In a ceremony thousands of years old, representatives of the local American Indian community prayed for harmony between the old and the new Tuesday by blessing the ground where a 325-acre housing plan is being built in Marshall.

"We are asking the spirits to guide, to bless and to create an example for those who have been trusted with this place," medicine man Miguel Sague told a group of more than 100 guests and local dignitaries attending the groundbreaking for the Venango Trails residential community, which will be built on the former Venango Golf Course on Freeport Road.

Mr. Sague, a member of the Council of the Three Rivers American Indian Center in Pittsburgh, said he listened when the development's partners talked about their intent to respect the land -- part of a 200-year-old American Indian path -- and he said he'd pray that they continue on that mission. "I have heard these words and they sound good."

The development sits on a portion of the historic Venango Trail, a byway used by American Indians traveling between Erie and the forks of the Ohio.

The developers of the Venango Trails community repeatedly have pledged to maintain the rural character of the land on which they intend to build nearly 500 homes in six styles ranging in price from about $250,000 to more than $1 million.

In addition to setting aside more acres for open space than they plan to build on, VT Partners also donated 84 acres to the Allegheny Land Trust, an agency dedicated to the preservation and conservation of land in Allegheny County.

"It is a unique opportunity for a land trust to be at a groundbreaking," said Roy Kraynyk, executive director of the Allegheny Land Trust, before he thanked VT Partners for dedicating the land for conservation.

While the desire for harmony between the development's key players was evident Tuesday, that wasn't always the case.

Three years ago, Marshall officials denied the developer's request to build the residential community. Supervisors thought the developer wanted too many variances, so many that it would change the character of the zoning district.

The dispute wound up in court and centered on whether there was a difference between a waiver and a variance. In April 2007, Commonwealth Court ruled VT Partners could build on the former golf course.

Last August, the state Supreme Court denied Marshall's request to hear its appeal, and the issue at that point became one of making the best of the situation, said Marshall Manager Neil McFadden.

Marshall supervisors were at the groundbreaking Tuesday, and Chairman Tom Madigan said he was pleased with the way things have turned out.

"The challenge for local government is to encourage smart, responsible government," he said. "I believe this development has created the perfect balance."

As Mr. Sague and Dan Morales, chairman of the Council of the Three Rivers American Indian Center, performed the ground blessing, they smoked a pipe of sacred tobacco, repeatedly referred to the good intentions of the land owners and asked the spirits to guide them.

"Let them stay true to their path," Mr. Morales said.

He said blessing the ground was important because Native Americans believe the past is part of the present and the future.

"Our ancestors are all over," Mr. Morales said. "It's important to let them know what's happening."