Irwin OKs plans for development at Penn-Irwin Motel site

The former Penn-Irwin Motel property along Route 30 in Irwin is a step closer to a transformation after officials approved plans for the site, although much of the hillside will be removed before construction can begin.

Irwin Borough approved development plans submitted by Colony Development Co. of North Huntingdon for an AutoZone store and shopping plaza. Final approval is pending zoning variances, cell phone tower approval and agreements with adjoining property owners.

The developer must determine how property taxes will be split between North Huntingdon and Irwin, because the parcel is in both municipalities, said Zachary Kansler, borough solicitor. Colony Development must determine how many square feet is in each municipality.

A cell phone tower owned by AT&T is being proposed for the site, said Don Tarosky Jr., a partner in the development. The apparatus will be disguised as a clock tower, he noted.

North Huntingdon officials in September approved the site plan for the AutoZone store at the 1-acre parcel.

Before construction of buildings on the property can begin, Tarosky said the hillside on which the motel was located must be removed for better access to Route 30. PennDOT wants the topography of the site lowered to the level of the highway before granting a highway occupancy permit, he said.

With so much shale and soil to remove, the final result “will be great, but it’s expensive,” Tarosky said.

The former motel that had operated at the site for 73 years was razed in 2019. The last owners, Gary and Deborah Salada, sold it to Colony of Irwin LLC, a sister company of Colony Development, for $800,000 in April 2019, according to the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds.