FRAZER: Construction on a new Route 28 interchange, the next step of the Pittsburgh Mills mall project, could begin as early as October.
Dan Martone, Frazer's engineer, told the planning commission Thursday that Tawney Run Road soon will close between Yutes Run and Butler-Logan roads to facilitate the work.
The interchange will allow direct access onto the mall site, located in Frazer along Route 28 South.
Bob Jones, the senior project manager for the developer, said the interchange location is approximately where the newly installed Jersey barrier ends along Route 28 South.
Martone said the road work should last about a year, and a section of Tawney Run Road will be closed for an extended period. Previously, Mills officials said the interchange work should be completed by fall 2004 so the mall can open in spring 2005.
The start of the interchange work came to light when the township's planning commission got a close-up look at the Pittsburgh Mills mall construction site Thursday.
Between bursts of rain, commission members overlooked the work zone and reviewed the land development plan they are scheduled to vote on Tuesday.
The plan, a required step in the extended process of approvals Mills needs to get the $285 million mall up and running, includes tentative building placement, road layout, landscaping and utilities, according to Dan Martone, the township's engineer.
Martone said the plan under consideration deals only with the "core" mall building, not the out-parcels.
The planning commission met with Mills project managers for a question-and-answer session at the township building before driving down Butler-Logan Road and onto the site.
Questions dealt mainly with the location of roads, access to the mall and the schedule for building out the project. The project managers were able to point out details on the drawings, then show the commission how the drawings related to the actual site.
Martone and Jones said most of the main part of the mall and surrounding parking lots will be completed before the mall opens. Martone said Mills must acquire an occupancy permit to open, and a large portion of construction must be complete to obtain a permit.
Martone also warned that many subdivision requests will be coming before the commission as Mills proceeds.
Responding to a question, Jones said he was unable to discuss tenants with the commission. He said the mall could have as many as 200 tenants, but would more likely have between 150 and 170 occupants.
He said larger retailers such as Wal-Mart probably would not be connected to the mall, but would instead occupy out-parcels.
At the site, the group stood on a wooden platform located between several gray trailers, overlooking the site from a hilltop near Butler-Logan Road.
From atop the hill, the mall site -- a large, leveled area just behind the Pittsburgh Mills sign -- spreads out to the south and west. Because the site is elevated, the level area can't be seen well from the Route 28 expressway.
The total land area, about 340 acres, is shaped somewhat like an apostrophe. The main part of the mall forms the ball at the top, stretching west of Route 28. The remaining out-parcels and parking lots curve south and east, hooking back toward Route 28.
Shelby Benbow, the site project manager, said most of the trees are cleared, but some hilltops still need to be blasted and leveled.
He said work over the winter depends on the weather, but construction should continue year-round.
"We don't plan on stopping," Benbow said. He added the rain hasn't slowed crews down this summer, although only a few workers were out Thursday evening in anticipation of Hurricane Isabel.
Benbow said all the dirt being moved will come from and stay on-site -- none will be dumped elsewhere. In all, about 9 million cubic yards of dirt will be moved to shape the mall's landscape.
"We move a lot of dirt," Benbow said.
Byron Wiles, chairman of Frazer's planning commission, said once the commission approved the land development plan -- which it could do Tuesday -- the plan must be approved by township supervisors. If the commission gives the OK on Tuesday, the plan could go before supervisors on Oct. 7.
Additional Information:
Coming up
Who: Frazer Planning Commission.What: Possible approval of Pittsburgh Mills mall land development plan.
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: Township building, 2129 Butler-Logan Road, Frazer.
