A second act Park Place project continues to add shops, eateries and apartments
His development off Racetrack Road did not take off at racehorse speed.
“It took two years to get all permits right. Some of the government stuff in Pennsylvania is ridiculous,” Dave Biafora told the Observer-Reporter in October 2012.
Biafora, of Morgantown, W.Va.-based Metro Property Management, announced plans to develop the mixed-use project called Park Place at the Meadolands in August 2010. Earth-moving, however, didn’t begin in earnest until mid-2012 and the first shops opened more than a year later – Oct. 30, 2013.
A lot has happened in the 24 months since, to Biafora’s gratification.
“It took awhile to get going, but once we did, it has gone well,” he said last week. “We’re quite happy and we’re looking at other ventures in Southwestern Pennsylvania.”
Biafora declined to identify those locations, focusing instead on his first commercial complex in Pennsylvania that, ultimately, will feature retail, restaurants, offices, early education, fitness and housing. Phase I of the 44-acre Park Place is nearly completed and the hills of Phase II have been alive with the sounds of heavy machinery.
Actually, some of those hills have disappeared. Thousands of tons of earth have been moved and flattened during this second stage, and the skeleton of an apartment/townhouse complex is being erected.
It has been an ambitious endeavor near the intersection of Racetrack Road and Route 19, costing an estimated $25 million to $30 million. But it is bearing fruit on property situated almost entirely in North Strabane Township, with a sliver – essentially, the BFS Foods superstore near the main entrance – in South Strabane Township.
Park Place came to life at that superstore two Octobers ago. The complex consists of a BFS convenience store, including Sunoco gas pumps nearby; three BFS franchisees: Tim Hortons restaurant, Little Caesars Pizza and Dairy Queen Grill & Chill; and a touch-free car wash.
Phase I continued with a two-story building constructed well behind the superstore. It is home, from right to left, to Napoli’s restaurant, Relax Organic Salon, Tender Care Learning Center (second floor), Red Wing Shoes, Sweet Frog frozen yogurt and the investment firm Waddell & Reed (second floor).
Three other businesses will open there in coming months, the next likely being El Paso Mexican Grill, where the majority of interior work has been completed. LA Nails & Spa and Burgerz and Dogz are the others.
Burgerz and Dogs originated in the Library section of South Park Township and launched a second site on Washington Road in Mt. Lebanon about a year ago. The Lebo location, however, was shuttered recently. The owner, Doug Baros, did not return a phone call seeking information about the Park Place venue.
Second-floor offices and a first-floor space are available.
Another two-story structure is going up adjacent to the existing one, and signifies the beginning of Phase II. The buildings will be separated by an empty outdoor space that will serve as a patio for another dining spot, Bacon, Bourbon & Beer, that will occupy the right end of that second building. The owner, Washington native Shawn Janovich, has returned to his roots and has signed a 10-year lease.
Bacon, Bourbon & Beer eventually will have company there. Biafora would not provide names, but said three other businesses have signed leases: a Chinese food carryout, a real estate operation and a medical facility.
On the hill above, the land is being prepared for living and healthy living. Planet Fitness will front Route 19, one of more than 1,000 centers the fitness franchise has in North America. Some are open 24 hours, but plans for this one are unknown. Biafora said the building will have space for light retail and offices.
Accelerated Construction Services of Morgantown is handling all commercial development at Park Place. CMC Co., also of Morgantown, is responsible for housing. It has started to erect a 206-unit apartment/townhouse complex farther back from Washington Road. Biafora described the units as “upscale rentals” that will go for $900 to $1,600 a month, and estimated a first-quarter 2016 opening.
He is an experienced real estate developer whose family owns Metro Property Management. The company. in turn, owns more than 2,000 apartments, mostly in West Virginia but also a complex in Waynesburg.
In Park Place, Biafora and his firm now have a commercial presence in Southwestern Pennsylvania. It is a growing project, one that could inspire Metro Property’s growth in this corner of the state.