BUTLER TWP — Despite numerous complaints by residents, protest signs in yards and pledges to vote officials out of office, a low-income townhouse complex is coming to the township.

The township commissioners Monday night unanimously approved plans for the $11 million, 50-unit Thompson Greene development on the 11-acre Ritenour property near North Duffy Road’s intersection with Route 422.

In a prepared statement, township solicitor Larry Lutz warned the crowd of about 80 people that the commissioners’ discretion would be limited.

“This means if the owner of the land meets all requirements of our ordinances, the township has no legal basis to deny the owner the right to use its property,” Lutz said.

Former Commissioner George Shockey, who was one of 15 speakers, told the crowd that if the commissioners rejected the plan, the township could face a lawsuit, “wasting” taxpayers dollars.

“These guys hands are tied,” Shockey said.

But Shockey’s opinion was in the minority, and when he tried to return to the microphone a second and third time, the crowd booed until he was escorted to his seat by a police officer.

Other speakers, like resident Mike Collins, urged the commissioners to reject the plan and risk the lawsuit.

“You owe it to us to take it one step further and see what happens,” Collins said, noting that he would be OK with the township fighting the plan in court. “You aren’t wasting your money, you are wasting ours, and we are willing to back you.”

The residents took issue with just about all aspects of the proposal as presented by the Woda Group of Ohio.

Woda, a private company, will construct eight buildings encompassing 30 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom townhouses. Each two-story home would have a one-stall garage, and shared outdoor space would include a half-court basketball court, a bike path and a playground.

Residents, speaking Monday night as well as during a commissioners meeting last month, expressed worries about increased traffic, the loss of property values and water runoff if the project is built.

But mainly they worried that the housing would bring crime and problems to their quiet neighborhood because it is for low-income residents.

Woda intends to build the development under a federal low-income tax credit program. Therefore, the housing units would be offered to people who make no more than 60 percent of the area’s median income.

In exchange for that, investor companies would receive federal tax credits.

Company representatives have said the average resident would make $19,000 to $30,000 a year and would pay about $675 per month for a two-bedroom townhouse or $800 per month for a three-bedroom townhouse.

Officials from Woda have continually stressed that the development is not HUD housing, but rather what they call “work force housing.” The officials pledged to screen and monitor the residents with in-house management.

“No one was in support of this. I don’t know why they didn’t go with the residents instead of big business,” said resident Jim Slater, who noted that 500 people signed a petition in hopes of stopping the development.

After the vote, the residents spoke about getting together to discuss what they could do now.

“We talked about getting a lawyer,” said resident Arlene Sutton. “We want to keep fighting.”

Sutton, who openly sobbed during the meeting, said, “once I knew the way they were going to vote, I just lost it. They were pacifying us by letting us speak.

“They ruined our night because they already knew how they were going to vote. This is all about the almighty dollar.”