FORWARD TWP — At a packed meeting on Tuesday evening, Oct. 24, the Forward Township planning commission opted to table plans for a multisport complex proposed for Watters Station Road.

Township engineer Tom Thompson cited over a dozen points where the current proposal does not meet the requirements for the township to grant it preliminary approval.

John Cashdollar is spearheading the project, which would be built on land he previously used to grow and sell Christmas trees. On social media, he said his motivation was to bring sports back to that property, as church leagues used to play baseball and softball there decades ago.

“I wanted to do it for the community,” Cashdollar said.

As of now, plans for the complex include an outdoor soccer field along with three enclosed buildings. One would feature an indoor soccer field and four pickleball courts; another would feature two tracks for pole vaulting, and a third would contain bathroom facilities.

According to Cashdollar, the pole vaulting facility is planned because he himself has taught pole vaulting in the Seneca Valley School District for over four decades.

During the public comment phase, nearly all of the dozens of residents in attendance took the opportunity to voice their feelings about the proposed complex. Their comments ranged from mildly concerned to outright negative.

Many were concerned that Watters Station Road may not be a suitable location for such an ambitious project and may not be able to handle large amounts of traffic if the complex has a busy day. Some residents said traffic on that road is bad enough already due to the ongoing Route 228 improvement project diverting motorists onto Watters Station Road.

“I moved to a rural-agricultural area to get away from that kind of stuff,” said one resident. “I just think this is one of the stupidest things. Put it in Cranberry. People just love traffic out there. We don’t need this.”

“The primary concerns are traffic on the roads. They're concerned about lighting and light pollution on their properties … general things associated with development,” said planning commission member Steve Longwell.

After public comments, James McMullan of Jaimeson Ellis Architects and Tom Taylor of Hampton Technical Associates presented the current plans for the Cashdollar sports complex to the planning commission and to the public.

Thompson questioned how the complex would fit into Forward Township’s comprehensive plan under the definition of a “sports field” when there are multiple sports facilities planned.

“Our primary concerns are that they're following the ordinances set in the township, and that they’re meeting all of the local and state regulations,” Longwell said.

As a result of the decision to table the proposal, Cashdollar and his associates will attempt to incorporate Thompson’s comments into a revised proposal to once again submit to the planning commission for preliminary approval. The township engineer will then review the proposal.

The planning commission has the authority to recommend the Forward Township board of supervisors grant preliminary approval once the proposal meets all of the necessary requirements.

“There are some more details that they’d have to meet for final approval, but these primary ones for preliminary approval are the sewage, the stormwater, the parking, those types of things,” Longwell said.