Allegheny Township to get a Taco Bell

Taco Bell is coming to Allegheny Township.

Township officials approved land development for the fast-food restaurant last month.

The eatery will be a standalone establishment, not a combo KFC/Taco Bell, Township Manager Greg Primm said.

“It’s always good to see new businesses coming in, especially giving people more options for restaurants,” Primm said. “We’re happy that they’re coming.”

The fast food restaurant will be in Allegheny Plaza, 500 Hyde Park Road, along Route 56, next to AutoZone.

The developer is Charter Foods, based in Morristown, Tenn.

According to its website, Charter Foods is a Yum! Brands franchisee with more than 200 Taco Bell, KFC and Long John Silver’s locations in the U.S.

Allegheny Plaza is owned by Rosen Associates Management, based in Jericho, N.Y.

Rosen Management did not respond to requests for comment, and a representative from Charter Foods was not immediately available.

Primm said Charter Foods is expected to obtain its building permit and obtain necessary agreements with the sewerage authority and the township, but he expects construction crews to break ground in about a month.

Groundbreaking on the project has been delayed for about a year because of a sewer line issue that was resolved months ago.

Allegheny Plaza previously had its own sewage treatment plant, owned by Rosen. But since it’s been decommissioned, the plaza has tapped into the township’s sewerage system.

“When Taco Bell wanted to move in, Rosen had to move the sewage (system) because their treatment plant couldn’t have handled the volume,” Primm said. “The entire plaza is now served by that being done.”

A representative from Charter Foods told Primm construction is expected to take about four to six months to complete.

Primm said Allegheny Plaza has a “sea of parking” and, according to Rosen’s website, the parking lot can accommodate 500 vehicles.

The plaza has faced occupancy woes over recent years — with six out of nine tenant spaces vacant for years.

Big Lots is the only business occupying the strip mall section of the plaza.

A Pizza Hut and AutoZone, both standalone buildings, are on opposite sides of the plaza’s parking lot.

In 2019, the Trib reported on the closing of Sav-A-Lot, a grocery store that occupied more than 25,800 square feet.

The shopping plaza, built in 1973, occupies about 55 acres. It was renovated in 1993.

The Taco Bell will add to the township’s lineup of fast food restaurants, including McDonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s, Arby’s and Dairy Queen.