The developer of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter and a Lowe's home-improvement store in Unity Township says he looks for them to open next spring.
"The plan is to turn the pads (concrete foundations) over to Wal-Mart and Lowe's in June so they can start building," Donald Tarosky told a group of Latrobe-area community leaders Thursday at the Latrobe Area Chamber of Commerce's monthly Community Partnership meeting.
Tarosky is a partner in Colony of Latrobe LP, which has been preparing its Wildcat Commons shopping center site off Route 30 at Theater Street for several weeks.
The North Huntingdon Township-based limited partnership's plan calls for a 116,000-square-foot Lowe's and a 179,000-square-foot Wal-Mart "that is exactly the size of the one near Mt. Pleasant," Tarosky said. "It's the same prototype and the latest prototype Wal-Mart has for this type of market."
The developer said site work is being done under a township-approved permit and involves grading and filling mine voids.
"We haven't started building any buildings yet," he said. "What you see going on there is simply grading and grouting."
Construction can't start until Colony receives a highway occupancy permit from the state Department of Transportation.
"We expect that by next week," Tarosky said. He admitted, "we expected to have it by now."
Colony is projecting a Dec. 1 completion for plaza and store construction.
"Then we turn the stores over for fixturing and inventory, and they should be open by March or April," Tarosky said. "Lowe's wants to open for spring -- that's like their Christmas season. Wal-Mart may take a little longer, with the grocery component, but I don't know for sure."
He said the new retail center will feature coordinated brick facades, landscaping and lighting, as well as about five acres of space for "out-parcels -- like restaurants or banks or such."
"To be honest, we don't have any specific proposals just yet," he said. "But the interest in these sites has gone up since we started breaking ground."
Some community leaders complimented the project.
"Way back in the very beginning, Don met with us and listened to our concerns," Greater Latrobe School District Superintendent Dr. William D. Stavisky said. "Many of the things we discussed have come to be, and that is to (Colony's) credit."
Others expressed a little longing.
"I guess I'm a little envious," said Derry Area School District Superintendent Joseph Bellissimo. "I'm wondering what we could do in Derry Area to get something like this out here to help our tax base and our budget problems."
"I just want you to make sure that the traffic from your place can flow east," added Rachel Roehrig, director of the Ligonier Valley Chamber of Commerce.
