CRANBERRY TWP — The future of land development along the Freedom Road corridor could have a new look as township supervisors Thursday night voted to rezone parts of the busy road to permit a mix of residential and commercial development.

Thursday's decision affects two of three study areas of the road that had been considered for the change. The third study area near the township's border with New Sewickley Township, Beaver County, and near the Autumn Hill housing plan was rejected because supervisors believed the buffer zones included in the ordinance were insufficient and the permitted building sizes also should be reduced.

The supervisors will hold another public hearing Sept. 29 to discuss those proposed changes and potentially vote again in October on the third Freedom Road study area.

The new zoning allows traditional neighborhood development, including a mix of residential and neighborhood commercial development such as small retail or offices.

That recommendation came out of a two-year planning process that included a host of stakeholder and planning sessions.

The traditional neighborhood zoning would overlay the current zoning on the properties. The base zoning of those properties, which are currently residential, will remain.

The emotionally charged issue has those living along the congested Freedom Road looking to get some value for their properties, which they believed were unsellable as residential because of the heavy traffic volumes.

Those living in the surrounding neighborhoods wanted the township to preserve the character of their neighborhoods and not destroy their quality of life.

"I know this has pitted neighbors against neighbors, and that's unfortunate," said John Skorupan, supervisors chairman. "There's been a lot of meetings and a lot of effort put into this plan. There's a lot of leeway there to make this successful in the community."

Fellow Supervisor Dick Hadley added that some of the property owners along Freedom Road haven't been able to sell their land.

"When we started this process, it wasn't designed to have winners and losers," Hadley said. "It was not for somebody to cash out and walk away.

"Not everyone is going to be 100 percent happy."

Supervisor Dave Root said the people living along Freedom Road haven't been able to sell their properties and that is something he didn't want to see happen in the community.

Root added traffic long Freedom Road was never going to decrease and the township should be proactive in land planning along the corridor.

The changes will be incorporated in the Cranberry Plan, the township's 25-year, long-range vision on what the township should become.