CONNOQUENESSING TWP — Pending approval from the township supervisors, Honda North will move and expand its business on Route 68.

Honda North leases its 17,500-square-foot dealership, but plans to build a 26,000-square-foot facility at the corner of Route 68 and Kreiss Road just west of its current site, said Howard Neff, one of the dealership's owners.

"Basically, the new location will be all about serviceability, mostly shop space," Neff said.

With the economy in flux, Neff said, more car owners are paying attention to routine maintenance and timely service of their vehicles.

"I think we will end up doubling the amount of service technicians here, from five or seven to 10 or 15," Neff said.

The dealership intends to widen Kreiss Road and install a center turning lane.

Currently, the dealership's vehicle carriers must stop on Route 68 and turn across traffic to unload. After the new facility is built, those trucks will turn at the light at the intersection of Route 68 and Kreiss Road, then enter the dealership from the less-driven Kreiss Road.

"It's definitely going to make it safer on Route 68 here, especially at peak traffic times like 5:30 p.m.," Neff said.

The dealership has about 300 new and used vehicles on the lot, a number that would not change at the new venue.

However, the township supervisors on July 1 tabled a vote granting the dealership approval to begin construction.

Supervisor Stephen Misko said Friday the township wants a better plan for stormwater runoff on Route 68 because the current system is not designed to handle what the property would produce. Also the supervisors want a turning lane on Route 68 to alleviate traffic.

"Generally, the plan looked fine. We just had concerns on those two issues. Hopefully our engineer and their engineer can work it out," Misko said.

Meadville-based ACI Construction has been contracted to do the project, and Neff hopes to see construction begin within 30 days.

Should construction begin in that time and the weather remain cooperative, Neff said he expects to be in the new building by May.