Monroeville holds public hearing on Sheetz proposal at Old William Penn Highway; decision moved to next regular meeting

Monroeville held a public hearing Tuesday on a conditional-use application from the Sampson Morris Group and Sheetz to demolish existing structures at 4503 Old William Penn Highway and redevelop the 9.237-acre parcel as a Sheetz convenience store with fuel pumps.

The applicant, represented by Jim Rumbaugh of the Sampson Morris Group, said engineering and review comments from the municipality and outside reviewers had been addressed and that the team had agreed to a voluntary contribution to improve signalization at the intersection of Old William Penn Highway and Haymaker Road. "We don't think we have any outstanding issues," Rumbaugh told council.

Sheetz attorney Ryan Wotus and Gateway Engineers project manager Jonathan Darczeski described the site plan: a convenience store surrounded by customer parking, a trash enclosure and six multi-pump dispensers under a canopy. Traffic engineer Michael Haberman said the company’s traffic-impact study used standard collection periods and found the intersection and driveway modifications would operate within acceptable levels of service. He said the plan removes a raised concrete island at the Old Haymaker/Old William Penn intersection, aligns the new driveway across from Old Haymaker and adds left-turn storage lanes where required. Haberman said the study assumed much of a Sheetz’s traffic is "pass-by" traffic already on the road rather than new trip generation.

Applicant representatives confirmed several site details required by ordinance: the canopy would be located about 40.7 feet from the Old William Penn right-of-way and about 61.5 feet from Haymaker Road; the trash enclosure is about 55 feet from the store; underground fuel storage tanks would be set more than 50 feet from lot lines; propane exchange would be sold in a traditional enclosure; and rooftop mechanical equipment would be screened. The planning commission gave a unanimous recommendation for approval in its prior review.

Residents and property owners urged council to delay or reject the plan, citing traffic, safety and quality-of-life concerns. Albert Tolomeo of Old Haymaker Road said trips through the intersection already back up during peak periods and likened the proposed driveway alignment and new turning movements to creating an additional conflict point. "We're not only watching both directions, but we're watching across the street too," Tolomeo said. Several speakers representing Old Haymaker and nearby neighborhoods described high speeds on Old William Penn, frequent congestion when the parkway or Route 22 backs up, heavy school-bus flows at Gateway Middle School, and the potential for stacked turn queues to impede sightlines and increase crash risk. Resident Justin D'Ambrosio described the site as "not the place for a Sheetz," calling out proximity to existing homes and the adjacent school.

Council and the applicant discussed off-site limitations. The applicant said some improvements—such as extending an existing traffic lane farther east—would require off-site right-of-way or third-party property changes that are not part of the application. Municipal engineering staff (HRG) reported they had reviewed the applicant's traffic analysis and raised no outstanding issues at the time of the hearing; the applicant said it had responded to outstanding PennDOT comments two days earlier and had provided additional materials to PennDOT.

No vote was taken Tuesday. Mayor Griesock closed the conditional-use public hearing and said council will consider the application at the regular council meeting next Tuesday. That meeting is the first opportunity for council to take formal action.

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Applications and approvals pending: The conditional-use application seeks permission under Monroeville Zoning Ordinance No. 2779, Article 5 (fuel service and charging stations). The applicant stated it is not seeking zoning variances. The planning commission recommended approval.

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Community context and next steps: Council heard multiple residents ask staff and council to study bus-stop locations and school dismissal flows with Port Authority and school-district staff; applicant representatives said they would coordinate with Port Authority on a bus-stop area in the site’s frontage that the team said will provide a pull-out area for buses. Council did not vote; the application will return for consideration and any formal action at the regular council meeting next Tuesday.