Sep 27, 2016 By Cara Host 2 min read

A developer is requesting a different designation for property it owns on Library Road.

SPS Properties asked Bethel Park to change the zone that takes in three vacant parcels near the intersection with South Park Road so the company can build a small retail center. The municipal planning commission recommended the change, and council probably will make a final decision at its regular meeting Oct. 10.

The property is zoned C-4 for heavy commercial, but SPS wants to change it to C-1, light commercial. Mary Anne Fassinger, property manager for SPS, said the current zoning designation is meant for a large store, such as a Walgreens, but smaller retail shops are not allowed in C-4.

SPS also owns the adjacent property, the former Elks lodge on South Park Road, and it plans to develop that into a small office building. It also owns the building that houses the Give Mia Cookie shop on Library Road and is in negotiation for another adjacent property.

“We want to develop the whole corner and have all the lots tie together. I think it would dress the corner up,” Fassinger said after a hearing regarding the zoning change Sept. 26.

The retail center would house up to four small shops. Plans are in the very early stages, and it might be several months before the developer is able to begin construction.

In the meantime, SPS will have to seek municipal approvals for the various aspects of the plans.

SPS also manages the nearby South Park Shops.

Tim Moury, council president, and council member Jim McLean said they would recuse themselves from the decision to approve or reject the zoning change because of conflicts of interest in their professional lives.