Eaton County Planning Commission tables Sherwood Forest Campground expansion after health and map concerns

The Eaton County Planning Commission on Dec. 3, 2024 moved to table a conditional use permit application by Jeff and Carrie Wills for changes at Sherwood Forest Campground, citing concerns about septic capacity, unclear site plans and unpermitted portable bathroom facilities.

Staff presented the application for the 55‑acre property at 8240 Campground Drive in Walton Township and outlined 11 requested changes. The applicants seek to convert several existing rustic cabins to ‘resort cabins’ that include plumbing, add future sites where resort cabins could be placed (sites 65, 67, 68 and 107–114), allow a roughly 300‑square‑foot addition to an existing resort cabin at 8353 Campground Drive, permit outdoor storage for campground equipment, construct playground equipment (a “jumping pillow”), build a 400‑square‑foot woodshed, allow a not‑yet‑constructed manager’s house to be rented, and retain portable bathrooms and showers with the required permits.

Why it mattered: neighbors and the county health department warned that the proposed conversions and new resort cabins look more like residences than primitive camping units and could require separate septic systems. A written letter…