Prior to a public hearing for a special use application to the Lima Township Planning Commission, the owners of Camp Woodbury, a 150-acre campground on Nordman Lake, gave a tour to about 50 people Wednesday evening.
The owners are seeking a special use for the property that’s zoned Ag-2, which allows campgrounds and it will be held on Monday, April 27 at 6:30 p.m. prior to the regularly scheduled Lima Township Planning Commission meeting at Lima Township Hall.
Camp Woodbury sits on 150 acres, and is tucked away on Steinbach Road, between Dexter-Chelsea Road and Trinkle Road in the township, and has been in operation in one form or another since the 1920s.
The camp has a main lodge and four cabins which have been beautifully restored, as well as three other cabins slated for future restoration. There is also a boathouse, an equipment barn, and a bath house, as well as plans to build a new tractor and equipment barn, an outdoor grilling station/picnic shelter, and a wood shed.
Purchased in 2000 by current owner Jan Muhleman, the property is zoned Ag-2 (see Lima Township Zoning Ordinance here), which allows a campground as a special use.
Since the camp was founded before Lima Township had a zoning ordinance, however, there is no official zoning documentation. The Lima Township Board of Trustees wants to remedy that. According to Township Supervisor Craig Maier, “We want to establish a baseline for them, so that in the future, proper zoning uses are documented.”
“The use of the site is for limited-stay camping and events (corporate and/or educational retreats, family reunions, weddings, etc.),” according to information provided by the Nordman Lake Owners’ Use Statement.
In addition, “It (the location) is rumored to have been Joe Louis’s training camp and while the current owners have found no proof of that, the prior owner claimed to have found Joe Louis memorabilia on the grounds.”
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