Heather Wright/The Independent

A St. Clair Township businessman is voicing his frustration after an offer to purchase the Mooretown campground and develop it into housing stalled.

The township has been talking about the future of the site beside the municipally-owned golf course since May 2023. The township’s director of community services, Kendall Lindsay, brought up the issue again in April 2025, asking council to approve the closure of the campground. 

Scott Kelvin first approached Lindsay, with the idea to buy the land and build houses in November 2025.

“If I see an opportunity, then we’re going to jump on it. You know, obviously I’m not doing this for nothing…This is a business opportunity for both parties.”

Lindsay sent Kelvin and his associates from Arvai Developments from West Lorne to CAO John Rodey.

“He explained the protocols about going to council, having an in-camera meeting, if it was something that council was interested in, then they would have to vote on turning the campground into surplus land. And then, he said, that would take literally an hour after a meeting, and then they can move forward.”

The in-camera meeting was scheduled for February where the developers presented their offer. They would purchase the land for $1.1 million and then create a new subdivision with estate lots, seniors rental housing, pickelball courts, a playground, pond and greenspace. 

Kelvin estimates the plan would have been $80 to $100 million in housing, and in the long term, more tax dollars for the community. 

“Nobody asked a single question other than Jeff Agar,” says Kelvin, noting he wondered whether the developers would want to buy half the 35 acres and leave part of the campground remaining.  

Kelvin says the developers submitted a formal offer with a deadline of March. But it came and went without even a call from the township.

“With the magnitude of the investment, you would think they would take it serious enough to at least have the courtesy to call us back and say, ‘Hey, thanks for your interest,’” Kelvin told The Independent.

April 20, council considered closing the campground again, but deferred the idea once more. Instead councillors asked staff to find “campground experts” to assess the state of the campground and what it will cost to continue operating. 

April 22, Kelvin met with The Independent and said the process was frustrating. And, he says, staff suggested council may not have been enthusiastic about the development because closing the campground so close to a municipal election could be controversial.

“They’re worried about the votes that they’re going to get. And I told them I really didn’t care about the election.”

Mayor Jeff Agar says council’s lack of action on the proposed development has nothing to do with the election.

“The information we’ve had (on the campground) has been all over the place, and it’d be nice to get a handle and see what we can do with it,” Agar said, pointing out the new study by campground experts should help.

“I personally don’t want to close it,” he added, floating his idea of using part of the land for development. 

“Sever it off in half, develop the back half, and bring that money into the front half and fix that all up,” he said. “It’d be a win-win. We still have campground, and you’d have development, more development out the back.”

While Kelvin says they’re disappointed in council’s lack of interest, he’s more concerned how developers with a serious offer were treated. But, he says, as a taxpayer, he’s disappointed the township doesn’t seem interested in a big development.

“As a taxpayer in St Clair Township, I don’t agree with what they’re doing, and I don’t agree with how they’re spending our tax dollars,” he said, noting it doesn’t make sense to him to continue operating a campground which loses money.