Business owners, residents wait for progress on Route 356 widening
Marie Douglas is a business owner in limbo because of a delay in a project designed to widen a stretch of Route 356 in Buffalo Township.
“The wacky rules of PennDOT don't let you make any decisions until they make an offer (for the property,” said the owner of Douglas Insurance. “I can't buy any place or move anyplace, because that will void the payment on the building.”
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, 12 properties are expected to be affected by the Route 356 widening — nine residences and three businesses, which includes Douglas Insurance.
The project was announced in 2020, and will take up a section of road between the Harbison Road intersection at the south, and the Buffalo Plaza shopping center at the north. Last year, PennDOT said completion of the Route 356 widening project would be delayed by two years, as other projects — such as the relocation of the nearby Silverview Road Park and Ride — took priority.
The 356 widening project is scheduled to go out for bids in the fall of 2027 and begin construction shortly thereafter, with construction expected to last two years.
“The let date, when it goes out for bid, is still dependent upon funding availability,” said Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 10. “The 2027 date is the earliest we anticipate funding might be available.”
Douglas said that once construction eventually begins, the business will have to move from its current location near the intersection of Route 356 and Silverview Road. However, due to the delays, Douglas is stuck where she is, unable to make a decision on purchasing a new site for her business.
“PennDOT undertakes intensive studies on possible routes to find the route that will result in the least possible inconvenience or impact to the public and the private landowner and to comply with environmental regulations,” Gibbs said. “This is not a cut and dried process, and the property needs can vary dramatically from project to project. Some projects may require the acquisition of a partial property and others a full property.”
Another business which is in line to have its property fully acquired is the CBD Plus vape shop. According to shop owner Tyler Younkins, PennDOT is seeking to acquire the property and turn it into a retention pond for the newly-expanded highway. This would require the shop to move elsewhere.
Younkins says this would be a tough ask. While he is looking for a new place for his business, he says that no location on the market offers the same combination of reasonable rent and convenient location as his current spot.
“I’ll never be able to find a location that has what this location has,” Younkins said. “We don’t have a place yet. We have a couple of potential possibilities to stay in the area. We're kind of playing it by ear and seeing what comes up.”
Younkins says that, while he has received a financial offer — roughly $60,000 to cover moving expenses — it isn’t nearly high enough to justify leaving his current location.
“It isn’t even half of what I make in a year,” Younkins said.
Plans for the Route 356 widening project call for expanding the road from two lanes to five — four travel lanes plus one center turn lane — as well as installing sidewalks and ADA ramps, and replacing traffic signals.
According to Gibbs, final design work on the widening project is still in progress and is expected to finish by fall of 2026. Stantec Consulting Services, an engineering firm based in Butler, has been tapped to provide engineering services for the project.
Gibbs said property owners are contacted several times during the acquisition process.
“Homeowners, as well as business owners, are approached as early as the public involvement stage, when we announce the plan displays and public hearings,” she said. “Typically the initial contact will be a letter informing the property owner that their property will be affected by a highway project. Communications continue during the appraisal process and the acquisition/relocation process.”
However, Younkins says that he hasn’t had any direct communication with PennDOT at all, and his communications regarding the widening project have been through the engineering firm. In fact, he initially found out his business was in the path of the widening project thanks to a friend who sent him an e-mail roughly a year ago.
“A buddy of mine sent me a screenshot of a picture of the proposed plan,” Younkins said. “There were lines drawn for property lines and easements, and my entire property was in red. He said to me, ‘I’m sorry to hear that they’ll be kicking you out.’ I told him I had no idea. It wasn’t until months later that someone from the engineering firm came out and gave me official paperwork saying that PennDOT will be taking the building through eminent domain.”
Buffalo Township officials, including manager Rich Hill and Supervisor Michael Oehling, have stated publicly that they have had little communication with PennDOT in recent months.
According to an official PennDOT document, land owners are allowed to dispute any financial offers of “just compensation” made to them by the state for their property. However, if the two sides cannot reach an agreement amicably, PennDOT can file a “declaration of taking”, and offer the landowner their estimated value of the property.
If either side so chooses, they can petition for a Board of Viewers, which will consider testimony from both the landowner and PennDOT and decide upon an award.
