Unity developments: Animal clinic opens expanded veterinary practice; bank, coffee shop on horizon

Lakeview Animal Clinic welcomed pets and their owners to its new, expanded Unity building June 30.

It’s the culmination of five years of planning and nearly a year of construction.

The 7,200-square-foot clinic on Monastery Drive is directly downhill from the practice’s previous location.

“Capacity is the biggest change,” said Dr. Andrew Stas, one of four veterinarians on the staff of his family owned practice. “It’s at least two and a half times in comparison to where we were before. We kind of grew out of that building 10 to 15 years ago.”

The move to the new building has marked an increase in the number of exam rooms, from two to five, and of surgical tables, from one to two.

Larger areas now are devoted to dental care and X-ray imaging, Stas said. A holding area for canine patients undergoing daytime treatment is ready while a similar room for cats is being prepared.

The expansion of the practice’s facility coincided with the growth of its personnel. The fourth veterinarian, Dr. Lizzie Murphy of Blairsville, joined a few months ago, while the support staff of 17 — including veterinary technicians, managers and receptionists — increased by three.

Stas said the move to a larger building also may allow Lakeview to expand its externship program — offering two-week, real-world work experiences to students from a handful of veterinary schools.

“We have a student from Cornell coming next week, and two weeks after that, we have a student coming from Purdue,” Stas said.

The hope is that some of those students eventually could be recruited to further increase the Lakeview staff, he said.

The practice’s capacity to care for large animals has grown — with Stas, Murphy and Dr. Katie Slivko splitting time between seeing pets at the clinic and traveling to examine and treat animals at area farms.

“We’re hoping to continue to expand that,” Stas said. “That’s one area that really has a pretty heavy need. The limit to expansion right now has been finding veterinarians to hire.”

Stas began to reinvigorate Lakeview’s large animal services when he joined the staff in 2014, after graduating from veterinary school and completing an internship focused on equine care in Lexington, Ky.

Owner Dr. Ronald Stas said he’s pleased to see Lakeview continue to grow as an independent family-owned practice now that his son has taken a major role in planning for the future.

“We had opportunities to sell to a corporation,” Ronald Stas said. “But we’re going to try to stay independent as long as we can.

“There’s a lot of advantage to an independent practice, especially with a smaller community where you have longtime loyal clients. We want to continue with that.”

He said his family has not nailed down a plan for a new use for its former clinic building.

Stas purchased the practice in 1987 from the late Dr. A. Wayne Mountan.

New businesses planned on Route 30

Two new Unity businesses have been proposed nearby, along eastbound Route 30 east of the Route 981 intersection.

The township supervisors recently approved site plans for a bank proposed to occupy a lot at the Giffin Drive intersection previously home to a Burger King restaurant and for a drive-thru coffee shop that would take over the vacant spot at Mountain Laurel Plaza where GetGo had operated a gas station.

Plans call for Westmoreland Federal Savings and Loan to open an office at the former Burger King location, nestled between the current expanded GetGo station and store and a First National Bank branch.

A Westmoreland Federal Savings official declined comment about the institution’s plans for the new site or for its existing office on Main Street in downtown Latrobe.

The approved Unity site plan shows the proposed construction of a nearly 1,800-square-foot addition to the rear of the existing 3,190-square-foot former restaurant. A drive-thru lane would operate in the same direction as that of the former restaurant, with access continuing along Giffin Drive.

According to township officials, 7 Brew is proposing to occupy the vacant Mountain Laurel outparcel. With no patron seating inside, the coffee shop would occupy roughly the same footprint as the closed GetGo store, which would be razed to make way for the new business.

Plans call for two drive-thru lanes, accessed from the plaza parking lot.

Spokesperson Emma Raby, responding to an email inquiry, said 7 Brew can’t confirm any specifics about the planned Unity location.

“We’re very excited about the possibility of bringing 7 Brew to your community,” Raby said, noting, “We’re still in the early stages of development.”

Founded in Rogers, Ark., in 2017, 7 Brew has grown to more than 400 locations across more than 30 states. It has Pennsylvania coffee stands in DuBois, Mechanicsburg, Red Lion and Sinking Spring, with other locations in Ohio and West Virginia.

Its customizable menu includes lattes, teas, smoothies and energy drinks.

Before development of the proposed Unity shop can proceed, the plan must pass muster with local water and sewage utilities and the state Department of Environmental Protection. Signage and a plan for controlling erosion and sedimentation also must be approved.

GetGo Portfolio II LP has a plan on file with the township for developing three parcels along Route 30 eastbound between Mountain Laurel Plaza and the current GetGo store.

Unity officials said fast-food eateries, including a possible new Burger King location, have been proposed for two smaller lots of 1.5 acres and 2 acres that front along Route 30. A sit-down restaurant has been proposed for development farther back from the highway, on about 3.5 acres.