By Steve Kemme
The Cincinnati Enquirer

AMBERLEY VILLAGE - The proposal to build 140 homes on the former Crest Hills Country Club property at Ridge and Galbraith roads is expected to draw hundreds of village residents to a planning commission meeting Tuesday night.

To accommodate the crowd, the 7 p.m. planning commission meeting will be held at Rockdale Temple, 8501 Ridge Road, instead of the nearby village administration building, where council chambers has room for only 100 people.

"The meeting room at the temple will be set up for 750 people," said Merrie Stillpass, chairwoman of the commission.

"We've never had this many people interested in an issue."

The planning commission will listen to comments, but won't be voting whether to recommend creating a zoning classification that would allow the housing development, she said. The commission will make its recommendation to village council at an undetermined date.

The proposal from Hal Homes Inc. of Blue Ash has sparked strong opposition from some residents who want the 133-acre Crest Hills property to remain zoned for a golf course or a park. The development's foes say more houses would hurt Amberley's ambience, create more traffic and overburden the village's police, fire and other services.

The Crest Hills property is owned by the Ridge Club, which also owns the Losantiville Country Club in nearby Pleasant Ridge. The Ridge Club has closed the Crest Hills golf course.

The proposed housing development has aroused so much controversy that its opponents have formed a group called the Save Amberley Committee and have established a Web site, www.saveamberley.com.

About 400 people showed up for a December village council meeting to listen to the developer present a revised plan. Most of the attendees had to listen on a loudspeaker system in the administration building's outer lobby. About 100 cars also were turned away because the parking lot was full.

Louis Katz, a member of the Save Amberley Committee, said he hopes so much criticism will be aired at Tuesday's meeting that the planning commission will reject Hal Homes' zoning request.

"The only people who seem to be in favor of this proposal are those who have a financial interest in it," Katz said. "It's not going to be good for the village."

Hal Homes officials have consistently declined comment. Some Amberley officials have said that at least part of the Crest Hills property must be developed to generate tax revenue for the village.

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E-mail skemme@enquirer.com