246-unit housing development gets final approval in West Deer

West Deer is getting a new housing plan that includes 246 units — nearly all single-family houses — to be built off Route 910 at the former Rose Ridge Golf Course property on Gibsonia Road.

The plan calls for 234 single-family homes and 12 attached homes on a 176-acre site.

The township supervisors on Wednesday night gave final approval, by a 5-0 vote. The developer is Traditions of America, which is based in Berwyn, Chester County. The housing plan is being built under the rules governing planned residential developments (PRDs).

The supervisors held a public hearing in December on the proposal but declined to vote that night, citing two new members who would be coming onto the five-person board in January.

A final hearing was held last month after the developer addressed township concerns about the width of the garages and the relocation of some units, along with a change in the stormwater management plan.

Officials said the golf course owner became ill several years ago and back taxes accumulated. A bankruptcy judge approved the sale Dec. 14.

Supervisors rezoned the area to R-2, semi-suburban, in 2019.

Traditions of America specializes in customized, one-story homes for residents 55 and older. The developer already has units in nearby Richland and Cranberry townships.

West Deer’s population was 12,262, according to the 2020 census, and will grow with the new residents. It is one of only three Alle-Kiski Valley municipalities whose population grew during the previous decade.