Dec 17, 2023 By Jon Andreassi 2 min read

North Strabane Township’s planning commission tabled a decision on Giant Eagle’s plans to build a GetGo gas station over concerns about the project’s potential impact on traffic.

The company wants to build another convenience store at 580 McClelland Road at its intersection with Route 19, the current site of Kings Family Restaurant.

Representatives of Giant Eagle appeared at the commission’s meeting Monday seeking preliminary and final approval for the plans.

This was the company’s second attempt, as North Strabane’s zoning hearing board denied Giant Eagle’s initial application in October. The company altered its plans so the store will have a smaller footprint and won’t require any variances to the existing zoning code.

However, Jeff DePaolis, chair of the planning commission, had concerns that the company had not properly accounted for the traffic flowing in and out of the lot, particularly with the neighboring Sonic Drive-In restaurant.

“You’re not doing a conservative analysis. You’re doing an analysis of what can actually be expected when Sonic plus GetGo traffic is at that (location),” DePaolis said.

DePaolis expressed support of preliminary approval but not final approval. Since preliminary and final approval were bundled on a single motion, the commission could not vote on them individually.

Instead board members voted unanimously to table the issue until their January meeting, to afford Giant Eagle time to address the commission’s concerns.