The Buffalo Township supervisors rejected a zoning change Wednesday that would have paved the way for yet another housing subdivision near the Route 356 corridor.
Hawthorne Residential LLC asked the board to rezone a section of land off Riemer Road from agricultural to residential with the goal of building an undetermined number of single-family homes and townhouses.
Supervisors voted 4-1 to deny the request after extensive public feedback, with Gary Risch Sr. the supervisor in favor of the rezoning.
“We do have a lot of other growth going on,” said Supervisor Chairman Ron Zampogna. “We’ve got to try to protect our constituents.”
Joe Katruska, representing Hawthorne, stood silently for much of the night as around a dozen residents expressed skepticism to outright resentment of the ongoing housing boom in the township.
Despite the agenda item’s narrow focus, the meeting functioned as a referendum on the pace of growth, especially now that Sparrows, a 627-home development at the intersections of Routes 28 and 356, is effectively a done deal.
“When does the township, when does the community say, enough is enough?” resident Mark Caruso asked.
Another resident, Kristen Diehl, relayed the results of her online survey on development. It purportedly had 138 respondents, around 70% of whom noted their opposition to the Riemer Road proposal.
“You guys spoke last month that you have grown responsibly, and I don’t necessarily disagree with that,” Diehl said. “But in order for you, in my ideals, to continue to grow responsibly, you have to have some of the school and the traffic and the water planned out before you allow Sparrows, Oak Creek, and yet another one to come in.”
Officials believe they have it under control.
Board members for the Buffalo Township Municipal Authority have said planned water and sewage upgrades will accommodate population growth.
Police Chief Tim Derringer remains confident his department will get additional resources as the township grows.
And Freeport Area School Board President Gary Risch Jr. has assured district families there are enough desks to go around, even if some Buffalo Elementary School students might need to attend South Buffalo Elementary School.
Risch Jr. also clarified at the meeting that the district is consulted in housing matters, but has no formal say in whether they’re approved.
“I want to make it very, very clear, (Superintendent) Ian Magness didn’t approve a project,” Risch Jr. said. “The developers were asked by the board and your manager to go and see the water authority, the school superintendent — you guys asked them to go and have conversations with us.”
This might not be the last residents hear of Hawthorne. The developer, Zampogna noted, could try to overturn the board’s decision in court.
Katruska did not immediately return a TribLive request for comment.
