Hempfield supervisors approved site plans for new Smail Ford and Lincoln dealerships, which ultimately will expand the auto group’s footprint along Route 30.
Two new buildings will be constructed on what is now a storage lot for the company, adjacent to Sheetz and across the street from Smail Honda.
“We’re going to build a new Ford and Lincoln store there,” general manager Mark Smail said.
The buildings are part of a multi-phase project that includes moving the company’s Kia dealership into the current Ford and Lincoln store near Eastgate Shopping Center, Smail said. Construction of the dealerships is expected to start in mid to late spring.
According to Smail, the facilities will feature showrooms and service centers, as well as two service drive-thru lanes at the Ford building and one at the Lincoln dealership.
Four or five electric car charging stations also will be included on the lot.
“It’s going to be better for our customers,” Smail said. “The service facility is going to be a bigger facility to service the Ford and Lincoln vehicles.”
Supervisors unanimously approved the site plans last week with contingencies.
Patrick Karnash, the township’s director of planning and zoning, said those contingencies include approvals from outside agencies, including the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County. A traffic impact study is planned.
Expansion of the Smail footprint along the stretch of Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall adds to its legacy that largely began in 1961, when the business had showrooms in Jeannette and on South Maple Avenue in Greensburg. The dealership later expanded to its current location in Hempfield.
Today, the dealership sells several brands, including Acura, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, Honda, Kia, Mazda and Mercedes-Benz. It also operates a body shop.
Plans for the multi-phase project will be released at a later date.
