Development has put Racetrack Road on the fast track
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
The Street at the Meadows is one of the latest developments along Racetrack Road.
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A panoramic view from the Courtyard by Marriott of several developments along Racetrack Road
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
The view of the development along Racetrack Road as seen from Route 19
Some of the developments along Racetrack Road
A panoramic view from Tanger Outlets of several developments along Racetrack Road
Larry Maggi has the world’s longest résumé. It is a voluminous chronicle of career and public service pursuits that includes a 24-year hitch with the Pennsylvania State Police.
From 1973 to 1997, Trooper Maggi probably had nights when Racetrack Road duty bored him stiff. The Meadows, then strictly a harness-racing facility, attracted patrons by the hundreds, occasionally thousands. But amidst a smattering of farms, a car dealership, a couple of hotels and a few stray businesses, the pony track stood out as the place to be on the 1.2-mile link between Interstate 79 and Route 19.
PSP shifts, at that time, generally consisted of directing cars back toward 79 and 19; completing paperwork; and chasing drag-racing gearheads and hormone-crazed teens.
“The road was two lanes,” recalled Maggi, current chairman of Washington County commissioners. “The track was a pretty popular venue, and we had to control traffic off 79. This was kind of a lovers lane area where kids had parties.”
He paused, smiled and added: “It’s come a long way.”
Indeed. Over the past decade, the area along Racetrack Road has transformed into Fast-Track Road, an electric, eclectic mix of appealing destinations. There are retail, restaurants and residences; there are hotels; and there is The Meadows, which added an enormous casino to its pony and pony show.
Except for the expanse directly across from the gaming facility, there isn’t much open space. And Chapman Properties of Leetsdale, Allegheny County, owns a wide swath of that land, which it intends to develop at some point.
Out of necessity, Racetrack Road was expanded over the years from a modest two-lane roadway into more of a boulevard. It essentially separates North Strabane and South Strabane townships, and accommodates an estimated 17,000 vehicles per day. Yet it also is a unifying force, a twisty for the large bag of diverse businesses that, somehow, complement one another well.
In the beginning
The Meadows Racetrack, of course, was the initial significant economic driver of this corridor. In 1961, two years after Pennsylvania legalized gambling at horse tracks, voters in Allegheny County soundly rejected a proposal to build one. Delvin Miller, a Chartiers Township farmer and fabled horseman, led the four-member Washington Trotting Association that pushed hard for a harness track in Washington County. They won, and The Meadows eventually opened for racing June 28, 1963.
Commercial development of Racetrack Road followed, but was sporadic for four decades. It would start gaining momentum around June 2007, when a casino opened at the track, a temporary location that would suffice for nearly two years until the permanent site could be built. The current casino is one of the largest in the Northeast.
This was a relatively threadbare Racetrack Road when the temporary gaming spot opened 11 years ago. Three hotels lined the roadway then; there are 11 now. Two fast-food restaurants existed then; more than a dozen dining spots of various levels operate now.
Meadows Casino was certainly a linchpin in the maturity of Racetrack Road at that time. But it wasn’t the only one. Tanger added a lot of bang.
Tanger Outlets, an upscale shopping center, was built high on a hill in South Strabane. It took $23.5 million in tax-increment financing to construct the complex in a 122-acre development called Victory Center.
The Washington County Redevelopment Authority supported the TIF, which was used for infrastructure improvements and upgrades – roads, sewers, power lines. Executive director Bill McGowen said none of that money went toward developing a Bass Pro sporting goods complex, a proposal that was popular among a segment of the local populace, but never came close to fruition.
Road upgrades were necessary, and McGowen said the casino and Tanger paid equally into a $13 million pot to build an intersection and install turning lanes. Both bodies worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which oversaw construction.
Tanger Outlets launched in late August 2008, which occurred between the openings of the casino’s temporary and permanent sites. Development of the two sites excited officials and business people throughout the county.
“The TIF was for Tanger, but it was sold basically that we were going to get both (entities),” said Diana Irey Vaughan, a county commissioner since 1996. “I did not support the TIF because of wages and jobs in comparison to tax dollars. I think (Tanger) would have come without the TIF, but I’m thrilled they’re here.
