An overflow crowd of more than 80 residents attended a hearing last night in Mt. Lebanon where commissioners were presented with the pros and cons of building a fitness center in a residential neighborhood. The hotly debated topic centered around a parcel of land at the intersection of Mt. Lebanon and Castle Shannon boulevards.

The hearing lasted three hours, sandwiched between other commission business. The whole affair went almost 5 1/2 hours and ended just after midnight.

The Kossman family has owned the land in question since 1952 and in the past three decades had been the subject of numerous proposed projects. Until two years ago, it was heavily wooded, but was clear cut to make way for a two-building office project. The offices were an exception to the R-2 residential zoning ordinance, but when the project fell through several months ago, Kossman Development proposed a text amendment to the ordinance that would allow the construction of a 46,000-square foot LA Fitness Center.

Commission president John Daly made it clear at the outset that no decision would be made until possibly the commission's next regularly scheduled meeting June 8. Instead, the night belonged to a succession of speakers on both sides, including company president Curtis Kossman and LA Fitness executive vice-president Chad Abramo.

A succession of more than a dozen residents cited concerns of increased traffic and noise, and the worry that the pleasing esthetic of the neighborhood would be compromised. The fitness center, they said, doesn't meet the standard of the zoning ordinance and would not enhance property values.

There were also taxpayers who argued on the side of the Kossman development.