Sep 8, 2005 By Steve Ostrosky 3 min read

The South Union Township supervisors voted Wednesday to rezone two acres of property at the end of Daniel Drive to allow local developers to build an eight-store plaza. W&D Common Properties has purchased four acres of land to develop the shopping center behind Advance Auto Parts, but two of the acres were zoned as R-1 (Residential), according to supervisor Tom Frankhouser.

The developers sought an amendment to the township zoning ordinance that changed the property’s zoning to B-2 (Commercial Business).

He said Daniel Drive will be the access road to the plaza and not Route 21, addressing a concern presented by the Fayette County Office of Planning, Zoning and Community Development.

The township planning commission has reviewed the rezoning request and recommended it for approval, Frankhouser said.

Only one person, a neighboring resident, asked about the impact on her property, but she said she was not opposed to the development.

The supervisors unanimously approved the rezoning request.

“It’s additional development for the township, and I sure like to see that,” said Supervisor Robert Schiffbauer.

In another issue, Schiffbauer offered an update on the work to improve roads in the township to accommodate increased development.

He said during a meeting last week with U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Johnstown), the congressman was able to tour some of the roadway improvements that he helped earmark money to support, including the New Salem Road upgrade, Matthew Drive extension project, planned upgrades to Matthew Drive and the planned completion of the Walnut Hill Road interchange along Route 119.

Since Murtha’s last tour of the area, Schiffbauer said development has increased. He said it is important that the infrastructure of the township, particularly roads, is improved to handle the continued growth of the area.

“Congressman Murtha has pledged to do all he can to further our efforts to give funds to projects that are needed to accommodate the development and make the most of the opportunity we have here in Fayette County,” he said.

Schiffbauer noted that the supervisors have been meeting with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation officials about other projects, including the Walnut Hill Road shopping plaza under construction, the entrance to the Fayette County Business Park from New Salem Road, and access to a proposed $10 million development located along Route 40 near Denny’s and the Uniontown Mall.

“We need access to these sites and we need to keep these projects on the fast track,” he said.

The supervisors noted that a groundbreaking ceremony will be held this morning for the $8 million Walnut Hill Road interchange project. Work has begun, but much of the project will not get started until the spring.

The project calls for constructing the additional two ramps and installing traffic lights at both intersections along Walnut Hill Road.

Among other business, the supervisors also approved spending $3,100 to replace traffic light loops at the intersection of Route 21 and the ramps to Route 119 so that PennDOT crews can resurface the road in that area.