Wal-Mart officials want to scale-down a proposed supercenter in North Huntingdon, but the township's planning commissioners said they are concerned that the new building design is less attractive than previous plans.

An architect for Wal-Mart presented a new plan last night to the board, which chose to table action and requested the retail chain to come back with some revisions.

The board approved another series of minor changes in June, but Roger Lein, a senior design manager for Wal-Mart, said the company is reducing the size of buildings to lessen the environmental and energy impact.

Last night, Lein said Wal-Mart is looking to reduce the building from the 190,810-square-foot plan approved last summer to 155,000.

"We believe we can still serve the customers in a smaller footprint," he said.

Residents have been growing frustrated with the delay in construction for the business, which originally was approved in 2003.

In December, DeBartolo Development finally received a highway occupancy permit from PennDOT, but a nearby business owner is appealing.

Lein last night referred to a possible late summer or early fall construction date.

Township officials have been concerned about the appearance of the store from Route 30 and the turnpike.

Planning Director Andrew Blenko said the building's design looked less like a piece of architecture and more like the "shoe box" appearance township officials wanted to avoid.

Bernie Solomon, a planning commissioner, said he feels the design went "down a grade."

"I'm really not happy with it," he said.

In other business, the board approved the seventh phase of the Lincoln Hills residential development, which consists of 29 single-family homes.

Also last night, the board tabled a site plan by Courtesy Suzuki Land Holdings for the construction of a new Kia dealership along Route 30 between Colonial Manor Road and Naponic Lane.

The car dealer, Jim Shorkey, intends to build the three-story dealership on the grounds of the former Stewart Glen mobile home park and convert his existing dealership into a used-car business.

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