When it comes to local government, representatives are often asked to make tough decisions on controversial issues.
Just as often, those decisions will be unpopular among constituents.
In Ferguson Township, the Board of Supervisors faced a contentious debate in a meeting last week as it voted on a tentative master plan proposal for The Cottages at State College, passing the plan 3-1.
Toll Brothers, a developer, wants to build 68 cottage residencies as part of a community-style development. It would be on land at the intersection of Blue Course Drive and Whitehall Road.
The Cottages would tack an extension onto Blue Course Drive, which would provide access to Regional Park, which is also in the planning stages. The project is similar to recent local additions like The Retreat, a cottage development on Waupelani Drive.
The student-oriented Cottages may sound good in theory, but it doesn’t come without concerns. The primary worry amongst residents and supervisors alike is water.
The land that Toll Brothers wants to use for the Cottages is under wellhead protection by the State College borough’s water authority. There are issues like sinkholes that pose a threat when developing so close to well fields, which could disrupt the water supply.
State College resident Johan Zwart spoke out about his issues with the proposed project at the March 2 supervisors meeting.
“Development is slowly becoming a full-grown cancer. As you have heard, there are only difficulties in this project and everybody disapproves of it, but there’s money to be made, right? More people in a small area like this. More waste. The quality of life will go down,” he says. “But money talks and sustainability walks. Gone are the crop-producing fields, it comprises the water supply. There’s no way back. Stop it here. Please do not let this community further slide down. All but a few are going to bleed for this.”
Supervisor Janet Whitaker shares concerns about the water supply. She says that after much though and despite the details of the plan itself being acceptable, she prefers caution when dealing with the water supply.
“I read that two-thirds of State College’s water comes from these wells and I’m very leery about playing around with that and disturbing the land because our water here is excellent,” Whitaker says.
Vice chairman Drew Clemson agrees that the water supply issue is cause for concern, but explains that the board can’t stop someone from building on that site. Without re-zoning, Clemson says, the board would have to accept a development proposal that meets current ordinances.
“There will be runoff no matter what we build there, so that issue is not specific to this plan,” he says. “No matter what goes in there, it’s in a sensitive area.”
Pennsylvania Furnace resident Laura Dininni Cusumano took to the podium to voice problems of her own. Cusumano briefly touched on the water supply, but was mostly at fault with Toll Brothers marketing resort-style living to college students.
“I did some research and learned a little bit about them. To me, what they do is really irresponsible marketing and I find it to be offensive and dangerous,” she says. “This company repeatedly charges higher rents than the median entry-level rent of our area. What that’s going to do in the long run is give these kids too much debt.”
Cusumano warns against putting walled communities into town. She says that it doesn’t promote any sense of community. Cusumano also worried about traffic increasing in that area and says the town doesn’t need another “ugly” retention pond.
Whitaker was the sole dissenter in the board’s 3-1 vote in favor of the proposed master plan. Ferguson Township engineers will now review plans, including the water issue, over the next three months before approving it. When that is completed, a final residential development plan will be submitted for the board’s review.
