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No vote from Manheim Township Commissioners following fourth ‘Oregon Village’ public hearing

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Lancaster County, Pa. — Following the fourth public hearing on the subject, township commissioners went without a vote on conditional ap...

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP, Lancaster County, Pa. --- Following the fourth public hearing on the subject, township commissioners went without a vote on conditional approval for the Oregon Village development proposal.

The proposal seeks to bring hundreds of residential properties alongside commercial properties, such as a hotel, to the Oregon Diary site.

Since conditional approval was granted by the planning commission in December, the township commissioners have been weighing a decision of their own.

In the meeting Monday night at the Convocation Hall of Manheim Township High School, testimony centered around traffic for the second consecutive meeting.

A number of questions ranged from estimated traffic flow, congestion at intersections surrounding the development, and safety measures like speed limits.

Residents against the project, such as Tony Grochowski, said they worry the project will create an overwhelming amount of traffic for residents.

“There really has not been a consistent study as to what is going to be happening two, three, four years from now. We’re talking thousands and thousands of cars that are now going to be lumped on to route 222 and 272. I see it all the time,” said Grochowski.

Supporters of the proposal, such as Mark Van Scyoc from New Holland who frequents Oregon Dairy, said they believe the development will be a catalyst towards making much needed traffic improvements in the area, such as safer intersections.

"Sometimes, I’ll drive out of my way to get into Oregon Diary rather than making the one sharp turn onto Creek Road. They’ve kind of been locked from being able to do anything,” said Van Scyoc.

Still without a decision on what's next for the project, Gronchowski said he wants to see the updated proposal scrapped.

“The truth is you have to listen to the will of the people and if 90 percent of the people say no-go, then listen to the will of the people,” said Gronchowski.

Van Scyoc said he wants to see the proposal make it to the next hurdle.

“I think the developers are going over and above to try and make things better for the community," said Van Scyoc.

The fifth public hearing on the Oregon Village project will take place on Monday, March 11 at 6 p.m. inside the Manheim Township Public Library.

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