CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP — Less than a year ago, the future home of western Pennsylvania’s first Wegmans was little more than a freshly graded field just a little out of sight of Route 228.
Today, excavators are digging foundations, construction crews are preparing footers, and Cranberry Township inspectors are preparing for the Monday, July 20 inspection of the newly poured footers.
With building permits now issued, construction has officially moved beyond site preparation and into the building phase of the 115,000-square-foot supermarket at 5000 Cool Springs Drive.
For thousands of shoppers who have waited years for Wegmans to enter the Pittsburgh market, it’s one of the most significant milestones since the project was announced last year.
“The first one you can probably imagine is the footer,” said Ron Henshaw, Cranberry Township’s director of Planning and Development Services. “We expect the first inspection on the footer to be on July 20. It’s actually scheduled with us already.”
Construction infrastructure at 5000 Cool Springs Drive marks the official shift into the building permit phase.
More Than Just a Permit
To many residents driving past the construction site each day, receiving a building permit may seem like a simple administrative step. However, it actually marks a major shift in the project’s timeline. Up until this point, crews had been operating under a township-issued grading permit to prepare the land.
Before the new building permit could be issued, Wegmans’ architects and engineers had to submit detailed architectural and engineering plans for a rigorous review. Those plans were carefully examined by Cranberry Township and a third-party building code consultant before necessary revisions were made and final approval was granted.
Securing this approval is a major undertaking, and the logistics extend to how the project is funded. Henshaw confirmed that Wegmans doesn’t pay a fee for every single individual inspection walk-through. Instead, it’s a comprehensive, single building permit fee calculated using a formula based on the construction style, use classification, and overall cost of the building.
Now that the permit is in hand, the project enters a brand-new phase. Henshaw explained it marks the beginning of a lengthy construction and inspection process that continues until the day the store opens.
As construction progresses, township inspectors will make repeated visits throughout the build, beginning with the foundation footers.
“There will be multiple footer inspections on a large building like this,” Henshaw said. “As they go more vertical, they’ll call for different inspections.”
Future inspections will include structural steel, utilities, insulation, and numerous other components before engineers provide final certifications and the township issues an occupancy permit.
Heavy equipment prepares the foundation footprint ahead of scheduled township inspections.
A Transformation One Year in the Making
The progress is dramatic.
When The 228 Times first visited the site last September, crews had only begun preparing the 13-acre property adjacent to the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. The landscape consisted primarily of freshly graded earth stretching across what would eventually become one of the region’s largest grocery stores.
Today, heavy equipment dominates the property.
Large stockpiles of aggregate surround the future building footprint. Excavators continue earthmoving operations while construction crews prepare the foundation that will eventually support the store.
The transformation illustrates how much progress has been made in less than a year—and how much work still lies ahead before shoppers walk through the front doors.
A Project Years in the Making
The Wegmans store will occupy approximately 115,000 square feet on a 13-acre site within the Cranberry Springs development, marking the company’s long-awaited arrival in the Pittsburgh market.
When the project was announced, Wegmans said it had received thousands of requests over the years to expand into western Pennsylvania.
“We’re excited to have finally found the right location to bring Wegmans to the Pittsburgh area,” Dan Aken, the company’s vice president of real estate and store planning, said at the time.
The company previously announced plans to hire between 400 and 500 employees, with the majority of positions expected to be filled locally.
Business leaders have also viewed the development as an economic catalyst for the Route 228 corridor.
“Wegmans will be a game-changer for Southern Butler County,” Bill Dimond, president of the Southern Butler County Business Association, told The 228 Times when construction began. “Beyond offering quality food and services, the store will enhance the quality of life for local families and provide a significant economic boost by drawing more visitors and supporting surrounding businesses.”
What’s Next
Although construction has entered a major new phase, Henshaw said the township’s work is only beginning. As each stage of construction is completed, Wegmans will request inspections before moving to the next phase. Only after every required inspection has been completed successfully—and the building meets approved plans and code requirements—can Cranberry Township issue an occupancy permit allowing the store to open.
With permits issued and foundation work underway, the project has reached another milestone in what will be a months-long construction process leading to the store’s eventual opening.
