When it comes to Freedom Road, Bruce Mazzoni, chairman of the Cranberry supervisors, is just plain tired of discussing how property should be used.

That was the summation of several minutes of comments underscoring township officials' frustration with the continuing conflict over the zoning of the property that flanks Cranberry's notorious bottleneck.

The issue came to a head Thursday as the board considered whether to accept an application from a consortium representing 13 Freedom Road property owners seeking a rezoning of their land. The application for rezoning accompanies pending appeals to the township zoning board and Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Supervisors voted unanimously against acceptance of the rezoning request.

The issue has been simmering for years. Township officials thought it was resolved in October 2010 when they approved a zoning overlay to allow property owners to develop their land for lower-impact commercial uses. The underlying residential zoning remained in tact, allowing property owners who didn't want to develop to continue unchanged.

The discussions about the zoning of the property along Freedom Road from Route 19 to the Beaver County line have been ongoing since the late 1990s.

In 1999, the Cranberry Planning Commission began looking at a request from residents along Freedom Road who wanted their land to be rezoned from residential to commercial.

In the township's early days, Freedom Road was one of two main thoroughfares cutting through farmland.

Houses were built on either side.

But, as the township developed, the road evolved from a residential street to a commercial throughway.

People living in houses fronting Freedom Road felt squeezed out of their homes.

They wanted their land rezoned for commercial uses, allowing them the option of selling their land to potential commercial developers.

Commercial property generally commands higher sale prices than residential property.

However, the property owners behind the homes immediately fronting Freedom Road were concerned about creating a commercial district at their door fronts, facing the same fate as their neighbors a few years down the line.

The homes already beside the highway were serving as a buffer.

Studies were conducted, committees created and public hearings held.

In the end, township supervisors approved the zoning overlay for a mixed-use district that allows residential and low-intensity commercial uses on top of the underlying zoning, which is residential.

Cranberry Manager Jerry Andree said the zoning overlay was a compromise that addressed everyone's needs, giving those closest to Freedom Road the possibility of some commercial uses that blend well with residential property.

Those uses include enterprises such as doctor's offices, dry cleaners and second-story apartments.

Mr. Mazzoni said Thursday he's tired of the ongoing conflict.

"This whole process has gotten out of control. It is continuing too long," he said.

He referenced the Freedom Road property owners' challenges to the legality of the zoning overlay and suggested that the board consider scrapping the overlay, essentially turning back the clock.

The underlying residential zoning simply would continue.

Mr. Mazzoni said he believes the township has made a "concerted effort" to reach a compromise with Freedom Road residents but has been unsuccessful.

"We'll just see you in court," Dan Page said quietly from his seat in the audience.

Mr. Page, who often attends township meetings, has expressed before his position that his property is suited to higher-intensity commercial uses and that the township is limiting his ability to sell the property at its highest value.

First Published: March 1, 2012, 3:45 p.m.