Plans in works for North Strabane hotel complex
Two hotels will be built along Curry Avenue in North Strabane Township, off Morganza Road. But that may take awhile.
A restaurant and a retail strip center also are planned for the 8.7-acre site near Southpointe. But that may take longer.
Township planning director Paulette Moyer said supervisors approved the final site plan for the hotels Oct. 27, and they will be Marriott-brand facilities, TownePlace Suites and SpringHill Suites. She did not know the number of rooms coming in, but according to the commercial real estate website LoopNet, 220 are planned.
The engineer for the project, Joe Fello of GAI Consultants in Southpointe, could not be reached for comment. Century Equities of Wheeling, W.Va., developed the site plan.
The configuration of the structures was not known, but they likely will be adjoining. Moyer said the hotels will share a front desk and other features, including a ballroom. She added that some details have to be finalized before earth-moving can begin.
The complex will be across Curry from the U.S. Postal Service’s Canonsburg Carrier Annex and up the road from Pennsylvania Transformer Technology Inc. The Super 8 Canonsburg hotel is on the corner of Curry and Morganza.
Tenants for the restaurant and retail center have not been secured, so construction plans for them have not been formulated, Moyer said.
This project, of course, probably will benefit – and benefit from – Southpointe. The Cecil Township business park is nearby, hovering on a hill above PTT. And there are a lot of business travelers out there.
Eventually, this will be still another boost to the burgeoning hospitality industry in Washington County. About 1,300 hotel rooms have gone up over the past five years, the most recent being Hyatt Place (155 rooms), which opened April 30 near the Meadows Racetrack & Casino, and Suburban Extended Stay (120), which launched last month off the Jessop Place exit of Interstate 70 in Canton Township.
Some might question the need for more local hotels at this time. When the oil and gas industry was going full bore not so long ago, roustabouts and other drill site employees were feverishly looking for temporary digs and filling these facilities. Workers would be at a location for maybe a month then be moved. Demand was nearly outstripping supply.
That scenario appears to have reversed. With a glut of gas because of a lack of pipeline infrastructure to transport it to market, a number of companies have cut back or stopped drilling in Marcellus Shale. The glut of gas waiting to move to markets has greatly reduced its price, eroding the bottom line and precipitating layoffs and cutbacks.
Supply outstripping demand?
The situation should change at some point – pipeline projects are in progress and an ethane cracker plant may be coming to the Beaver Valley, which could attract a formidable number of downstream industries. Then Washington County may have to add more hotels.
West Penn Wire has named Danna Morgan as inside sales manager. She will oversee a team of inside sales representatives and administrative support staff.
The company manufactures low voltage electric wire and cabling, and is located at 2833 W. Chestnut St., Canton Township.