Home improvement store chain Menards is seeking an extension to its site plan through the end of 2025, according to a letter sent to Hempfield obtained by TribLive.

Township supervisors are expected to consider the extension during their September meeting, manager Aaron Siko said.

“It’s so exciting to know they’re interested in our community, and we’ll do what we can to work with them on their future plans,” Supervisor Doug Weimer said.

Menards was put on notice last month that the site plan for a new store Hempfield supervisors approved five years ago was nearing its expiration date. The plan was approved by township supervisors Aug. 24, 2020, according to a separate letter obtained by TribLive through a public records request. The state municipal planning code sets the five-year limit.

Headquartered in Eau Claire, Wis., Menards is the third-largest home improvement retailer in the U.S. behind Lowe’s and Home Depot, with 341 stores in 15 states, primarily in the Midwest. A possible Menards store first was presented to the township’s planning commission in June 2020. The site plan shows a 250,000-square-foot building.

Supervisors in August 2020 voted to combine three tax parcels and approved the site plan.

Two months later, Menard Inc. purchased the former Ramada property for $7.75 million from Greensburg Hospitality, Westmoreland County property tax records show. The company also purchased the parcel that held the Westmoreland Athletic Club, which closed in 2015, for $1.25 million, documents show.

Demolition began shortly after. The property remains vacant with piles of gravel and weeds across Route 30 from the Westmoreland Mall.

In Friday’s letter, Menards officials requested an extension to Dec. 31.

“The township and Menards had a beneficial conversation, and extending Menards plan until December allows the township to demonstrate it’s a welcoming community for development,” Siko said. “We are excited for this potential development and will continue to support developers of all types actively pursuing building in Hempfield.”

The closest Menards stores to the area are in West Virginia — near Morgantown and Wheeling. In addition to Hempfield, other proposed locations in Pennsylvania are in Fayette and Washington counties.

The township in 2021 received a $925,000 multi-modal grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development that would be put toward traffic improvements at Sheraton Drive and Donohoe Road. Menards agreed to contribute $350,000 to that project as the local match, according to information provided to the board last month.

Weimer said that funding will be part of what supervisors consider next month.

The project is in the final design phase and could go out to bid this fall. The grant is set to expire next year.

It would add a traffic signal at Sheraton and Donohoe, change traffic patterns through the Best Buy property and add a stop sign for traffic on the ramp coming from the Westmoreland Mall.

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