AUSTINTOWN Developer seeks OK to build 22 villa homes

The newest plan calls for single-family villas on the property.
By JEANNE STARMACK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- A five-acre property that sparked a confrontation between neighbors and would-be developers last year is once again being proposed for development.
The property at 3816 Kirk Road is on the north side of the road, about 250 feet west of the intersection with Vollmer Drive.
Angelilli Builders Inc. of Poland has requested the rezoning of the land from R-1 residential to PUD.
The plan, according to a map provided by the township zoning office, is to build 22 single-family villa-style ranch homes.
Will be considered
The township zoning commission will consider the rezoning at a hearing Thursday at 7 p.m. in the township administration building.
Township zoning inspector Michael Kurilla said the panel will also decide at that time whether to recommend approval of the PUD plan itself.
The township trustees will have the final say over the rezoning request and the plan.
On Sept. 2, 2004, the zoning commission heard a request for a zone change for the land from Mary Jo Sikora, a Realtor from Poland.
With her was John Fabry, a partner in the proposed development. Twenty villas were planned for the land, which is owned by Diane E. Kelly.
But neighbors spoke against the development, citing issues that included drainage, a detention pond and fencing around the development.
Flooding
Neighbors on Redgate Lane spoke of flooding, with one complaining that backfilling of dirt in the middle of the acreage had caused the problems.
Kurilla said the dirt, which was dumped there years ago, changed the natural contour and drainage of the property, but there was nothing the township could do about what would be a civil matter among property owners.
Residents object
Other residents on Vollmer Drive spoke on the record, saying that the development was too crowded and that it was going to disturb their way of life.
There was also a question raised about whether a wet area on the property was wetlands.
An engineer accompanying Sikora said that if the area didn't meet the Army Corps of Engineers' criteria for wetlands, the developer would install a catch basin to dry up the land.
The engineer also said steps would be taken to solve the problem of standing water that affected Redgate Lane properties once the development was under way.
Revisions
The zoning commission ended up recommending the PUD with some revisions: reducing the number of villas to 16, verifying whether the wet area was actually wetlands, and depicting a proposed drainage line near the Redgate properties.
But Sikora withdrew the zone change request Sept. 17, saying in a letter to the township that reducing the number of villas wouldn't defray expenses.
She also said there was concern about the "extreme animosity" of the neighbors, and that a number of homes on Redgate weren't in good condition, which might affect property values at the new development.