JACKSON TWP — Residents came out Thursday evening to protest a proposed indoor shooting range they believe is dangerous to build in the mostly residential neighborhoods along and near Zehner School Road.

About 50 residents came to the conditional use hearing for an application by JRAD Ventures, represented by Roy Hurd, a former Cranberry Township supervisor and a resident there.

He wants to build a 17,550-square-foot indoor shooting range and ancillary uses including class and training rooms, shooting supplies and gun sales at the intersection of Steeb Road and Zehner School Road. A 14-lane shooting range would be in the basement.

The supervisors continued the public hearing to get more comments from the public and to get additional information from the township's solicitor.

The next hearing date, which has not been set, must be held within 45 days. The township will advertise the hearing and post it at the municipal building.

The property, which is currently a farm, is in an RA or rural agriculture zoning district, which permits a wide range of recreational uses though the conditional use process.

In addition to the conditional use, the shooting range also needs the approval of its land development application by the township through a separate process.

There are 80,000 target shooters within 20 minutes of this property, said Hurd, who explained the range would be a recreational facility. Target shooting has increased 18 percent in the state during the past year and 27 percent nationwide, while at the same time hunting participation has declined.

Hurd said his current plan is to operate the facility between noon to 9 p.m.

Noise from the range heard outside the building, would be less than a person's voice during normal talking and the lead would be collected in accordance to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and moved from the facility, he said.

An extensive air filtration system would filter 99.9 percent of the particulate matter from the discharging of the firearms before it was released outside the facility, Hurd said.

However, many residents in attendance argued by selling guns and ammunition, the building would not be a recreational facility, but a commercial retail sales building and should not be permitted in the zoning district. Others said the shooting range would jeopardize safety in the neighboring residential areas.

Resident Mary Ann Mason, who owns property on nearby Mason Lane, said the proposed range is a commercial use and should not be permitted in a residential neighborhood.

"There is no reason to permit the use of gun sales there," she said. "We believe this is a commercial facility, a retail facility as much as it is a recreational facility. And, this conditional use should be denied."

Hurd said the guns sales at the facility is needed to make the project successful, but reiterated it would be a secondary use for the property. He also said when he began searching for the property, he was given several areas by the township where recreational facilities are permitted, and the property on Steeb Road is in one of those areas.

Paul Kotsenas, a resident of Cottingham Place in neighboring Cranberry Township, about a mile from the proposed shooting range, said the supervisors should not allow the facility when there are so many other areas that have existing commercial space for lease.

Gerald Welch, who lives in neighboring Winterbrook Drive in Cranberry Township, said people would bring guns to this facility and there is no way the facility could guarantee the safety of residents.

The Rev. Grand Standish, who lives along Zehner School Road, said the shooting range and selling of guns is inappropriate in this area. Families are concerned about their children's safety.

He also said the range would hurt property values.

"I'm not against the range itself. But, it would be more appropriate along Route 19," he said.