“Tanger made the way for other opportunities to develop. Success grows more success. I’d like to see this happen in other parts of the county.”
McGowen said the outlets have accomplished just what a redevelopment official would want. “Tanger has done very well. They’re paying the TIF back, and they maintain a very high rate of occupancy.”
Controlled development
Frank Siffrinn and John Stickle were longtime managers of the Strabanes. Both retired in recent years and were involved with the buildout of Racetrack Road. They are pleased with what has transpired along that corridor, one that has been actively developed but not overdeveloped, like Monroeville in the 1960s and Cranberry in more recent times.
“I remember when I started,” said Siffrinn, who became North Strabane’s manager in 1992. “There was a car dealership and storage on the corner (near Route 19). There was the racetrack and an old Holiday Inn. Those were really the only things developed along Racetrack Road.
“Then all kinds of development occurred over the past 20, 25 years. Five traffic signals were installed. Before, there was nothing. But traffic flow has never been a problem. Widening the road and the signals helped, but there has been a controlled growth here.”
Stickle said the outlets have provided a valuable tax boost to his township, South Strabane. “Tanger provided a good source of real estate tax, as well as a mercantile tax and local services tax each employee would pay. It’s been a good business to have.
“We like to say (that development) has been controlled. It’s become a nice little corridor.”
Dave Biafora agrees. He is the principal of Metro Property Management, the Morgantown, W.Va., firm that is developing Park Place at the Meadow Lands, a mixed-use location featuring retail, restaurants, apartments and townhouses. The complex is not on Racetrack Road – it borders Route 19 to the east – but its entrance is directly across from the corridor. So consider it part of the landscape.
“Racetrack Road is nice because it’s not too congested,” he said. “It’s been planned very well. It’s just a great place to live, work and maneuver.”
Matt Sager is pleased to be entrenched there. He and his wife, Susanne, are co-owners of Palazzo 1837 Ristorante, an upscale Italian restaurant in a restored 19th-century mansion. They also are part of a partnership that owns the Shoppes at Quail Acres, an eclectic series of fashionable shops hugging Route 19 near Palazzo, on the eastern end of Racetrack Road.
“I felt a long time ago that this would continue to be a growth area, and growth brings a lot of people to this region,” Sager said. “People are coming here to live. We’re a small part of this corridor that continues to grow – but a very interesting part.”
Continued growth
Despite initial difficulties, Biafora is enamored of the vicinity.
“We came up here eight years ago to start because we felt this was a strong area,” said Biafora, whose project was delayed a few years because of permitting issues, most of them environmentally related. The first businesses opened near the entrance in October 2013, in the small plot on the property that is in South Strabane. The vast majority of the land lies in North Strabane.
“You could see how many people were moving into Washington County, and they seemed like customers for the types of products we put out – retail, apartments, businesses, restaurants.”
Park Place and Street at the Meadows are relative newcomers to this corridor. Horizon Properties Group – whose president, Rod Piatt, has been responsible for other development along the roadway – is developing Street at the Meadows, which features apartments, shops and restaurants adjacent to the casino. Primanti Brothers, Dunkin’ Donuts and Whitehorse Brewing have located in outbuildings nearby.
The president of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency has a keen appreciation for what has transpired along this onetime open expanse.
“Over the past decade, Racetrack Road has transformed into an exciting epicenter of entertainment in Washington County and a major attraction in the Greater Pittsburgh region,” Jeff Kotula said. “It is home to the county’s two largest tourist attractions (Meadows Casino and Tanger Outlets), great restaurants, unique establishments plus quality hotels – all attracting millions of visitors to our county annually and serving as a major economic driver for our county.”
Racetrack Road is no longer rural, but a progressive highway brimming with activity, variety and good times. And more is coming.
The area has not changed entirely, though, and Larry Maggi is gratified by that. He said the essence of the county in which he has lived most of his life still exists along this busy artery.
“Once you cross the Allegheny County line, it’s like hitting another country. There’s more concrete and more population,” the commissioner said.
“You think of the country charm and the green spaces we have here. We are keeping our country charm, which is a challenge. That’s what makes us different.”