BUFFALO TWP — Commercial and residential development continues here as a new restaurant is set to open on Route 356 and a new housing plan is proposed on Sarver Road.

The township supervisors Wednesday approved the preliminary plan for Chesterfield Estates, which will have 76 single-family units on 60 acres.

Maronda Homes is developing the property, which is being sold by Wayne and Margaret Kelley.

Robert Mihok of Maronda Homes said in an interview construction is set to begin next summer.

While the design of the plan is not an issue, how to use 8 acres of the property has not been determined.

Because the township supervisors say those 8 acres are not suitable for recreation purposes, they opted to assess Maronda Homes a $1,500 per housing lot fee in lieu of accepting that land.

Under township code, Buffalo can charge a developer a fee to develop property elsewhere for recreational uses if the site has no appropriate areas for that purpose.

Supervisor Dan Przybylek said those 8 acres are too moist.

"We thought it was too wet for our interests," he said.

Mihok argued most of that section, 6 acres, is not wetlands.

"That was not a wholly unusable property," he said. "Absolutely you can build on that."

Supervisor Greg Furer agreed: "I thought it was a viable piece of property."

However, the rest of the supervisors were not swayed. Supervisor John Haven, board chairman, said the township road crew said the land cannot be used for development of any kind.

"They've gotten a piece of equipment stuck there," he said.

Although the township does not want the eight acres, the National Audubon Society does have a use for it.

Przybylek said the Audubon Society would create a bird sanctuary there.

Also at the meeting, the township supervisors approved the site plan for Garrett's Place, a 20,000 square-foot building near the Route 228 intersection.

Supervisor Gary Risch, who is the restaurant's owner, abstained from the vote.

The restaurant is on the spot where Risch's Market used to be.

Risch's father, Ralph, opened that business in 1950. The grocery store eventually closed in 2007.

The new business will employ 30 to 40 workers.

Risch plans to open the main dining room, a deli and an ice cream shop before the end of summer.

"I'm looking at early next month," he said.

Risch hopes to have the banquet room ready by December.