Klug Hill campground gets PZC approval
TORRINGTON — The Planning & Zoning Commission has given the go-ahead for an upscale campground with 92 RV sites, cabins and amenities at a 360-acre-plus property on Klug Hill Road.
Project owners Lelah Campo and Dan Mahieu also own Cozy Hills campground in Bantam. The couple brought their development plans for the Klug Hill Road site to the commission in November, requesting a zone change and approval of a site plan for a 92-site RV park on the property, which also has a wellmaintained house and open fields.
During a public hearing in
January, city engineer Paul Kundzins asked the applicants to reduce the slope of the long driveway leading up a hill to the proposed campground. Campo and Mahieu had to adjust the project, and the public hearing was continued to Feb. 15.
Project consultant Ryan McAvoy presented revised plans showing the changes, and said the slope of the entrance driveway had been reduced from 12 degrees to 10 degrees or less.
Concerns about the driveway stemmed from safety issues with large recreational vehicles and other trucks or cars sharing the interior road/ driveway, said City Planner Jeremy Liefert.
“Our latest revised plans have modifications that include the grade of the driveway,” McAvoy said. “We’ve also provided a shoulder on either side of the driveway, and elongated the curve of the road for longer vehicles and delivery trucks to pass each other comfortably.”
In his own comments, Leifert asked the park owners to develop a landscaping plan using native trees, shrubs and wildflowers, and to install detention basins for water runoff. He also requested any plans for signage and lighting on the property.
According to the site plan and maps submitted by the applicant, the park will have 92 RV sites in an oblong loop in the center of the property, with groups of sites in circular developments or clusters. An area of the property may have a swimming pool or tennis court.
The project is to be done in phases, with phase one creating 30 campsites, and phase two completing the remaining 62.
The campsites’ details include gravel driveways and plenty of space between them. A loop of cabins also is part of the project. The applicants’ Bantam campground has RV sites, tent and camper sites and a small number of cabins to rent, as well as a pool and recreation center, and a natural pond where campers can fish and paddle boat.