Ross Reaches Out to Highland Country Club Developer to Return to the Negotiating Table

When Ross Commissioners voted 5-4 on April 15 to reject tentative approval for 167 townhomes and 134 single-family homes on the site of the former Highland Country Club, Commissioner Chris Eyster said there was still room for compromise.

At Monday's board meeting, Eyster announced the township would be reaching out to the developer, Limerick Land Partners, in hopes to avoiding a court fight.

"We are going to send out a message to the developer that we are willing to sit down at the table and consider the plan with certain revisions and/or amendments," Eyster said. "We want to resolve this amicably – with them addressing some of the traffic concerns that we have. That would be major sticking point."

Back on April 15, Attorney Jonathan Kamin, who represents the developer, said he would appeal to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court.

“We’re going to take them to court," he said. "There’s no question in my mind that we met each and every condition of the ordinance. I think they made a political decision that’s short-sighted on behalf of the township.”

Ross Township financial advisor and mortgage broker David E. Martin is among those who feel there is more than enough room for compromise.

"There is a line of people a mile long that would love to have that property," he said. "It's proximity to the interstate, the North Hills School District, it's a great location and one of the few left in Ross ready for development. But you have to fix the traffic." 

Eyster said the developer, who will formally receive the township's April 15 decision this week, has 30 days to appeal.

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