Troutman lot sale in final stages
CONNELLSLVILLE – The “For Sale” sign that has stood for several years on the Troutman lot will be coming down.
City officials will be meeting with Hanna El Ayazra, the property’s new owner, this week to finalize paperwork in connection with the sale. “We’re making progress,” said Councilwoman Judy Keller on Monday.
Last month, council accepted Ayazra’s $15,000 bid for the property, but has not formally met with him to discuss his plans for the site, which include the construction of a restaurant.
“We’re still in the very early stages,” said Ayazra. “There is nothing yet on paper.”
El Ayazra, who owns and operates Sam’s Restaurant in Uniontown, said the eatery will offer a similar menu of American, Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern food selections at the yet-to-be-named Connellsville site.
“It will be a family-style restaurant,” he said, noting that 20 or more employees will be hired to staff the business.
El Ayazra said he would move forward with construction after the documents have been prepared to secure his ownership and will have no problems meeting the lot specifications set by council two years ago regarding access from Crawford Avenue, type of building materials and minimum size of the structure.
“I’m hoping to get started this spring,” he said.
Louis Stern, owner of Burn’s Drug Store, also offered a bid of $15,000 for the property, but council declined to consider the proposal because it did not include how the property was going to be used if accepted by the panel.
While council had initially set an asking price of $30,000, Mayor Judy Reed said it was better for the city to have a business being built rather than an idle lot.
“I know we’ll probably get some criticism, but I believe this is something positive for the city,” she said.
It has been nearly three years since there has been any interest in the property.
At that time, Stern, optometrist Dr. John Ellis and Donald D’Amico, owner of Pechin Deli and Pizza Outlet, vied to purchase the lot with no one securing the property.
Ellis had proposed to build a professional office site to house his business and take in a second tenant, while Stern had submitted a plan to expand his store and create a parking lot for his patrons.
D’Amico, who had interest in the property, pulled his offer from the table after lengthy disputes among council members stalled the negotiations.