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Norwin area commuters can still use plaza lot as park-n-ride
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Norwin-area commuters who park their vehicles at Norwin Towne Square and ride Westmoreland County Transit Authority buses to Pittsburgh will have at least a few more months to park in that shopping plaza.
Donald Tarosky, a partner in Colony Norwin LLC of North Huntingdon, the company buying Norwin Towne Square, said the purchase of the shopping plaza has not been finalized, though he hopes to close on the property in May.
After the purchase is completed, the transit authority's lease to use the Norwin Towne Square lot as a park-n-ride will probably extend for 90 days, he said Tuesday.
Ryan Fonzi, North Huntingdon associate planning director, said in March that the planned redevelopment of Norwin Towne Square will not allow enough parking spaces to keep the Transit Authority's park-n-ride lot there.
More than 200 spaces at the plaza are used by commuters, he said.
Mr. Tarosky said that when his purchase of 21.3 acres of Norwin Towne Square becomes final, Bob Massie's purchase of 5.2 acres of the plaza will become final also.
Colony Norwin LLC's parcel will include McDonald's, the MedExpress building, a vacant bank building, the former Scozio's Shop 'n Save building and small storefronts behind the Scozio's building.
In March, Mr. Tarosky said plans are to demolish the former Shop 'n Save building and the small storefronts in the east wing of the plaza from Scozio's all the way to Natale's Sporting Goods.
A new grocery store will be built in line with Natale's, and the space now occupied by the old Shop 'n Save will be used as parking for the grocery store, he said.
On Tuesday, he said a local Shop 'n Save franchiser is negotiating with his company to occupy the new, 38,000-square-foot supermarket.
Mr. Tarosky said Bob Massie of Bob Massie Toyota, White Oak, plans to buy the 5.2-acre parcel so that he can move his Toyota dealership there from White Oak.
That lot along Malts Lane includes the former Goodyear Tire store and all of the stores in the back of the plaza east to the vacant store beside Pizza Hut's delivery shop, all of which will be demolished to make way for the car dealership.
None of the demolition work, or the construction of the new car dealership, can proceed before the sale closing, Mr. Tarosky said.
Larry Morris, director of the Westmoreland County Transit Authority, could not be reached for comment about the status of negotiations for the new Norwin area park-n- ride site.
First Published May 10, 2012 5:27 am
