Planning commission recommends approval for CSE site expansion to produce potassium superoxide

The Murrysville Planning Commission on Sept. 9 recommended approval of SP‑4‑25, a major land development application by CSE Corporation to add a roughly 7,800‑square‑foot building at 1001 Corporate Lane for on‑site production of potassium superoxide, provided the applicant obtains required agency approvals and the commission’s requested waivers are granted.

The addition would be adjacent to an existing roughly 60,000‑square‑foot building on a 5.2‑acre site in the B zoning district. Applicant representatives told the commission the expansion is intended to allow CSE to manufacture potassium superoxide — the chemical used in certain closed‑circuit escape respirators and life‑support systems — in a separate, tightly controlled building rather than importing finished product.

Why it matters: Commissioners said public‑safety, fire‑department coordination, and environmental controls were the central concerns in weighing the application. The commission’s recommendation is subject to reviews and approvals by outside agencies, and the applicant provided technical details on stormwater, sewage, parking and landscaping that shaped the conditions attached to the recommendation.

Site and operations details The applicant described the project as a freestanding addition of about 7,800 square feet on the west end of the existing industrial building. The owner says current parking supply (about 100 spaces) exceeds on‑site demand (about 60 spaces in use today), and the new operation would add roughly six employees and six parking spaces. The applicant said there is no new impervious area beyond foundation excavation and localized repaving; stormwater will discharge to the existing detention facility on the property. Erosion‑and‑sedimentation controls were submitted to the Westmoreland Conservation District as a non‑NPDES plan because the disturbance is under one acre.

Sewage and utilities Staff and the applicant said the project is expected to generate approximately 1,200 gallons per day of wastewater (about three equivalent dwelling units) and that sewage facilities planning materials were submitted to the agency referenced in the applicant’s filings (transcript: “FDMSA/FTMSA” — agency name as submitted to planning staff).

Landscaping waiver and visual buffering The applicant requested a waiver of the landscaping requirement, citing steep grades and an existing fence along Boyd Avenue that places the parking area about 20 feet above the roadway, and a thick band of existing vegetation along the north property line. The applicant provided photographs and argued the industrial park context and existing tree cover made additional buffering unnecessary.

Safety and hazardous materials Commissioners pressed the applicant on hazardous‑materials handling and fire‑department coordination. The applicant said outside engineering specialists with experience in alkali‑metal processes (Creative Engineers) designed the production system and that the process will be enclosed in a controlled, airtight building. Tom Johnston, identified as a CSE representative, described the product and its uses and said appropriate warning signage and fire‑department familiarity with the material would be part of on‑site controls. "It's a rather niche product, and there's probably three places in the world that manufacture it today," Johnston said, describing why the firm prefers to produce on site.

Commission action and conditions A commissioner moved to recommend approval of SP‑4‑25; the motion as carried included the conditions that the applicant obtain the referenced sewage‑facility review/approval, secure the Westmoreland Conservation District erosion‑control approval, and that the commission recommend approval of the landscaping waiver. The recommendation passed by voice vote (ayes). No roll‑call tally was recorded in the meeting minutes.

Next steps Planning staff indicated the recommendation to approve is contingent on the applicant satisfying outside agency approvals and submitting final, sealed contract documents as required for building and fire‑safety review. The commission also asked staff to confirm the exact agency name and documentation for the sewage‑planning review noted in the applicant’s submittal.

Less critical details The applicant said no additional truck loading or regular heavy vehicle movements are anticipated in the location of the proposed addition; the area behind the building has been used for maintenance storage rather than active loading docks. The applicant said it may procure potassium metal from a regional supplier and perform the controlled reaction on site under engineering designs provided by alkali‑metal process specialists.