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Politics & Government

Big Crowd Expected for Second Consol Site Hearing

USC Commissioners have offered no timetable on when they will vote on controversial issue.

If the previous hearing is any indication, Monday’s upcoming Upper St. Clair Commissioners meeting will be another long one with residents anxious to discuss just one agenda item, a plan by developers to convert to the site of the former Consol Energy Headquarters in Upper St. Clair into a mixture of residential, retail and office space.

Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., again at the in anticipation of another large crowd. 

The owner of the land, 1800 Washington Road Associates, is asking that the current special business district zoning to be amended to allow residential and retail space.

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Under the current special business district zoning, office buildings, banks and pharmacies are some of the allowed possibilities.

The amended ordinance could allow a maximum of 75 percent non-residential use which could include retails stores such as coffee shops, supermarkets and restaurants. Each building would not exceed 55,000 square feet of gross leasable space.

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before the Upper St. Clair Board of Commissioners on Sept. 6 lasted nearly four hours and was, at times, contentious with residents expressing concern about increased traffic, safety and the process by which the planning commission approved the proposal.

At an informational meeting Monday night, the commissioners indicated the Oct. 3 hearing would be the last on the subject, although they did not say whether a vote would be taken that night.

Developer Gerard Cipriani will answer questions from the commissioners and staff, and will be allowed to address other questions raised during the Sept. 6 hearing.

During the Sept. 6 meeting, Cipriani told commissioners, “rest assured, what we are trying to do will reduce traffic,” and pointed to a study which indicated traffic volume would be reduced when compared to the old use of the property as an office building.

But several homeowners, such as Steve Wright, were skeptical, pointing to planned development on the other side of Route 19. 

“Right now, it’s pretty empty where the Kaufmann’s used to be,” he said. “But there’s going to be a Dick’s Sporting Goods over there, I understand, and there’s going to be a Target added over there and I’d like to see what happens there first, before we add another retail development on the other side of the street.”

If commissioners vote in favor of the text amendment, the rezoning would apply to all special business district zones in the township that have at least 25 acres of land, something that concerned homeowner Tom Donoghue.

“This is a very severe change of the text amendment,” he said. “I am not opposed to this development, but the township needs to be careful to consider the process of how we got here...I see this as a dangerous process.”

The text amendment would also require the applicant to submit a master plan, follow design guidelines, provide landscaping and open space, and additional setback requirements.

A number of residents who live near the Washington and Fort Couch Roads intersection have been speaking out against the rezoning. Click here for a link to an organized blog against the text amendment.

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