Sheetz seeks variance for 5,000-square-foot Banksville site

Sheetz is seeking permission to demolish a vacant Rite Aid in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood and replace it with a roughly 5,000-square-foot convenience store and five multi-pump fuel dispensers. The site along Banksville Road sits 30 feet from the nearest homes, and the company needs a zoning variance because Pittsburgh code bars gas stations within 150 feet of a residential district.

Banksville Road hearing

The Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment held a hearing on the proposal Thursday. Ryan Wotus, the attorney representing Sheetz, told the board, “Really what the primary operation of this is is a convenience store,” and, “It’s a retail sales operation.”

Wotus argued that made-to-order food and other retail items are the core of the company’s business, not gas. He said the zoning code restricts gas stations near residential areas only when they are the primary use of a property.

Gene Henry’s objection

Gene Henry, a Banksville resident, drew a line between the store and the fuel pumps. “I don’t have a problem with a convenience store being there by itself, but not a gas station,” he said during the hearing.

The dispute turns on how the board classifies the project: as a convenience store with fuel service or as a gas station with retail attached. That distinction determines whether the 150-foot rule applies to the Banksville Road site.

Kim Salintero support

Lori Marabello, executive assistant for Pittsburgh Councilwoman Kim Salintero, testified in support of the project. Sheetz will have the chance to submit additional information to the Pittsburgh Zoning Board of Adjustment.

For nearby residents, the immediate issue is whether the board treats the proposal as a retail store or as fuel use first. If the variance is granted, the former Rite Aid site could become what is described as Sheetz’s first city location.