McCandless Crossing Update: Townhouses Holding Up Theater Construction Start

Owners of the new Cinemark Theater in McCandless Crossing are ready to begin construction; once the land is graded and basic utilities and storm water controls are installed. But something else is standing in the way -- dozens of townhouses along Cumberland Road.

"We have a requirement that ten of the units be under construction, and all of the units along Cumberland Road have building permits before construction on the theater can start," said Bruce Betty, McCandless Land Use Administrator.

The requirement was put in place to create a buffer for residents living across the street in existing homes along Cumberland Road.  Also, traffic going into and out of the townhouses will be controlled.

"We also made the entrances to the townhouses rights in and rights out, to limit traffic along Cumberland Road," said Betty.

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The theater, according to a map posted on the McCandless website, will be on the side closest to La Roche College and UPMC Passavant, opposite McKnight Road from Lowe's Home Improvement and IHOP. At the time, Town Manager Tobias Cordek told the Post Gazette the theater could be built by late 2013, more than a year later than originally planned.

Betty said grading for both the townhouses and theater should begin "soon," but he couldn't provide an exact date.

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