A developer, who in 2021 got zoning approval for a “glamping”-style campground called Copacabana on a 197-acre mountainous tract off the Morgan Highway in the northernmost part of the city, is still working on the project.
In January of 2021, Lourival “Louis” Chiarentin and his wife, Regina, of New Rochelle, New York, bought the land with the intent of putting a campground there. They went before the city Zoning Board in April and July of 2021 for a variance/special exception for the campground. At the July hearing, the board approved scaled-down plans for a campground on the forested tract that has a power line running through it and sections of steep, rocky slopes.
This past Wednesday, the city Planning Commission reviewed Chiarentin’s land development plan submitted in October. It remains underway but is not yet completed for approval by the commission.
At the commission meeting Wednesday, Louis Chiarentin and his project engineer, Dennis Kutch of KBA Engineering of Jermyn, discussed the status of various aspects of the campground project. Some of those included access to the campground property from Route 307, stormwater management and placements of tent, restroom and other facilities. City planning officials have made various comments and suggestions about the land development plan.
“We’ll look at those comments and get back in touch with you and respond to them,” Kutch told the commission, according to an Electric City Television simulcast and video of the meeting posted on YouTube.
City Planner Don King said the city would need to extend its 90-day review period that is now expiring, as Chiarentin continues to work through the plans.
Commission Chairman Todd Pousley told Chiarentin and Kutch, “As long as you’re comfortable with that, we can get the extension from you and take the time you need to address some of the comments,” and they can return to the commission next month for further review.
When the Zoning Board initially heard the campground proposal in April 2021, the Chiarentins proposed 80 campsites, 10 cabins and 15 RV sites. At that time, some residents of Steele and Fulton streets and a representative of Allied Services, which has its main campus at 475 Morgan Highway, raised concerns about campfire smoke. Residents also raised concerns about increased traffic and noise, the potential for forest fires from campfire embers, and that runoff could potentially disturb a nearby, old defunct Morgan Highway landfill.
The Zoning board delayed voting in April 2021 to give both sides time to try to work out differences.
In July 2021, an attorney representing the Chiarentins told the Zoning Board the couple scaled the plan down to 20 campfire rings, each with two or three tent platforms, resulting in 40-60 tents in a narrow loop in a small section of the entire tract, about 1 mile away from Allied and 3/4-of-a-mile from Steele Street. The Zoning Board’s approval in July 2021 also came with a condition prohibiting RV recreational vehicles and travel trailers.
Monday update
THEN: The Scranton Zoning Board in 2021 approved a variance/special exception sought by Lourival “Louis” Chiarentin to create a “glamping”-style campground called Copacabana on a 197-acre mountainous tract off the Morgan Highway in the northernmost part of the city.
NOW: Chiarentin is still working on creating the project. On Wednesday, the city Planning Commission reviewed Chiarentin’s land development plan that is not yet completed.