Butler Township eyes business growth spurt
Butler Township officials so far are giving the go-ahead to several proposed commercial establishments and to the ninth natural gas drilling site in the municipality.
The largest project, a shopping complex at the intersection of Route 422 and New Castle Road, would include a Dick's sporting goods store, a Starbucks coffee shop, a Mattress Firm store and a Bob Evans restaurant.
“This is substantial development. It is a challenging place to build because of the topography. It's really the last space on this part of Route 422 that can be commercially developed,” said Jesse Hines, the township's zoning officer.
The six-acre property would include 61,000 square feet of retail space. The developer is United Growth of San Rafael, Calif.
“There were national tenants who wanted to go in there, which is why we got interested,” said John Walsey of United Growth.
The township's planning commission gave conditional approval to the project last week. Township supervisors are expected to follow on Monday, Hines said.
Elsewhere in the township, Speedway would build a 3,900-square foot store and gas station at Fairground Hill Road and Austin and Hansen avenues near the main campus of Butler Area School District.
“It's replacing blighted structures and is a good reuse of vacant parcels. Something like this is needed in that area,” Hines said.
Speedway, a gas station-convenience store chain, is based in Enon, Ohio and is a subsidiary of the Marathon Oil Co. The chain first moved into Western Pennsylvania three years ago. Also last week, the planning commission approved an XTO Energy well drilling pad on a farm off Dutchtown Road.
That area is zoned for rural use and is unlikely to attract the controversy that drilling has at the Krendale golf course, in a residential area.
Krendale is within one mile of VA Butler Healthcare, Northwest Elementary School, Moraine Pointe Plaza, Lowrie Place Nursing Home, Butler County Memorial Park Cemetery and hundreds of homes.
Approval of that project prompted an outcry from some residents and caused township officials to change the zoning going forward to prohibit drilling in residential areas.
Rex Energy has told the township it will not drill at Krendale this year, Hines said.
The supervisors are expected to approve the Speedway and drilling proposals.
Rick Wills is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7944 or rwills@tribweb.com.
