More than 100 residents of Bridgeville and Upper St. Clair sandwiched into a public hearing Monday in Upper St. Clair to object to a planned residential development at the site of the Bedner family farm off Cook School Road.

And Tuesday, the mayor of Bridgeville sounded off on the plan, which calls for a 136-home development with an access road through Bridgeville's busy Main Street.

"It will bottle us up," said Bridgeville Mayor Donald Dolde. "People will use it as a shortcut."

Many of the residents who spoke at Monday's hearing -- held during the commissioner's meeting -- said they had no objection to new homes being built, provided that the development connected instead to a major artery, such as Bower Hill Road, not Main Street.

The hearing was held to determine whether the developer should receive tentative approval for the project and to consider a number of exceptions to the township's zoning regulations, such as smaller lot sizes and shorter setbacks from the road.

The hearing is to be continued at the next commissioner's meeting at 7:30 p.m. March 5.

The existing plans, submitted by a development partnership between Heartland Homes and J.T. Thomas Homes, include other access roads to Scarlett Drive and a main entrance along Cook School Road.

Residents and representatives from Bridgeville said such a configuration could create a safety hazard due to nearby parks, exacerbate existing traffic tie-ups and overburden the borough.

"If you're spending this kind of money on home building, I'm sure you can afford to build roads that don't go through Bridgeville," Councilman Bill Colussy said during the hearing.

"I cannot see us supporting the kind of traffic this will generate," said Eric Schmidt of Ridge Road in Bridgeville, who said children play on his street.

"I do understand everyone's concerns," said Kim Gales-Dunn of J.R. Gales & Associates, who said the developer had already explored a variety of other access road options, including a connection with Bower Hill Road.

A connecting road to Bower Hill isn't feasible, she said, because the terrain is too steep and because the developer doesn't own enough property along Bower Hill Road.

Constructing such an access road could disturb an abandoned coal mine beneath the property and would produce approximately 1 million yards of dirt that would have to be moved off-site, she said.

Upper St. Clair Commissioner Mark Christie said he was concerned about traffic and safety, and asked the developer to reconsider the access road to Bower Hill.

USC Manager Matt Serakowski said there are too many unanswered questions regarding traffic for his staff to make a recommendation about the project now. Upper St. Clair's planning commission approved the proposal with a number of provisions in December.

Along with traffic concerns, commissioners balked at the number -- 136 -- and type of homes being planned for the 120-acre site.

The developer is proposing three tiers of housing, including 37 "village" homes in the $300,000 to $400,000 range; a series of "manor" homes ranging in price from $500,000 to $700,000; and larger homes priced closer to a $1 million, comparable to the nearby Fox Chase and Deerfield Manor housing developments.

"This is an awful lot of homes," said Commission President Robert Orchowski, who questioned the marketability.

But Matt Cramer of Heartland Homes said the proposal is in line with a 2005 comprehensive plan commissioned by Upper St. Clair that encourages builders to provide a variety of housing options.

Jonathan Kamin, a lawyer for the development group, said the different styles, sizes and prices of the homes broaden the development's appeal.

Also included in the proposal are two stormwater management ponds, gazebos, walking trails and sidewalks. Construction is set to start this year and will include three phases that should be completed around 2020.

Ms. Gales-Dunn said the developer is in talks with Upper St. Clair to pay a per-lot impact fee for the project, including a $93,000 contribution for upgrades to Cook School Road.

She said the developer also has met with Bridgeville officials to discuss the project.

A meeting is slated for 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Department on Commercial Street for those who want to learn more about the project.

First Published: February 9, 2012, 5:00 a.m.