Starting this summer, wine and alcohol will be sold in the Giant Eagle off the Camp Horne Road exit of Interstate 279.

The state Liquor Control Board last week approved the Giant Eagle in Ohio Township for Pennsylvania's third "one-stop shop" -- a liquor store within a grocery store.

The first such shop opened just before Christmas at Clemens Family Market in Montgomery County and another is set to open in early summer at a Shop 'n Save in South Fayette.

At the Giant Eagle at Camp Horne and Ben Avon Heights roads, the LCB will lease 3,059 square feet at $45,876 per year for five years. All workers in the liquor store will be trained and employed by the state.

William Epstein, director of communications for the LCB, said the Giant Eagle was selected because of available space. The board wants to be able to offer a wide selection of wines and spirits, he said.

"If you go into stores in Virginia or Ohio where they sell wine and liquor, you'll typically see a couple of shelves of the best sellers and that's about it," Epstein said. "We're opening full-scale liquor stores so that our customers find what they're looking for when they come into the store."

John Koch, mayor of neighboring Ben Avon Heights, said he views the one-stop shop as any other liquor store operated by the state and added that it would be a convenience for him.

"It will save me trips to West View or Route 19," Koch said. "I don't think it will have much, if any, implication for the neighborhood. [Liquor stores] are all over the place."

Avonworth School District board member JoAnn Gorman disagreed. Gorman is opposed to alcohol consumption and said she was concerned about the proximity of the liquor store to Avonworth schools on Joseph's Lane.

"There are other stores nearby but not right up over the hill," Gorman said. "As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to have any more accessibility [to liquor] for anyone because I just don't agree with it."

Epstein said the state hopes to have seven such stores open this year and is looking at sites in Harrisburg and in the Pocono and Philadelphia areas.

Mark Clemens, a public relations representative for Clemens Family Market , said the state's first liquor store within a grocery has enjoyed early success.

"It's going very well, and we've had some nice increase in store volume and purchases," Clemens said.

"We're selling more cheese, crackers, anything to go along with some of the wines," he said.

"We're excited to be working with the state to bring another convenience-oriented feature to our customers," said Rob Borella, Giant Eagle's director of corporate communications.

Roy Stanley, of Ohio Township, said he was pleased with the state's decision to open the new locations.

"I think it's way past due and time for Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania to come up to the 21st century," he said.

But the convenience of the liquor store won't influence his shopping habits, he said. "Most of the time, I shop at Costco. We're not going to go out of our way one way or the other."

Diane Foster, who regularly shops at the Giant Eagle, said the opening of the store won't affect her personally.

"I'm not a big drinker, anyway, but I guess it's nice for those who will use it," she said.

Foster was surprised that space could be found in the Giant Eagle for the wine and spirits store.

"I don't know where they'll put it," she said. "It's a pretty crowded store."