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How big is the proposed Silver Rapids expansion project approved by the Lake County Planning and Zoning Commission? VERY BIG. During the peak summer season, the capacity for onsite …
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How big is the proposed Silver Rapids expansion project approved by the Lake County Planning and Zoning Commission? VERY BIG. During the peak summer season, the capacity for onsite residents will increase from about 220 to 440, or double the current capacity. In effect, 37 seasonal RV hookups and tent sites and five small cabins will be replaced by 49 new four-season homes with almost 3,000 square feet of living space with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and comfortable sleeping capacity for eight people. Those new cabins alone could house 392 people. Added to this is the capacity of the refurbished motel rooms and cabins, bringing the total to 440.
Looked at on a full -ear basis, the effective person-months of residential capacity will increase three-fold, because seasonal sites are being replaced by year-round homes. That represents a very big impact on Fall Lake Township, which has slightly less than 600 full time residents. The year-round population increase will increase traffic on our roads and lakes, solid waste to be removed, noise from ATVs and snowmobiles, and consumption of water, possibly affecting wells of neighbors. The quiet lakes and forests that drew so many of us here in the first place will be significantly affected.
How our public officials could approve this massive project with essentially no public input after information about the project was available is outrageous. It makes a mockery of the idea of public hearings to get input from the neighbors most affected by the project.
A responsible, properly scaled revival of the Silver Rapids Lodge Resort would be welcomed by most neighbors. This is not such a project. It is too big for the location and for our community.
Charles Marsden
Fall Lake Township