Cranberry wants public meeting on senior complex plans

Cranberry Township supervisors are planning to have a development company, charged with building a senior citizens complex in the township, schedule a public session to outline its plans.

“We want the engineering company and the developer to hold a public meeting on this,” township manager Chad Findlay said at a brief supervisors meeting Thursday.

A corner portion of a township-owned 93-acre tract adjacent to the UPMC Northwest hospital is targeted for a 30-to-40-unit rental complex. It is geared for people 55 and older who are in the low- to moderate-income range.

The township has water and sewage infrastructure in place for the complex and has hired Allegheny Wood Products to harvest trees on the site. The bid to do the work came in at $160,848 last month.

Asked by a member of the audience on Thursday about “who’s paying for this?”, Findlay said “no tax dollars are involved” in the project.

The Hudson Group, the developer working on the project with the township, has drawn up “concept plans” that include the apartment units plus projected developments, including residential homes and an assisted living facility, that could be done at the site.

“We hope to get more developers there for other housing projects,” said Findlay. “Hopefully, we can generate more interest.”

Businessman urges caution

Scott Snow, a Cranberry Township businessman, suggested to the supervisors that they assist local large and small companies by trying to eliminate over-regulation.

Referring to “car dealers, welders and others” who have to store materials at their business sites, Snow said any property maintenance proposals should consider that necessity.

“I’m trying to develop businesses but I’m hitting walls,” said Snow, referring to local and state regulations overseeing business development.”