PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Pennsylvania park officials are pausing controversial plans to build a campground inside Big Elk Creek State Park in Chester County.
Residents who are against the project are relieved, but skeptical. Many had petitioned construction on the Landenberg campground, saying the development would ruin natural habitats and turn the area into a tourist attraction.
“It’s critical that this land is treated with the respect that it deserves,” said Anteia Consorto, who has been leading the opposition. To do so, she said the land is best left untouched.
“If you were to build this huge campground, the eagles aren’t going to stick around. The noise and the disruption is going to make all the animals want to run and hide,” she added. “Square footage-wise, it would be the equivalent of putting three Christiana Malls on a small piece of property that has, up until now, been managed as farmland and open space.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said it is “not considering camping as a recreational feature of the park at this time” and it is “listening to the community and its environmental concerns.” However, Consorto said this was not the end of their fight. She does not believe a campground is off the table for good, so an advisory committee is being assembled by the department, state senators, and other township officials.
“Guiding the planning process going forward to make sure that anything that’s done on this land is done with respect for nature and respect for the local community,” she said.