CRANBERRY TWP — UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins have chosen another nearby location for their proposed sports medicine complex and training facility.

The preliminary development plans for the $70 million complex have been withdrawn for the proposed location at the Cranberry Woods Office Park, but officials are eyeing another site along Route 228.

Ron Henshaw, the township’s director of community development, said that RLA Development and Don Rodgers on Friday officially withdrew plans for the Village of Cranberry Woods. That land development included the UPMC/Penguins facility.

Henshaw said that UPMC officials have told him that they’ve decided to relocate the sports medicine complex to the other side of Route 228 and near Interstate 79. It will be called the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.

UPMC and Penguins officials have said the essential development designs will not change and they hope to get the site approved by this fall and for construction to begin in the spring. The goal is to have the facility opened by 2015.

That property is owned by Gary Sippel and was the site of the Simon Property Group’s proposed mixed-use development that fell through in 2009 because of transportation funding issues.

UPMC officials said for the first time that UPMC and the Penguins had been looking at both sites simultaneously, even though Rodgers’ property had advanced further in the land development process.

Penguins management said Tuesday that they now plan to build the facility on the property owned by Sippel and to begin the land development process as early as next month.

Albert Wright, Jr., vice president for UPMC who oversees the sports medicine program, said it has been working on the project for a couple of years and over time the project was committed to the Cranberry and Route 228 area. However, when factoring in the time to construct, cost factors and access, the Sippel property emerged as a better fit.

“Over the big picture, we don’t think the project will be significantly delayed,” said Wright, adding that the design plans will remain exactly the same. “We still shooting to be opened by the summer of 2015.”

Rodgers could not be reached for comment this morning.

“We’re disappointed that they’re leaving Don Rodgers’ site because we had put a lot of time and effort into that plan, and it was really starting to take shape,” said Henshaw.

“But, we’re happy that UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins have decided to still do their development here. The township is still excited about, and believes in, the project.”

Henshaw said Sippel indicated to the township that a land development plan for the proposed new Route 228 site could be submitted in August or September for review.

Only two weeks ago, UPMC officials appeared before the township’s planning commission to talk about the Village of Cranberry Woods plan.

Under the now-withdrawn plan, the sport medicine facility would have been owned by UPMC but leased to the Penguins as a practice and training facility. This year a $3 million state grant was awarded for the project. The funds were to be used for site improvement work such as sewer and water lines and building construction.

The 175,000-square-foot building was originally planned for the southeastern side of the township near Route 228 and Westinghouse Electric’s headquarters and now moves to the other side of Route 228.

That sports medicine complex is designed similarly to one used by the Steelers on Pittsburgh’s South Side.

Two rinks are planned for the second floor of the complex. One would be used exclusively by the Penguins, while the other would be for high school teams, tournaments and community events.

The lower floor will be used for medical offices designed to offer treatment for sports injuries and medicine.

Wright said one of the unique features is that the physical therapy and waiting rooms will have glass windows that will look down on the ice rinks. People can watch the Penguins practice while they are in the waiting rooms, he said.

He also added that the Penguins team physicians would be moving into the facility.

“The same doctors that treat the Pittsburgh Penguins would be treating the residents of Butler County,” said Wright.