The Eldred Township supervisors opted to approve extending the conditional approval for the Dollar General project.

Supervisor Chairman Scott Clark explained that the company that owns the property requested in October that the extension be made until April 5. The conditional approval was set to expire on Dec. 17, 2025.

Instead of approving the extension, the supervisors asked that a representative from the company speak with them at a public meeting about the status of the project. Kirk Farrelly, a representative from Capital Growth Buchalter, called in to the supervisors’ meeting on Dec. 17. Farrelly said there wasn’t any “substantive update,” because the project had been “shelved for the time being,” because basically it is not cost effective.

Farrelly explained that as the developer, they created a budget for the project and quoted a rent amount to Dollar General Corp. based on that budget. They didn’t foresee the requirement from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation for an approximate 1,000-foot shoulder, and several other high-cost items, as well as the requirement by the state Department of Environmental Protection to put in a large underground water detention system. They also didn’t foresee that the rent amount in the contract with Dollar General would end up being too low because the project has taken so long.

“It was quoted many years ago when the project first started, and then economic conditions changed,” Farrelly said. “At this point, we’re just waiting for timing to work out more favorably as far as the market and their appetite to take on more rent.”

Unless Dollar General agrees to pay more rent, Farrelly said, then “if we were going to go and build this as currently approved, this would be the biggest loser in our company’s history.”

Although his company is still interested in building the store, Farrelly said he understands if the township chooses to not extend the conditional approval.

Dollar General “has reduced its overall store count this year for the country, and so things that are on the bubble like this they’re just not looking at right now,” he said.

Clark said that although he knows the situation is mostly likely not going to change before April, it doesn’t hurt Eldred Township to extend the conditional approval to April 5.

“If we do not extend it, they would have to come back if they would want to do the same project and would have to start all over again, which would be very costly to them,” Clark said.

Both supervisors Susan McGinty and Jessica Keller agreed. Residents in the audience leaned toward letting it go.

One resident said his interpretation of Farrelly’s comments was that the project is not likely to happen, and they really don’t want bothered with it.

Planning Commission President Robert Boileau said, “If you have a project that is obviously not profitable, the first thing that you’re going to push for is to lower your costs.”

Boileau said he doesn’t see these costs being lowered because the state Environmental Protection Agency questioned their underground water runoff system, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was concerned about a large berm.

“If they didn’t have a problem with the rent, they still would assume pretty significant costs,” Boileau said.

“I appreciate everybody’s comments about this,” Clark said. “People feel a certain way on each side of this.”

Following the discussion, the supervisors approved to extend the conditional approval to April 5.