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Second traffic study to be done at country club site in Ross
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The owners of the former Highland Country Club agreed to give Ross officials more time so that a second traffic study can be done on the impact of a development that is proposed for the site.
A planned residential development with 134 single-family homes and 167 townhouses has been proposed for the property on Highland Avenue. Residents of the area contend that the development would exacerbate the traffic problems on nearby roads.
Thomas Schutzman told commissioners Tuesday that he sat at the nearby intersection of Gass Road and Peony Avenue for several hours one day and counted the number of vehicles that went through the intersection at different times.
"Traffic is crazy and it is going to get worse," said his daughter-in-law, Shelley Schutzman, who lives on Peony. "I cannot walk my son to school. I have a hard enough time pulling out of my driveway."
Ray Caruso, traffic engineer for the project, said that 40 vehicles are expected to come and go through the development's five entrances during peak hours, but Mrs. Schutzman said that all of the homes would have two-car garages, so she believes that the number of trips is being underestimated.
Two of the nearby intersections with Highland Avenue -- at Gass and Cornell Avenue -- get a failing grade for traffic movement now, Mr. Caruso said.
But neither Gass Road nor Highland Avenue meet state requirements for a traffic signal, said John Kamin, attorney for the developers, Limerick Land Partners. The developers are willing to put money aside in an escrow account to pay for traffic signals if the state requires them after the development is built, he said.
The developers agreed to let the township engineer, Gateway Engineers, do a second traffic study of the area. Commissioners now will vote March 18 on whether to grant the development tentative approval.
If tentative approval is granted, then the state Department of Transportation will also do a traffic study.
It is PennDOT's study that matters the most, said Michael Dufalla of Gateway. Without the state's approval, "this plan does not get built," he said.
In other business, it was announced that the bridge on Center Avenue will close March 4. Work will continue until August.
Also, the commissioners appointed Joseph Argenas to the planning commission.
The township will accept proposals through March 14 for a finance director and for a company to publish the township magazine, the Ross Record.
First Published February 21, 2013 5:28 am
