CENTER TWP — The township has a couple large developments in progress, while one of its mainstays continues to evolve.

Construction of a new U.S. Department of Governmental Affairs health care center is pending on North Duffy Road.

Cambridge Healthcare Solutions PA received a contract Dec. 31 from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to build the 168,000-square-foot center, which would replace many of the services offered at the existing center at VA Butler Healthcare on New Castle Road in Butler Township.

However, a stop work order was placed on the project in late January after an unsuccessful bidder on the project filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Township Supervisor Ken Frenchak said the board is not stressing about the order.

“Our board looks at this project as good for the county and good for the region,” he said. “It can only help the whole region. Even if it goes in Butler Township, it’s a good thing.”

Oxford Development filed the award protest Jan. 26. That company proposed to build the center on the previously cleared Deshon Woods site along Route 68 in Butler Township.

The site was originally selected for the project, but the VA withdrew the award due to issues with the developer at the time.

Frenchak said development on the North Duffy Road site fits into the township’s comprehensive plan, regardless of whether it is a VA center or something else.

Township Supervisor Chairman Ed Latuska said the township hopes the VA center will spur additional development along the road.

“There is certainly potential there for more development,” he said. “Best case scenario, that would occur. But it’s hard to say.”

Latuska said the township has not been speaking with Cambridge about the stop work order.

“We’re just hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst,” he said.

Sheetz coming

Another part of the township plan includes development around the Clearview Mall off Route 8.

A proposed Sheetz gas station and Rite Aid pharmacy are set to be built across Route 8 at the northern entrance of the mall. They would be in two buildings.

Frenchak said the development would be a big boost for the area.

“It also falls right in line with our comprehensive plan for that area,” he said. “And (the developer) has been a good group to work with.”

Frenchak said the developer of the property has been speaking to residents in the area about any concerns they may have with the development.

“They’re good neighbors,” he said. “Most don’t do that.”

A conditional use meeting has been scheduled for the project on April 14. Frenchak said he thinks the development will take about 14 months to finish.

“Everything is moving forward,” he said.

Latuska said the plans have a few variances that need to be approved, but said the project is moving along quickly.

“I don’t anticipate any problems with it,” he said.

Like development around the proposed VA center, Latuska hopes the gas station and pharmacy will spur additional construction along Route 8.

“Hopefully other businesses follow,” he said. “That would increase our tax base and provide potential jobs for our residents.”

Mall adds anchor store

The Clearview Mall, considered to be the “Main Street” of the township, has undergone several changes in the past year.

The biggest was the closing of the Bon Ton department store, and the subsequent announcement that it will be replaced with a Rural King store.

The Bon Ton announced in October that it would close at the end of January due to poor performance. The store had been a mainstay in the mall since 1982.

Rural King, headquartered in Mattoon, Ill., will become one of the mall’s anchor stores when it opens.

Matt Kowalis, a spokesman for the company, said that won’t be until August.

Rural King will replace the entire space previously occupied by the Bon Ton and also will extend an outdoor sales area into the back parking lot of the mall.

Rural King has 76 stores in 10 states, according to its website. Its lone store in Pennsylvania is in Connellsville south of Pittsburgh. Merchandise it sells includes agricultural and automotive equipment, hardware, lawn and garden supplies and houseware.

Frenchak said he thinks the Rural King store will be a big boost for the mall.

“It’s going to be a regional draw,” he said. “There aren’t a lot of those types of stores around.”

Frenchak said he was impressed J.J. Gumberg was able to replace the Bon Ton quickly.

“Somebody was on the ball with that,” he said.

Other mall changes

The mall had other stores close or announce closures during the past year, including Deb, Asian Buffet, RadioShack and the Clearview Mall Cinemas.

Township officials also speculated the Rite Aid inside the mall could close when the new pharmacy opens across Route 8, while a proposed new Dick’s Sporting Goods store in Butler Township also raises questions about the status of that store in the mall.

Frenchak said despite the struggles most malls are encountering across the nation, he thinks the Clearview Mall still has a strong presence in the township.

“I was impressed walking around it,” he said, adding the majority of its shops are open.

The Clearview Mall, which is owned by J.J. Gumberg Co., has more than 60 stores. Rural King, along with Boscov’s, JCPenney, Sears, Dick’s Sporting Goods and T.J. Maxx, are the larger stores in the mall.