Peters council takes action that could pave the way for assisted living facility
Over the strenuously voiced objections of some residents, Peters Township Council approved a subdivision plan for a parcel of land on East McMurray Road Monday that could eventually be used for an assisted living facility.
Whether or not the facility is ultimately built is still in the hands of the township’s planning commission, which will decide its fate at its next scheduled meeting Oct. 8. If it is approved, the facility would house more than 100 residents. The subdivision plan allows for the creation of a public road to it, or whatever else would go on the site.
Members of council, as well as township manager Paul Lauer and solicitor John Smith, stressed that by approving the plan, they were not endorsing the assisted living facility’s creation. Instead, they said they had little choice but to approve the subdivision plan because it checked all the boxes in the township’s ordinance, and by not approving it, they would be opening themselves up to a lawsuit from the developers.
“If the (council) approves the subdivision, it’s not a blessing,” Smith said. “It’s two different worlds.”
Smith added that, ideally, the subdivision and the approval of the facility “should go together” but that the state government “made them go separately.”
Lauer said, “It meets the township ordinance.”
Residents who oppose the possible facility, which is being spearheaded by Canonsburg AL Investors, say it would increase traffic. They also are concerned about emergency vehicle access and its proximity to nearby neighborhoods.
Jackie Mine, a retired engineer, said the facility would be on one of the township’s major thoroughfares, and if it is built, it would bring “a lot of congestion.”
Frank Kosir Jr., chairman of the township council, said “everyone should go to the planning commission Oct. 8 and let your sentiments be known.”