Huge RV, outdoor retailer one step closer in Franklin

Camping World, an RV and outdoor retailer, plans to build a new location in Franklin. CONTRIBUTED/CAMPING WORLD

Camping World, an RV and outdoor retailer, plans to build a new location in Franklin. CONTRIBUTED/CAMPING WORLD
Business
By Ed Richter
April 18, 2017
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A proposed Camping World took another step forward Monday when Franklin City Council approved the rezoning of 35.7 acres fronting Interstate 75 near the Ohio 123 interchange.

City Council approved the zoning change so the property owner, Lawrence Schumacher of Schumacher Dugan Construction, can sell about 18 acres of the parcel in the Franklin Interstate Park to Camping World.

Camping World, which says it is the nation’s largest RV and outdoor retailer, purchased in 2015 the former Tom Raper RV dealerships in Fairfield; London, Ohio; and Richmond, Ind.

Explore RELATED: Camping World renovates Fairfield RV dealership

The rezoning approval will require Camping World to apply for a conditional use permit for a vehicle dealer at the location and submit a major site plan to the city.

The proposed 30,000-square-foot facility is expected to have as many as 50 full-time employees, according to the project’s developer.

“I passed a few of them on my way to Alabama,” said Councilman Todd Hall. “They were very nice.”

Mayor Denny Centers was more enthusiastic about the proposed project by saying, “The nicest one will be in Franklin, Ohio.”

Camping World RV Sales is based in Lincolnshire, Ill., and the Camping World Retail division is based in Bowling Green, Ky.

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Ed Richter has been a working journalist for 38 years, with the last 34 years working in various capacities covering Butler and Warren counties as a reporter and an editor. Richter covers local news and governments in Warren County focusing on Springboro, Lebanon, Franklin, Carlisle and Waynesville.