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Contract awarded for Star City’s demolition

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South Fayette Township commissioners voted Wednesday to award the demolition contract for the former Star City Cinemas on Hickory Grade Road to Ritenour & Sons Construction.

The Somerset Township company’s base bid of $227,450 was roughly $35,000 less than the next lowest bid.

Because of a contract with UPMC, which operates an outpatient facility next door, the demolition needs to be completed quickly. The building is expected to be demolished by Christmas, with the site cleared in January.

The Port Authority park-and-ride lot at the location will be separated from the demolition site and moved to the front of the lot, near the long-vacant Texaco station fronting Route 50.

Horizon Properties, which will be developing the Star City site, also was awarded an extension on its sales agreement of 120 days to continue working on the next steps for the location.

The township agreed to sell the property to Horizon in September for $5 million after buying it in 2009. Besides a hotel, Horizon is proposing constructing office and retail space on the site including a 30,000-square-foot office building and 10,000 to 15,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space. The facilities are expected to add around $25 million worth of taxable property in South Fayette, according to township estimates.

Commissioners also voted on the recommendation of township engineer and zoning officer Mike Benton to accept new streets in the Berkshires and Granite Ridge developments. Voting on the streets was postponed at last month’s meeting to provide time for the streets to meet Americans with Disabilities Acts regulations.

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