85-site RV campground proposed on Roller Coaster Road

WEIRS BEACH — A campground plan from the 1990s was again proposed before the planning board Tuesday night, this time by a new developer.

The potential RV campground on Roller Coaster Road is located on a large, 40-acre parcel which occupies what used to be logging land, about a half-mile east of the Roller Coaster and Parade Road intersection. 

“I’m proposing 85 RV sites, and they’re all numbered on the existing plan, and in addition to that — in that center open space which was going to be used for the leaching system, which was pretty extensive — that’s where I was going to do six cabins on one side and six cabins on the other,” Larry Chase, potential owner of the parcel, said Tuesday night. 

Chase, who has a purchase-and-sales-agreement contingent on receiving necessary approvals in place, told city planning board members the transformation of the large, wooded property is essentially his retirement plan. 

Before he can return before the planning board, he’s got to seek approval for a zoning variance — the parcel is located in the rural residential zone, and he’d need the go-ahead for a commercial use to bring the project to fruition. 

“It was previously approved in the '90s for a campground, the exact same proposal that I have,” Chase said. 

The original plans refer to “Roller Coaster Road Family Campground,” and Chase said he liked the sound of that. 

The property is currently owned by Michael Porell, who purchased the parcel in 2011 for $4,000, according to a property records database. It’s got a house on it, which Chase said he’d like to turn into an office for the large campground, which would include a pool and other amenities.

Some of the sites, perhaps about 50, would likely be seasonal, for renters to leave their RV for long periods of time, potentially between mid-April and mid-October. Other sites would be for temporary stays.

Roller Coaster Road is close to many tourist attractions and dining establishments which attract visitors to the area every year, and is also a core thoroughfare for Laconia Motorcycle Week. It’s also frequently the location of motor vehicle accidents. 

Sites range between 1,700 and 3,000 square feet. They’d be connected to electric, water and sewer utilities. 

“The difference between back in the '90s and now, there’s town sewer on the road — I’m sure you guys are aware of that — and there’s a house about 250 feet back from the actual road, which I’m proposing that and it’s actually on the plan in the same spot as the gentleman built the house, is where the office and the store would be,” Chase said. 

All of the sites would be numbered, he said, and he’s proposing the addition of cabins, plus a store and a bathhouse with 10 parking spots near the pool.

The property is about 2,000 feet deep.

“It’s relatively flat, it works out well for a campground,” Chase said. “That’s why I’m here, kind of a retirement thing I want to do.”