A potential 50-unit residential development on the site of the former Eastern Star retirement home in Ross has raised concerns about traffic, noise and stormwater runoff.
The development would include townhouses, duplexes and single-family homes, with prices starting around $175,000, Commissioner Gerald O'Brien said.
Plans for the development could go before the Ross Planning Commission next month, O'Brien said.
Greg Hand, president of National Development of Pennsylvania, based in Green Tree, has met twice with nearby residents to discuss their concerns. Hand could not be reached for comment Friday.
The Eastern Star retirement home was moved to Aleppo in 2001. Since then, buildings at the Ross site along Bellevue Road have sat vacant, and demolition at the site has begun.
Will Drosendahl, 38, of Jacks Run Road, said he would prefer the site remain undeveloped, but has been pleased with the way Hand has handled relations with neighbors.
"I'd love to see it torn down and have it covered with grass seed, but that's not realistic," Drosendahl said. "But (Hand) seems like he's willing to work with the neighbors and listen to our concerns."
Runoff from Bellevue Road is a problem for many residents, said Margie Dorben, 45, of Pearl Avenue. Dorben said water frequently runs behind homes on her block, even during dry weather.
"We get flooded out on occasion. We call it a creek because it's always flowing."
Hand presented residents with a revised sketch Thursday night that he said would divert some of the runoff, Drosendahl said.
Another worry is increased traffic from the development.
Sandy Schlipp, 36, of Pearl Avenue, said cars already speed down Bellevue Road and adding more traffic could make driving difficult.
"The corner of Jacks Run Road and Bellevue Road, in the summertime it's terrible. You hear countless horns at that intersection and people yelling out the window," Schlipp said.
