'Good neighbor' agreement helps with New Kensington oil change development

An agreement for access with a neighboring gas station gave New Kensington officials comfort in granting one of several needed approvals for an oil change facility to be built along Tarentum Bridge Road.

The agreement between Valvoline Instant Oil Change and Shamey’s gas station allows for vehicles to get into and out of Shamey’s through Valvoline’s property.

The primary need for that is so vehicles leaving Shamey’s will not have to try to make a left turn onto busy Tarentum Bridge Road, which would be illegal, said Tony Males, the city’s zoning officer.

That had been a major concern, said zoning hearing board member Jon Wildi, adding he was pleased to see the company willing to be a good neighbor.

Access into and out of the proposed Valvoline would be at the back of the property, not directly from Tarentum Bridge Road.

With that agreement as a condition, the zoning hearing board approved a special use exception for the property in a commercial area on Tarentum Bridge Road, between Shamey’s and the access to the Giant Eagle shopping center. Auto repair or service and drive-thrus in commercial areas require such approvals, Males said.

The city’s planning commission still needs to review the development’s site plan, and city council will have to vote on its compliance with the city’s design guidelines.

So far, the company has addressed any concerns the city has, Males said.

Changing Valvoline’s conceptual site plan to provide for access to Shamey’s came with the loss of two parking spaces, but Males said the development still would have more than it needs. Further, the parking spaces would be used primarily by the store’s employees, not customers, said Kelly Schweiterman, a project manager with CESO from Miamisburg, Ohio.

The store will be corporate-owned, Schweiterman said. She described it as an “upscale oil change facility” in which customers remain in their vehicles as the oil is changed, which she said takes about 20 minutes.

It will have three bays. The lot has adequate room for vehicles to wait outside each bay and a way for people to leave if they find the lines too long.

The store will create jobs while not generating additional traffic, Schweiterman said.

“For an undeveloped lot, it’s a great contribution to the area,” she said. “It’s a perfect use for a lot like this.”

Provided other approvals come through, construction would start in the fall and take six months to complete, meaning it likely would open in the first quarter of 2025, Schweiterman said.

The nearest existing Valvoline Instant Oil Change is on South Pike Road in Buffalo Township. Other locations include the intersection of Frankstown and Rodi roads in Penn Hills and William Penn Highway in Murrysville.