Sep 19, 2016 By Suzanne Elliott 2 min read

After two public hearings and plenty of citizen input, both pro and con, Peters Township Council approved both a conservation and mixed-residential overlay zoning district.

All council members except for Monica Merrell voted at their Sept. 12 meeting in favor of the overlays. Councilman Frank Arcuri was not present.

The overlays had sparked controversy in the township among residents who fear that multi-unit developments could be constructed next to their single-family homes, which could cause property values to drop. Peters officials, however, have said the overlays are necessary to provide additional housing options and more green space.

In voting against the two overlay districts, Merrell said she is concerned with how fast and how many of those types of developments would be constructed.

The changes, which go into effect at the end of the month, affect 2,331 acres designated as conservation residential and 370 acres of mixed residential. The changes are considered the first step in implementing Plan Peters 2022, a comprehensive plan for the township designed to promote growth, provide green space and promote liveability.

Residential developers in Peters are allowed to construct 1.2 housing units per acre. With a conservation residential or CR overlay, three units could be placed on one acre if 40 percent of the land is set aside for open space.

Other components of the CR overlay include five-foot-wide sidewalks and streetscape options.

The mixed-residential, or MR, overlay would allow up to six units on one acre, while 10 percent of the land would be dedicated to open space. Also, the MR could allow for multi-family units with a limit of 24 units per building, as well as five-foot-wide sidewalks.

According to the ordinance that was approved, preliminary subdivisions or land developments occurring within the CR or MR overlay districts will be submitted to the township planning commission for a recommendation to council for preliminary approval.