Unity supervisors approve plan for GetGo store along Route 30

Giant Eagle’s proposal for relocating and expanding its GetGo store in Unity moved a step forward Thursday as the township supervisors gave final approval of a site plan for the convenience store and gas station.

Pat Avolio, director of development for Giant Eagle, said the supermarket chain wants to construct the new store at Route 30 and Giffin Drive as soon as possible. But he noted approvals from other bodies are needed, including PennDOT, which is reviewing a traffic study of the location.

Replacing a GetGo store just to the west, in the Mountain Laurel Plaza, the larger version is slated to include a roughly 6,200-square-foot store and a 2,500-square-foot car wash.

Proposed sales of alcoholic beverages at the store would depend on gaining permission through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Avolio has noted.

The supervisors’ approval of the 3.8-acre development was contingent on Giant Eagle receiving required approvals from local and state officials for sewage flows, stormwater management and erosion and sediment controls, as well as permission from PennDOT.

Project engineer Mark Zimmerman, of Morris Knowles and Associates, told the township planning commission earlier this month that transportation officials have asked for improvements on Route 30: A 25-foot extension of a lane for westbound drivers turning left into Giffin, and a 75-foot extension of a lane for eastbound drivers turning left to enter the Latrobe 30 Shoppes on the opposite side of the highway.

The supervisors also approved a subdivision plan for consolidating four lots into two at the location occupied by the shuttered Arnold Palmer Motors dealership.

The supervisors agreed with the planning commission’s decision to grant relief from normal landscaping requirements, allowing more shrubs and fewer trees in a buffer area, so as not to block the view of the store from the highway. Township officials also directed that an ice machine and propane tanks be relocated so they don’t face the highway.

According to Zimmerman, an access point on Giffin, close to Route 30, would allow motorists to make right turns only while entering and exiting.

An additional entrance is planned farther south on Giffin, which also serves as one of the entrances to the Wildcat Commons plaza.

A short connecting road would be added between Route 30 and Medical Park Drive and would be privately maintained by the property owners, Zimmerman has said.