McCandless officials knew decades ago that someone would want to develop the prime land that flanks both sides of McKnight Road near Cumberland Road.

Rather than worrying about if the land would be developed, officials have instead focused on the type of development that will go there.

"This is a project we have been working on for basically 20 years," said council President Bob Powers. "We were looking for a class development and [Kevin Dougherty] cooperated on everything and gave us what we wanted."

Mr. Dougherty is the president of AdVenture Development LLC, the North Carolina-based company that intends to build a multimillion dollar, mixed-use development on 130 acres on the west and east sides of McKnight Road.

While there are a multitude of details to be addressed, including finalized land acquisitions, AdVenture could begin work on the 81-acre west side of the property within the next 30 to 60 days, Mr. Dougherty said Monday, after McCandless council unanimously approved the final site plan for McCandless Crossing West.

The property is between Cumberland Road south to the Vincentian Home complex. It will contain a Lowe's home improvement store, which also got council's approval Monday night, and office buildings and townhomes.

About 50 of the 81 acres will be reserved for wetlands, slopes and woodlands, said Bruce Betty, the town's land use administrator.

AdVenture also has plans to develop about 50 acres of land on the east side of McKnight. That property, which is being treated separately by council, has been pegged as a possible traditional neighborhood development with a variety of uses, including residential, independent living, entertainment and hotels.

Included in the site plan for the west side development are several traffic changes that will affect drivers on McKnight and Cumberland roads and Duncan Avenue.

Northbound drivers making a left turn from McKnight onto Cumberland will eventually encounter a new left-turn lane on Cumberland leading to the Lowe's site, Mr. Betty said.

Drivers heading down Cumberland toward McKnight will also find a lengthened left-turn lane onto that road, he added.

AdVenture must also expand Duncan Avenue on the other side of McKnight before Lowe's can open, Mr. Betty said. A longer left-turn lane on McKnight is also included in the plans.

Most of those changes, while included in the west development's plans, are actually needed to support traffic changes for the entire development.

Both west and east side developments could eventually add $60,000 to McCandless' tax base, said town Manager Tobias Cordek.

Mr. Dougherty, who began his real estate career in Pittsburgh in 1982, said the west site plan approval is the culmination of a dream more than 15 years in the making.

"We are excited," Mr. Dougherty said after the meeting. "This is going to be a real asset to the community.

"So many people have been involved in this. It has been a very long process, but people have been very understanding and helpful. This was an important night."

Mr. Dougherty said he intends to present council with plans for the east side development within a year and hopes the McCandless Crossing development will be near completion within three years.