USC residents raise concerns over new Willowbrooke Estates development
More than two dozen Oaklawn Drive residents attended the Upper St. Clair commissioners’ agenda meeting July 31 to voice complaints about the Willowbrooke Estates project, a new 15-home development planned for Willowbrook Road and Oaklawn Drive.
The two main issues discussed were storm water runoff and the planned connection of the two sections to Oaklawn Drive.
Flooding problems also extend to neighboring streets. Runoff after several heavy rainstorms during July have left Richik Ghosh’s Corteland Drive backyard unusable. Ghosh told the board that he and several other residents brought up concerns about storm water runoff before the project was approved in 2014.
Ghosh described how a storm on July 6 flooded his backyard and turned his driveway into a brown, muddy river. He said the foreman on the project worked to build a ditch on the Willowbrooke Estates property that evening in an attempt to divert water. The next day workers were at Ghosh’s home washing the mud from his driveway and a silt sock was installed to try to prevent additional damage. A storm on July 11 again flooded his backyard and driveway.
Ghosh said the township has been investigating and working to rectify the problem. Despite additional work at Willowbrooke Estates, Ghosh has still had mud and standing water in his backyard following storms on July 20 and again on July 28.
“My kids haven’t been able to play in our backyard,” said Ghosh.
Meanwhile, the planned connection of the two sections of Oaklawn Drive brought intense discussions. Penny Miller of 324 Oaklawn gave the board a petition from residents asking that the plans to connect the roads be stopped and an alternate design considered.
Miller, speaking for 59 residents, including a number who couldn’t attend the meeting, said she surveyed 78 percent of the Oaklawn homeowners and 36 of 39 residents do not support connecting the road.
Shelly Yeung of 389 Oaklawn said she is worried it will become an alternate route to bypass McMurray Road between Johnston Road and Diablo Drive if Oaklawn is connected. Yeung said that with the increase in population in neighboring Bethel Park and Peters Township, the traffic flow in the area has already significantly increased.
James Witenske of 321 Oaklawn echoed Yeung’s comments about increased traffic, reminding the board that new development and additional traffic signals on McMurray Road near Diablo would contribute to the problem. According to Witenske, connecting Oaklawn would “add a big element of risk.”
After listening to comments for about an hour, board president Mark Christie said that the developer of Willowbrooke Estates went through the approval process, including public hearings, from the spring 2012 through September 2014 when final approval was granted, and that for the plan to be approved, it had to meet all township ordinances.
Christie said the developer is responsible for storm water runoff during construction and that he would work with the staff to make sure things are being correctly implemented.
Commissioner Ronald Pardini told the residents that the board does not have the authority to make changes on a development that has already been approved.
Commenting on the concerns about increased traffic and using Oaklawn as a cut-through road, Commissioner Russell Del Re said that connectivity is typically desirable. He told residents that the township has a traffic calming policy and residents could contact community development about getting the process started on Oaklawn.