CRANBERRY TWP — The much anticipated Cracker Barrel restaurant and Element Hotel project on Route 228 is moving forward again after coming back to the township's planning commission and board of supervisors.

Because of a small change in the plans, the project off Route 228 needed a revised final land development and conditional use approval. The township board of supervisors approved the revision at its meeting Thursday.

Ron Henshaw, township director of planning and development services, said the developer found a way to add two more rooms to the existing footprint of the Element Hotel. Additionally, the Cracker Barrel management realized larger trucks would be delivering to the restaurant in Cranberry, necessitating losing a few parking spaces to allow for better circulation around the store.

The changes resulted in parking going from 197 spots to 194 to accommodate the bigger trucks, Henshaw said.

John Frydrych, engineer for the project, said Marriot reanalyzed the architectural plans after buying the Element Hotel chain and saw an opportunity to add the rooms and make some other small upgrades.

At the same time, Cracker Barrel distribution center reanalyzed its logistics after bringing a number of new stores online and established it would be serving the Cranberry area with much larger vehicles than initially anticipated, Frydrych said.

Because the parking needs also went up with the two extra hotel rooms, the developer did a parking needs analysis to show that 194 spaces would be sufficient for the project, Henshaw said.

“It showed that it works,” he said. “Parking is somewhat offset.”

The Cracker Barrel site is already under construction, Henshaw said. Both businesses are going on a 5.86-acre site on the south side of Route 228 near the intersection with Cranberry Woods Drive. The property formerly held a restaurant, ECHO, which closed a few years ago.