JACKSON TWP — Residents of Seneca Trails, a residential development located along Gudekunst Road raised their concerns about potential construction of an additional 63 single-family homes and 148 town houses in their development during a public hearing during the township’s supervisor’s meeting on Thursday, March 21.

Jeff Gigliotti, a resident of Seneca Trails, said he felt deceived with the proposed increase of units, saying when he originally signed his contract with Ryan Homes Construction he was told there would only be 30 town houses built.

“That's the main reason me and my wife bought a town home there” Gigliotti said. “I’m not an attorney. I’m a blue collar worker, and I went in with good faith with these contracts … (my family was) hoping to be in a small set of town homes in a small residential area, and now it seems like it’s not happening. I don’t think it’s right.

“It may be legal, it may meet all the requirements, but it’s not right.”

Jackson Township has already approved Sandy Hill Development to build 240 single-family homes and 30 town houses, according to township manager Chris Rearick. Construction in the development was estimated to be finished around 2025, however if the new additions are approved, construction would not likely be done until 2029.

The delay in finishing the development was another point of contention during Thursday’s public hearing.

Lisa Warner, a resident of Seneca Trails, said that residents were told by the representatives of Sandy Hill that it would take over the Homeowners Association, or HOA, once the development reached 60% occupancy.

Warner said she and residents wanted to know where they stand in terms of their HOA, if the extended proposed development is approved.

“If you’re saying there's a total of seven phases and we’re five years down the road (from completing the development), then we need to know what our options are,” Warner said. “We don’t think it’s fair that for the past two-and-half years we’re told potentially by 2025 you’d take over our HOA, and now you’re talking about 2029 until all the phases are done.”

John Spagnolo, chief operating officer for Sandy Hill Development, said the firm is considering making separate HOAs for the developments as work is completed and would have a decision by next month’s supervisors meeting.

Several residents expressed concerns the extra homes would diminish the green spaces in the residential neighborhood.

“One of the things I love about this area in Jackson Township is the wildlife that’s here,” Kayla Whickman, a Seneca Trails resident, said. “There are families of deer that travel through, there are turkeys, falcons, coyotes, all kinds of wildlife, and that is something that is important to us in the neighborhood. It gives us a sense of calmness and comfort, and we’re worried about how this affects the wildlife.”

Ronald Uerider asked the township not to approve the extra homes because of “strict stipulations for preservation.”

“One of the reasons many of us choose to live in Jackson Township was the natural beauty and serenity of the area,” he said. “It seems to be a bit of a stretch to destroy this beautiful woodland, to disrupt the ecosystem of plants, animals and wildlife, and waterways to squeeze a handful of homes or town homes into this tiny parcel.”

Rearick said there were several areas that the supervisors would need to discuss with the developers, including trail networks, defining the areas that are to remain wooded areas and the possible installation of a neighborhood park.

Rearick said the township will make the public aware of the supervisors’ next step as they gather more information in the upcoming weeks.