Hempfield officials are continuing discussions with home improvement chain Menards as a site plan for a new store is set to expire Dec. 31, said township manager Aaron Siko.
“We have no documents and no signed agreement as of this date,” Siko said Tuesday. “The board is continuing to talk to Menards and we are still expecting a positive step forward which will continue the redevelopment of that site.”
He expects the matter to come before the board of supervisors in January. The state municipal planning code gives a government body the ability to continue working with a developer and grant extensions.
Menards was put on notice in July that the site plan for a new store Hempfield supervisors approved five years ago was nearing its expiration date. The plan was approved by township supervisors Aug. 24, 2020, according to a letter obtained by TribLive through a public records request. The state municipal planning code sets the five-year limit.
A separate letter obtained by the Trib indicated Menards sought the extension to the end of 2025. The extension was approved in September.
Headquartered in Eau Claire, Wis., Menards is the third-largest home improvement retailer in the U.S. behind Lowe’s and Home Depot, with 341 stores in 15 states, primarily in the Midwest. A possible Menards store first was presented to the township’s planning commission in June 2020. The site plan shows a 250,000-square-foot building off Route 30 near Westmoreland Mall.
The company bought the former Ramada property for $7.75 million and the parcel that held the Westmoreland Athletic Club for $1.25 million, according to property tax records. The buildings were demolished and the property remains vacant.
A Menards spokesperson said Tuesday there was nothing new to report.
The township remains interested in the site being developed, Siko said. The closest Menards stores to the area are in West Virginia — near Morgantown and Wheeling.
Hempfield in 2021 received a $925,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development that would be put toward traffic improvements at Sheraton Drive and Donohoe Road. It would add a traffic signal at Sheraton and Donohoe, change traffic patterns through the Best Buy property and add a stop sign for traffic on the ramp coming from the Westmoreland Mall.
Menards agreed to contribute $350,000 to that project as the local match, according to information provided to the board in July.
Siko said that is part of the discussions with Menards. The project is in the permitting process and likely will go out to bid in 2026, he said. The grant is set to expire June 30, but Siko said the township can apply for an extension.
