Hearing continued on convenience store plan
The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board on Wednesday continued a hearing into a request from Sheetz Inc. for a special exception and several variances to build a convenience store and gas station on Route 51 in North Union Township. After hearing some testimony, the zoning board continued the meeting to 10 a.m. Aug. 25, but not before the board solicitor said the plans for a Sheetz have a potentially serious problem.
Most of the development, including the store and gas pumps, would be built on property zoned for business, but a storm water retention pond would be built behind the store on property zoned R-2 for high-density residential use.
Zoning board solicitor Gretchen Mundorff said the county zoning ordinance does not allow the retention pond to be built in a residential zone.
Engineer Terry McMillen Sr. of McMillen Engineering of Uniontown said the county planning commission approved the plan with the pond in the R-2 zone.
“We have no authority to put a retention pond in a residential district for a business,” Mundorff said. “The planning commission is not the zoning hearing board. That’s all I can tell you.”
The hearing proceeded despite the foreboding news.
Attorney James McCormick, who represented Sheetz, said the store and gas station would be built on three contiguous lots measuring 2.96 acres currently owned by members of the Galluzzo family.
The Galluzzos have agreed to sell the land to a company that would lease the land to Sheetz through another company, McCormick said.
The property is zoned for business use and is adjacent to Cossell’s Auto and Truck Parts.
Sheetz engineer David Mastrostefano said the store would have a drive-through window for food orders, which is a feature that only three of the 375 existing Sheetz stores have.
“It’s a new concept for us. It’s new to our customers,” Mastrostefano said.
The store would be 5,934 square feet.
McCormick said the gas station would have seven multi-pump dispensers that allow 14 vehicles to fuel at the same time.
One entrance to the lot would be located across Route 51 from Northgate Highway.
Mastrostefano said the state Department of Transportation required an entrance at that location because a traffic signal is there. Sheetz is in the process of applying for a highway occupancy permit from PennDOT.
A second entrance would be farther south on Route 51 and a third entrance would be on Oliver Road, Mastrostefano said.
He said fuel would be stored in underground tanks and the lot would have 38 parking spaces.
The variances are needed because of the L-shape of the lot and a 35-foot change in elevation from the front to the rear of the lot, he said.
A variance from the required 10-foot-wide buffer on the side of the lot facing Cossell’s is needed for sight distance at entrance across from Northgate Highway and because Cossell’s was opposed to it, Mastrostefano said.
He requested a variance for a buffer that would be 4 feet wide at the entrance and widen to 10 feet at the rear of the property. Shrubs would be planted instead of trees at the entrance.
Variances from requirements regarding shade trees around the perimeter of the property, lighting and signage also were requested.
In unrelated business, the board approved a special exception request from Light and Life Ministries to build a personal care home in Fairchance.
The board held a hearing on the request last month.