Residents raised concerns about where the Courtyards at Willow Grove project would be built and its larger impact.

CRANBERRY TWP — While feedback during a proposed residential development hearing before township supervisors Thursday drew reaction from neighbors about the plan's immediate impact, it also drew a question about the larger effects of development.

Township supervisors held a hearing for Courtyards at Willow Grove, a one-phase project proposing 27 single-family homes on 15 acres off North Boundary Road.

During the public comment, Ridgemont Drive resident Barry Rotz said he felt the plan is being shoehorned into the space, and is an example of development taking over the township.

“I just want to ask the question out loud — when is enough enough?” he asked supervisors.

Ron Henshaw, township planning and development director, said 26 of the homes would be condominiums and not have lot lines. Each unit would have a private courtyard patio built into the home design. The plan meets township density requirements, he added.

The condos would be accessed via a single point of entry along North Boundary Road.

The remaining lot would be a 1.9-acre estate-stye home closer to Franklin Road on a single lot with independent access to North Boundary Road. Brett Schultz, vice president of development for Weaver Homes, said this lot would not be part of the condominium association and not governed by those rules.

Henshaw said the plan has four stormwater retention ponds and would include sidewalks throughout. Once construction of the adjacent Park Meadows plan is complete, an additional sidewalk would allow residents to walk to North Boundary Park, according to Henshaw.

A township code modification would need to be approved to allow for a smaller strip of grass near the sidewalk on North Boundary Road. Henshaw said the topography of that area would not allow for the requirement to be met. Planning commission members took no issue with the change.

Schultz said the development will be similar in architecture and layout to Glen at Woodside on Darlington Road. He said homes are made to be built somewhat close together, with maintenance and yard work taken care of by the homeowner association. He added that road maintenance also is handled through that organization.

Schultz said overflow parking will be added at the front of the plan and a mail station positioned at the rear. The development also will include a park within an oversized cul-de-sac featuring six raised garden beds meant to be cultivated and maintained by residents.

Additionally, Schultz said the required 50-foot buffer would be maintained, and any trees disturbed during construction would be replaced.

Residents of nearby developments said they were concerned about the density of homes in the plan as well as the buffer zone surrounding the plan.

Rotz argued that while density requirements are met, the homes appear to be placed on about half of the plan instead of spread out.

“I'm sure that everything you're asking to do is adequate, but does that mean that it's what we want as a township to continue to do these little parcels and let developers come in and put as many homes as they can in there?” he said.

Rotz commends the overall plan and steps the developer is taking to address concerns, but said he's worried about the larger impact.

Additionally, Roger Miller of Ridgemont Drive said he is concerned about safety on North Boundary Road. He said the road is not well lit and could pose danger for those exiting the development onto North Boundary Road.

Supervisors will consider approval for the plan at their March 7 meeting.