Residents of the Crossgates subdivision in Manor Township made their voices heard again at a planning commission meeting Monday night, rallying against a proposed zoning ordinance amendment to double the height of multi-family dwellings.

After much debate, planners voted down the change — it would have allowed the permitted building height to go from 35 feet to 70 feet — by a 5-1 margin and recommended that the board of supervisors not approve the plan.

Bill Murry, president of Murry Development Corp., has been petitioning Manor planners for several months to increase the height of buildings on an undeveloped tract of land that he owns which is zoned high-density residential.

Murry encountered resistance when residents of Crossgates learned that the zoning change would affect property adjacent to their neighborhood.

Richard Moxley, 115 Foxgate Court, an outspoken critic of the plan, again pleaded with planners not to agree to the change.

"Our point is that this an issue of land use. Once you grant this, you can't go back on it," he said. "Our fear is height. I think it's an inappropriate change."

John Kerlish, of 660 Crestgate Place,  said he believes that this height change would be unfair to residents in Crossgates.

"We spent a major portion of our life savings to buy a beautiful property within Crossgates as it was promised to us. This height overlay undermines the desirability of our properties. It interferes with a covenant that we signed under law," said Kerlish.  "That limit of 35 feet should remain."

Justin Evans of the Lancaster County Planning Commission spoke about planned development and what is allowed under Manor's current ordinance. LCPC had offered support for the amendment at a July 11 meeting.

"The undeveloped lands have yet to be truly planned," Evans said. "In our countywide goal of growth management, we have a growing population, and the question is, where do the folks go?

"This is a very difficult situation because you have people living in this developed area for decades now and yet in the balance are a couple of undeveloped tracts of land."

Evans went on to explain that in order to meet the needs of increasing development in the county, municipalities have focused on housing construction in the urban growth area, in which this tract of land is located.

The Manor zoning ordinance has established a density of 14 units per acre in this area zoned high density residential. 

 "We at LCPC would hope that there is some room for growing up in Manor Township," Evans said. "If not in the high density district, where is it?"

Planners explored other options to meet zoned density without increasing the height requirement for multi-family dwellings.

"I'm very uncomfortable about how we're doing this," said planner Mary Glazier, who worried about the residents' concerns and what type of development would be planned for the lot adjacent to Crossgates.

Glazier and fellow planner Scott Haverstick suggested that the open space and parking requirements could be examined to allow for the required density. 

There also was discussion of architectural designs and what would be visually appealing to both residents and planners without increasing the height.

Despite these and other options offered by the commission, Murry was adamant that the only way to achieve density was by extending the height.

Glazier said that other areas in the township may be more suitable for that type of expansion.

Haverstick said that the board is acutely aware of the density issue in the township, but he had major reservations about moving forward with the change.

"Personally I think 70 feet is too high," he said. "I have a problem with four stories. I was hoping we could look at something considerably lower that would allow it to aesthetically fit into the neighborhood."

Planner James Henke, who has supported the plan from the beginning, was the only member to vote for the amendment.

The supervisors will meet Oct. 3 to further consider the issue.