The plans of a local developer who wants to build a 106-unit townhouse development on a 10-acre plot of land in Ferguson Township are being questioned by residents living near the proposed site.

The residents who live near the intersection of Circleville Road and Valley Vista Drive are not pleased with the venture because of potential ill effects on traffic volume and the appearance of the community.

Jack McWhirter, president of Copper Beech Town Homes, submitted sketch plans to Ferguson Township officials in late January for a townhouse development similar to his other three Copper Beech communities in State College.

Since early this month, a group of neighborhood residents have attempted to thwart his plans. Their most recent action was on Feb. 20, when they asked the township to consider an ordinance to amend the land's zoning district.

Ferguson Township's Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on April 2 to hear input on the ordinance. If approved, the ordinance will increase the minimum size for three single-family attached dwellings (three or more dwelling units) from 4,250 square feet to 6,750 square feet per dwelling unit, said Cassadra Schmick, director of planning and zoning for Ferguson Township.

The residents want fewer structures built on the land, and this ordinance would increase the land space required for the units making the proposed community less dense, Schmick said.

The plea to pass the ordinance came after the residents' first attempt at stopping the development. On Feb. 5, residents asked the board to implement a curative amendment. They had hoped the amendment would not allow McWhirter to submit plans and proceed with the project, Schmick said.

The board continued the meeting until later that week so it could receive a legal opinion. On Feb. 5, David Engle, the township solicitor, advised the board that such an amendment would not stop McWhirter from submitting plans before the change could take effect.

"Then at the board meeting on Feb. 20, the residents presented an amendment to the R-3 zoning district to change the density for the townhouses," Schmick said.

Esther Lauchle, a resident of Farmstead Lane, is leading a core group of neighborhood residents who want to work closely with the planning commission to exchange ideas about the land and proposed development.

"We're not against apartments, for heaven's sake," Lauchle said.

She explained that safety and traffic issues are the residents' biggest concerns for the diverse neighborhood.

"We've got a community made up of a day care center and a personal care facility," she said.

There is also a park in the area that attracts young children and families, many of whom walk there from surrounding streets, she added.

Throughout the day, Lauchle said, parents drop off and pick up children at the day care center. Often, she added, employees of the personal care facility take their wheelchair-bound residents for outdoor walks.

"We're definitely concerned with the number of vehicles coming in and out," Lauchle said.

The visual appearance of the area is also important to the residents. They would prefer not having "apartments strung together," Lauchle said. "There's an opportunity for really creative development."

"We would be delighted to sit down and talk with (the developer)," she said. "We want a community that's appropriate."

McWhirter said he hopes to submit final plans to the township in less than a month. The new townhouses, he said, are similar to the existing Copper Beech developments. Since 1995, he has constructed a 59-unit development on 1100 W. Aaron Drive and an 86-unit complex across the street at 1003 W. Aaron Drive. Last year, he completed Oakwood Copper Town Homes in Patton Township, which has 48 units.

"Every time we build, they'll be a little bigger and better," McWhirter said. "It's going to look phenomenal."

McWhirter said he has taken pains in designing the townhouses to make them look more "upscale," putting more money into landscaping the proposed 106 units.

"You won't see parking lots, and we'll put in a very attractive entrance," he said. "We want to be good neighbors."

Acknowledging that township residents are upset with his proposed complex, he said, "We run very well-kept, well-maintained rental complexes."

Because traffic is of some concern to the residents, McWhirter said, "We have two entrances and exits to minimize the impact on the local community."

In addition, the firm is completing a traffic study, which is required by the township.

"The township recognizes that what we're doing is entirely legal and appropriate," McWhirter said.

McWhirter, a 1962 Penn State graduate, has lived in the State College area since the late 1980s and has seen State College expand from a very small town to what it is today.

"We like to be in the college town community," he said.

McWhirter said he is also constructing a 176-unit complex at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa. He also owns rentals in Harrisonburg, Va., home of James Madison University.