Eaton County planning commission approves expanded resort-cabin plan for Sherwood Forest Campground with conditions

The Eaton County Planning Commission on Jan. 14 approved changes to conditional use permit CU 101525 for Sherwood Forest Campground, including conversion and construction of resort cabins, new setbacks, a required privacy fence and other conditions.

The commission’s approval includes limits and clarifications aimed at addressing neighborhood concerns about noise, trespass and year‑round use. The commission capped resort cabins at 600 square feet, required Barry‑Eaton District Health Department approval for each cabin conversion or new resort cabin, set a minimum 10‑foot separation between structures and ordered a six‑foot solid privacy fence installed along the campground’s east property line between sites 6 and 68, to begin April 1 and be completed by July 1.

Why it matters: Neighbors had urged stronger buffers and clearer rules after years of incremental changes at Sherwood Forest Campground. The commission’s motion bundles site‑specific approvals with explicit construction, health and site‑plan conditions intended to limit how the property may change without further commission review.

The commission reviewed a packet of site plans and a staff report that summarized site‑plan history dating to 2015, photographs from a staff inspection on Jan. 9 and written communications from neighbors and Walton Township. Brandy Williams, Eaton County planning staff, summarized…