SPICER -- A 100-lot recreational vehicle park is being proposed on West Woodcock Lake in Spicer.
WestRich plans to apply for a conditional use permit for the park next week, and a public hearing on the permit is scheduled for April 19. WestRich is owned by New London-Spicer area real estate agents Dean Westre and Earl Rich.
The park would be located south of West Woodcock Lake and run in an L-shape to the west of the Prairie Meadows Learning Center on Kandiyohi County Road 10. It would open in the spring of 2007 if approved, Westre said.
People would rent space in the park for the season, which would probably run from May 1 to Oct. 1, Westre said. Each site would be 40 feet by 60 feet, he said.
The park would include a swimming pool, wading pool and playground, he said. There would also be a corral area for boat storage. There is no landing on West Woodcock Lake for motorized watercraft, but there would be a dock for canoe and paddleboat use, Westre said.
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The pool area would include a building with public restrooms and showers. Another building would be constructed for a storm shelter, he said.
"What we're planning is definitely an upscale RV park," Westre said.
WestRich had proposed building a housing development on the property, but was unable to secure about 8 acres of property owned by the New London-Spicer School District. Without that land, houses could only be built on one side of the road, which would have made the development cost-prohibitive, Westre said.
The NLS School Board decided last year not to sell the land to WestRich and has rejected previous offers for the land from other residential developers.
"It's time to move on and look at something else," Westre said.
The WestRich property line is about 500 feet from the school building to the north and about 50 feet from the school storage shed to the west, NLS Superintendent Paul Carlson said. The district hasn't discussed how the park could affect the school, he said.
"We haven't talked with Dean Westre or Earl Rich regarding any safety issues surrounding that," he said.
A limited number of students attend the school, which houses Head Start and Early Childhood Family Education programs, Carlson said. The building is well-supervised by staff and parents, he said.
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Westre said some people would rather see a housing development on the land, but said overall feedback about the park has been positive, Westre said. He estimates the park could bring in at least 200 people into the community during the summer and early fall.
The park would act as a replacement for resorts that have closed in the area, Westre said.
"With today's cost of lake homes, it's out of reach for a lot of people," he said.
