Renovation work at the Sheetz gas station and convenience store at the intersection of routes 322 and 257 in Cranberry Township is moving quickly ahead.
Much of the exterior and interior have been removed as construction crews works to build an addition and renovate the existing store. Once completed, the new Sheetz will have a total building size of 5,530 square feet.
A building permit filed with Cranberry Township shows the estimated construction cost for the project to be $750,000. It is one of the larger projects in the township in the past few years.
The license, purchased for $45,000 at an auction held by the Pennsylvania State Liquor Control Board, entitles Sheetz to sell wine and liquor and operate a restaurant.
The Altoona-based and family-owned Sheetz chain, founded in 1952 in Altoona, operates more than 600 stores in six states. Of the 257 stores in Pennsylvania, 30 have liquor licenses and 30 others are awaiting approval for license transfers.
It will mark the first alcohol sales for the three Sheetz businesses in Venango County. The Sheetz stores in Titusville and Clarion have licenses to sell liquor.
The plan for the Cranberry Sheetz, built in 1998, is for the sale of 150 different kinds of beer in six- and 12-pack quantities as well as limited bottles of wine.
The construction project includes a 30-seat restaurant for patrons. Buyers will be allowed to consume no more than two beers on premises, and that must occur during a sit-down meal.
Ben Breniman, the Cranberry Township zoning and code enforcement officer, said that while the company has not set a time for completion of the work, he suggested the project could be done by early fall.
