Fort Frances Town Council is eyeing the space south of Lillie Avenue and west adjacent to Legion Park as an area that could be used for RV camping in a central location of town.
The concept was initially brought forward as a motion from Coun. John McTaggart during the April 27 meeting of council. With Legion Park being in a transformative period since 2023, adding new play structures, a splash pad, basketball courts and washrooms, McTaggart pitched the idea as another addition to the zone that can generate tourism.
“The Town has stated in the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan that ‘Increased tourism will contribute to the vitality, beauty, and prosperity of the Town partners,'” McTaggart’s wrote in his motion. “The Town no longer has a campground for those visiting the community with motorhomes, trailers, or other camping methods.”
McTaggart’s motion goes on to state that the campground at Point Park is typically at capacity during summer and that this location in the town’s centre would entice campers to use the nearby services.
In a report to council, Infrastructure and Growth Manager Travis Rob indicated that several things clash with this idea, the first being the small area to utilize. Due to a zoning by-law, there is a mandatory buffer zone near the water, limiting development within 45 metres of the shoreline. There is also a requirement to avoid impacting vegetation within 30 metres of the shoreline.
On the opposite side of the area, a pre-existing lot used for overflow parking to Legion Park limits development boundaries towards the north end of the site. Town administration noted the importance of keeping this lot, saying it is necessary for supporting busy times and events happening in the park.
Another complication is the need for utility hook ups. Although there is an existing watermain system along the laneway between Lillie and Webster Avenues that can be utilized for water service, power and sanitary services are not readily available at the site.
Rob notes in his report that power could be distributed from Lillie and Webster but would require new service installations to be possible.
Sanitary sewer would also be a difficult challenge as sewer depths on the nearby roads are too shallow. Rob states in the report there is no way to service RV camping without installing a pump station.
Not only are size and services an issue, but the developing of camp sites in this location contradicts an earlier plan to build a dog park in the lot. Town administration has noted that there is not enough space to develop both without imposing limitations to the size of each.
“There may be some potential, but you’d be limiting one or both of the project’s options and size, if you were to try to combine the two,” Building and Planning Superintendent John Burrows said.
“If you were to try to get into flatter areas to be an accessible dog park, obviously that would impede on some of the area for the camper and trailer parking. Even though it’s a balance, it’s more subtracting from both options if you were to try to combine them.”
