Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park get committee approval for 40-site RV area with restrictions

The Peoria County Land Use Committee voted to approve a special-use petition from Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park to develop a 9.5-acre portion of parkland into a 40-site recreational vehicle (RV) campground, renovate a building into a new visitor center, upgrade the park pavilion and make improvements to the lake and beach areas.

Terry Taylor told the committee the petitioner is represented by Austin Engineering, a Peoria-based engineering and land-surveying firm. Each proposed campsite will have septic, water and electrical hookups; staff said the site will not allow tent camping. The parcel is adjacent to the park’s main facilities and the petitioner proposed nonmotorized pedestrian improvements across North Taylor Road as a condition required by the Peoria County Highway Department. Staff recommended approval with restrictions related to Taylor Road; the Zoning Board of Appeals recommended approval with restrictions, 6–0.

Samuel Hood of Austin Engineering answered committee technical questions. He said the existing septic fields will be removed and the petitioner proposes new septic fields “sized for 4,000 gallons per day, which is the calculated load” based on soil sampling. Hood also said the campground is expected to be seasonal, operating about nine to ten months per year, and that water hookups are through hydrants requiring annual winter draining because they are not frost protected. Committee members asked about length of stay and whether long-term camping would be permitted; the petitioner representative said he could not confirm stay-length rules at this time.

A motion to place the petition on the floor was seconded and the committee voted; the transcript records the committee result as “Pass unanimously.”