Texas Roadhouse, Aldi coming to Uniontown
Rachel Basinger|Herald-Standard
Plans to build a Texas Roadhouse along Route 40 in between the Hampton Inn and Westland Plaza have been approved by the Fayette County Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development after a few stipulations are met.
Rachel Basinger|Herald-Standard
Jim Filiaggi stands in the space he will lease to Texas Roadhouse restaurant along with Fayette County Commissioner Vincent Vicites. Plans to build a Texas Roadhouse along Route 40 in between the Hampton Inn and Westland Plaza have been approved by the Fayette County Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development after a few stipulations are met.
The Fayette County Planning Commission has approved the building of a Texas Roadhouse restaurant near the Uniontown Mall on the opposite side of Route 40 near the Hampton Inn.
Fayette County Commissioners Vincent Vicites lauded the board members of the planning commission after their decision.
“This has been a long time coming,” he said. “We have a regional shopping complex over there with the Walmart, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Hobby Lobby, and this will just add to the appeal.
“I think this is a special type of restaurant that’s been needed in Fayette County for a long time,” Vicites added. “It’s a good addition to the restaurants we already have, and I’m glad to see they’re coming.”
The groundwork for this opportunity to come to Uniontown area actually began about a year ago, when property owner and businessman Jim Filiaggi reached out to Vicites about a deed restriction on the property that did not allow for restaurants to be built on the west side of Route 40.
“He asked if we could get the deed restrictions lifted, but we (the commissioners) couldn’t come to terms on it so he filed a suit with the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas,” Vicites said.
The judge on the case ruled in favor of Filiaggi.
“From last summer until now, he (Filiaggi) has been working on finalizing the lease for the property and getting approval from the planning commission,” Vicites said.
That approval from the planning commission came just last week.
Sara Rosiek, director of the Fayette County Planning, Zoning and Community Development office, said the project has been approved to move forward as long as certain stipulations are met.
“Essentially, all we’re waiting for is the erosion and sedimentation control plan as well as the Highway Occupancy Permit from PennDOT,” she said. “Once we receive those, they’re free to start construction at any point.”
Filiaggi said Monday that the erosion and sedimentation control plan is almost complete and that as long as PennDOT approves a highway occupancy permit, it’s realistic that residents could see a completed restaurant before the start of the 2018-19 winter season.
“I talked with them (Texas Roadhouse representatives) some time ago — probably about when the Olive Garden was being built — and asked if they would be interested, and then they got back to me and said, yes, they were interested.” Filiaggi said.
The local businessman said that this is the only restaurant that he has on any of his properties at this time, although he did own and operate The Coal Baron restaurant several years ago.
The Texas Roadhouse will be constructed in the parking lot area of the Westland Plaza between the strip mall there and the Hampton Inn, both of which Filiaggi owns.
The businessman said he is also leasing out the space on the Mount Macrina side of the Hampton Inn where an Aldi grocery store will be built in the future, and has plans for the old Ford garage lot beside that piece of property that he can’t yet disclose.
Vicites said all of the development that Filiaggi has planned for the area will be beneficial to residents.
“I think all of these plans are good news,” he said. “I’ll always try to fast-track development in any way I can and work closely with all of those developers who want to step up and contribute in our county.”