South Strabane approves changes to Costco land plan
South Strabane Supervisors approved an amendment to the previously approved final land development plan for the incoming Costco store at the former Washington Mall site during a Tuesday meeting.
The changes include a 9-foot expansion of the main building’s footprint, and a repositioning of the adjacent gas station.
79/70 Associates, which is leading the redevelopment efforts at the site, requested the adjustments during a township planning commission meeting earlier this month.
At the time, township engineer TJ Stephens said the changes were “fairly minor,” not representing a net change to the stormwater management plan for the site since the new building footprint will remain an impervious surface.
The site is managed by the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, which contracted the ongoing demolition to Strattanville-based Neiswonger Construction Inc.
79/70 will turn its portion of the property over to Costco once the site is clear and the pad is ready for construction.
Township manager Peter Stefansky estimated that would occur by August, although the exact timeline is still tentative.
Stefansky said a few remaining structures from the previous mall complex still need to be demolished before the Costco pad can be completed.
Costco Director of Real Estate John Alvarado told the planning commission in early June that the company wants to have the store open “as soon as possible,” but did not provide a concrete date.
Alvarado said construction of new locations typically takes around 135 days from start to finish since the modular building design helps improve construction efficiency.