ADAMS TWP — After more than a year of legal proceedings and paperwork, a new public hearing will be held on the proposed Hickory Glen planned residential development.

The meeting, set 6:30 p.m. Monday, will focus on the plan to build 42 residential homes at the east end of Pearce Road. They would be built in a rural conservation zoning district within the township.

The plan has been the subject of opposition. Residents say it would have a negative impact on land and traffic in the area. They also disagreed with it being built in the RC zone, as did some of the township supervisors.

Last May, final approval for the original plan was denied by supervisors after hearing feedback from residents. Attorneys for developer Weaver Master Builders argued that because the plan had met the conditions for preliminary approval, the board had to approve the final version. However, supervisors unanimously denied the plan, which at the time called for 50 homes.

The plan was later given tentative approval by supervisors, but in November, Butler County Judge Marilyn Horan revoked that approval citing ordinance violations and “error of law.”

Horan found that the board “abused its discretion,” and cited the number of homes accessible by an access point exceeding the limit. Another road would need to be built, she ruled.

The township also did not follow procedure, Horan ruled, because it did not give the Butler County Planning Commission 30 days to review the plan and issue a recommendation.

Horan remanded the case to be heard again by the supervisors.

In the interim, supervisors approved a PRD zoning amendment, which reduces the density of future plans and adds other restrictions regarding buffer zones and land use. The change also adjusts the zoning of rural conservation, rural agricultural and low density districts.

The Hickory Glen has been resubmitted and revised, leading to a new public hearing being scheduled within a 60 day window.

According the Michael Gallagher, township solicitor, Hickory Glen officials indicated the revised plan meets both old and new PRD requirements.

Gallagher said though extensions have been requested, the process for review and timeline for scheduling Monday’s public hearing has been tight.

He said the township planning commission earlier this month voted to recommend tentative approval for the plan. The supervisors will not vote on the matter until after the public hearing.

The process, however, does not sit well with some residents, who voiced their frustration during Monday’s supervisors meeting.

Bill Been, a resident of Good Luck Lane, said tentative approval should never have occurred, as not enough information was available. He also voiced frustration with the PRD process.

“The PRD process is not a process that benefits the people that you people represent,” he told supervisors.

Gallagher said supervisors have all expressed frustration and dissatisfaction with that process, which is set by state law.

“That 60-day requirement really puts a pressure on the township to move at light speed,” he said, adding the township can ask for continuances, but it is ultimately up to the developer.

The public hearing on the Hickory Glen PRD is set 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Adams Township Municipal Building, 690 Valencia Road, Mars.