Butler Crossing on New Castle Road was Cedarwood Development's second shopping center project in Butler Township. It opened Butler Commons in 2002 and then planned Butler Crossing in 2005. There has been consistent commercial growth along the Butler Township section of New Castle Road since the late 1960s.

BUTLER TWP — The commercial corridor along New Castle Road has been a boon to the township again and again.

So says township Commissioner Joseph Hasychak.

"You know, Clearview Mall was looking here (New Castle Road) and in Center Township," he said. "Center Township got the mall, but in the end, I think we (Butler Township) won."

With Kerven Subaru on the eastern end and Moraine Pointe Plaza at the western end, West New Castle Road is stocked not only with retail stores and service offices, but also the VA Butler Healthcare campus, which is undergoing is own renaissance of sorts.

"There's room for more development along New Castle Road, space around Butler Crossing Shopping Center, and some lots opened up when the old places have been torn down," Hasychak said.

The beginningButler Mall, the region's first mall, opened across from the VA Butler Healthcare campus in 1966 and was soon followed by Point Plaza in 1967, with Montgomery Ward as its anchor store.Point Plaza is the current home of Bilo supermarket, but only the small plaza from Burger Hut II to AutoZone existed then. Pictures from the 1960s show the area where Bilo is as a big grass field.Hasychak said Point Plaza opened with the Thorofare grocery, Isaly's and the old Belmont Bar. The plaza grew to the west to include Kmart and a movie theater, which is now the state license center.Alameda Plaza was the one time home of Kroger and Zaires, and now houses Big Lots and Tractor Supply Co.Then in 1992, Oxford Development of Pittsburgh decided it was time to tame the former junkyard and hunting ground that Clearview Mall had considered at the intersection of New Castle Road and Route 422.Moraine Pointe Plaza brought Butler County's first Wal-Mart, plus a Dunham's and a Giant Eagle.

Moraine's construction moved the Butler Mall closer to the end of its tenure on New Castle Road. The nationwide closure of the 129-year-old Montgomery Ward chain stores in 2001 was the mall's death knell.But the large property attracted Akron, Ohio-based Cedarwood Development, which built Butler Commons, moving Wal-Mart from Moraine Pointe, which got a new Sam's Club in exchange. A separate developer brought Target to the old Ward's site.Butler Commons opened in 2002, becoming a busy shopping center from day one.Cedarwood came back in 2005 after the township commissioners approved changing the zoning around the former Applied Test Services building at the corner of New Castle and Hindman roads from residential to commercial.With that, Cedarwood announced its second development for the township, Butler Crossing, to be anchored by Kohl's, Ross Dress For Less and PETCO.To bring Butler Crossing to New Castle Road, Cedarwood had to pay for upgrades to the road from the intersection with Duffy Road to the intersection with Route 422.Upgrades included widening the road to four lanes in some places with a dedicated left-turn lane for two stop lights.<B>What's to come?</B>How much more can New Castle Road grow?There's room, Hasychak said. With the demolition of the former Butler Farm Market building and the former car wash next to the KFC restaurant and the closing of Quiznos, there are small lots looking for owners."There is also room behind Butler Crossing and closer to the Route 422 intersection," Hasychak said, adding the best thing the township commissioners have done was to change the zoning on that land."It opened the land up to development. That's what got Cedarwood through the door," he said.More definite plans for the New Castle Road corridor will come with the completion of the township's Multi-Municipal Plan, which was to be presented to the public today at the Cornerstone Commons after a year of development.The plan is a joint effort by Butler and Penn, Summit and Butler townships, and East Butler."The plan will help us determine where development might go and what kind with the trend toward mixed use (residential and commercial) being considered," said Cindy Davis, Butler Township zoning officer."We are looking at walkable neighborhoods, where people can walk from their homes for shopping and entertainment," she said.The development that has occurred along New Castle Road has been a benefit taxwise for the township, "but not always for the police and fire departments because of the traffic," she said.Davis also said the township is waiting to find out what VA Butler Healthcare's plans are for changes to its campus, across from Butler Commons."We need public input, so I hope residents tell us what the want and don't want for the entire township, but especially along New Castle Road," she added.

Walgreens, at the intersection of New Castle and Duffy roads, is a relatively new store along the New Castle Road corridor in Butler Township. Development of the area began in the late 1960s, and many stores and plazas were erected during the past decade.