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Residents object to proposed MAPCO station on Lincoln Highway as commission advances plan
Summary
Hempfield Township planners voted 6-0 to send a proposed MAPCO gas station to technical review despite multiple residents raising safety, access and property‑value concerns. The applicant will seek zoning relief and coordinate sewage connections with MAWC and DEP.
The Hempfield Township Planning Commission voted 6-0 on July 1 to forward a proposed MAPCO convenience store and fuel station on Lincoln Highway to technical review, advancing the plan while residents voiced safety and property‑value concerns.
Steve Wellert, representing Wellert Corporation, and Jeff Storms of MapCo described the project as a fueling station with five dispensers, a 4,500‑square‑foot convenience store and 33 parking spaces, with a single entrance and exit onto Lincoln Highway. Planner Matthew Pernelli told the commission the applicant intends to appear before the zoning hearing board on July 14 to request a reduction in the required buffer and will coordinate sewage service with the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC) and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Wellert said the applicant hopes to bore under Route 30 to connect to sewage on property across the Turnpike.
Nearby residents spoke during the public comment period. Matthew Stoltz, who lives adjacent to the proposed site, raised multiple concerns about direct impacts to his home: "Canopy will face his son's bedroom and their dining," he said, and added that the dumpster would be "75feet from his son's bedroom." Other neighbors questioned access and safety. Randy and Sue Gamble said there are "6 gas stations within 1.5 miles," and noted recent strikes to the nearby traffic light; Richard Hanzel and Kim Brecht urged caution about sight distance and ingress/egress onto Route 30.
The commission's vote to forward the plan to technical review does not approve construction; it allows township staff and engineers to perform a detailed technical review of stormwater, access, sewage connections and any ZHB conditions. The applicant will return to the township with technical comments and any zoning board decisions before final approvals are sought.
