Plans to transform the long-closed Lakewood Park into a camping resort gained traction Monday when Ryan Township approved the new owners’ request to the zone property as commercial and to allow it to be used as a campground and event venue.

“We are excited to continue forward with the journey of building a recreational area for families to enjoy,” said Andrew E. Roth, who bought the land last November with Loren E. Roth.

“It was great to hear the support at the hearing from neighbors who seem just as excited as we are with the plans. Now that we have zoning approval, we can move on to land development planning,” he said.

“We are hoping to complete this over the summer and are still aiming to break land in the fall on construction of the event venue. Our goal is to have the venue completed to start hosting events, such as weddings, come spring of 2019. The campground will then open in phases thereafter,” Roth said.

The former Lakewood Park was an entertainment mecca, drawing such big names as The Dorsey Boys Orchestra, Rudy Vallee and Artie Shaw.

It closed in 1984, and sat vacant until the Roths bought the 53.75-acre parcel for $507,000 from Lakewood Park Estates LLP on Nov. 16, 2017.

The family plans to create a camping resort, complete with a 10-acre lake, campgrounds and a building to hold events.

The entire project is expected to be completed by fall 2021, according to the Roth’s website, http://lakewoodparkcampground.com.