A new-look liquor store and a burger shop are scheduled to open on Monroeville Boulevard on the former Roth Carpet property in coming months.
A Wine & Spirits superstore is expected to open by spring of 2013, said Stacy Kriedeman, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.
The store will include 8,400 square feet of retail space, which is more than twice the size of the Wines and Spirits on William Penn Highway, Kriedeman said.
The extra space will allow for a larger selection of wine and liquor, as well as a counter in the center of the store where customers can taste wines and liquors, Kriedeman said.
The LCB has not decided if the store on William Penn Highway, which opened in late 1955, will remain open, Kriedeman said.
Opening next door to the new Wine & Spirits will be Five Guys Burger and Fries, which also is expected to open by this spring, said developer Craig Cozza.
In recent years, Five Guys restaurants have established a presence in the Pittsburgh region. Five Guys restaurants have opened in Murrysville, North Huntingdon, Fox Chapel, Tarentum and Hempfield in recent years.
The redevelopment of Roth Carpet is one of a number of real-estate maneuvers in Monroeville performed by Pittsburgh-based Cozza Enterprises — which Cozza heads — over the past six years.
“I think Craig has been an asset to the community,” said Monroeville Mayor Greg Erosenko. “He certainly has helped our local economy, providing good jobs. He's a visionary with his business dealings.”
In 2006, Cozza purchased the Palace Inn at the intersection of Routes 22 and 48 and then sold the property to UPMC.
While he initially was leaning toward transforming the former hotel in to a casino, the project wasn't worth the additional costs involved, he said.
“We already spent millions of dollars gutting the place,” Cozza said. “You have to be ready to evolve and change. At some point the money makes sense.”
He used a portion of the profit to build four stores at the former BP location in the Miracle Mile Shopping Center — Pro Bikes, GNC, AT&T and Elite Runners & Walkers.
Pro Bikes was a pet project for Cozza, who said fellow cyclists have traveled from as far as Altoona to shop there. It also was one of his more difficult projects, because of the environmental risks of developing at a former gas station.
“It was a blighted, ugly property just sitting there, and we figured out a way to make it work environmentally,” he said.
Cozza also was the developer who brought Levin Mattress and Noodles & Co. to the former Electra Lighting location along William Penn Highway.
Kyle Lawson is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-856-7400, ext. 8755, or klawson@tribweb.com.
