Apr 10, 2015 3 min read

McMURRAY – Even though residential and commercial building activity has slowed down a bit during the first quarter of the year in Peters Township because of potential changes in its zoning ordinances, there are development projects in the pipeline and the future looks bright.

That was the message Michael Silvestri, Peters Township manager, delivered Wednesday during his annual State of the Township speech to Peters Township Chamber of Commerce.

“There are a lot of plans,” he said. “They are waiting for the ordinances.”

On the commercial side, Silvestri said Eat’n Park is working on a 6,514-square-foot restaurant and development on Washington Road that will include office space. The existing Eat’n Park may be converted a Dunkin’ Donuts. In addition, Taco Bell is looking to construct a 2,527-square-foot restaurant on Washington Road on the vacant lot next to Walgreens, and Bowser Cadillac is in the midst of building a 24,000-square-foot dealership on Washington Road. Other notable projects that are under construction or were announced include:

• Forty new lots will be developed at the Whispering Pines housing development in Venetia.

• Twenty-eight new lots will be developed at Ryan Homes’ Orchard Park development, also in Venetia.

• Owners of Nemacolin Woodlands resort in Fayette County are building Nemacolin Pet Resort, a 6,593-square-foot building on Washington Road that will offer vet services, grooming, boarding and other pet-related amenities to South Hills residents. The facility, which is expected to open later this month, may become the first of a chain of pet spas.

• Eddy Homes, based in Bridgeville, is looking to develop 78 patio homes at its Crossings Six development in McMurray.

• Martik Properties, a Finleyville builder, is planning on developing 33 townhomes at its Venetia Pointe development.

Silvestri said the township is making progress toward changing its zoning. At the present time, township officials are looking at the residential portion of the ordinances and ways to zone for higher-density residential developments. On a side note, he said 73 new homes were built in the township in 2013 and 362 existing homes were sold. The average sales price that year was $364,169.

In addition, he said the township received a 27 percent response rate to its survey of residents as part of its efforts to redo its Parks and Recreation Department’s 10-year comprehensive plan for its parks, recreation and green space.

The most requested item, the survey found, was a swimming pool, followed by sledding hills, protected natural areas and outdoor basketball courts. The most used park is Peterswood and the Arrowhead/Montour Trail, the survey said.

Most Peters residents who responded to the survey said they swim most often at the Upper St. Clair recreational complex, which includes indoor and outdoor pools.

“The St. Clair rec center is becoming the bellwether,” Silvestri said. “Other communities are ratcheting up (their recreational facilities). Council is going to be making some tough decisions.”

Major capital budget projects for the township in 2015 include replacing the existing amphitheater at a cost of $603,801; paving, $1.5 million; buying a new street sweeper for $220,000; and replacing three police vehicles at a cost of $107,801.