Former Demor's Dealership Demolished in Ross Township

Commuters driving in either direction on McKnight Road near Brown's Lane in will notice something drastically different.

The former Demor's Lincoln Mercury Dealership is gone, reduced to a pile of rubble.

Demolition crews tore down the building to its foundation on Wednesday, to make way for a new convenience store and gas station.

 has said it hopes at 7675 McKnight Road before the end of the year.

In April, Pat Avolio, Giant Eagle's director of real estate development and construction, told the Ross Township Board of Commissioners he expected the business to hire 20-30 people, the majority of whom will be part-time. 

Avolio told the Ross planning commission in February that plans for the 2.85 acre site had been modified to address concerns about increased traffic at the intersection of Brown's Lane and McKnight Road.

Avolio said the left turn lane northbound on McKnight Road would be lengthened, Brown's Lane would be widened, and the access to the GetGo from Brown's Lane would be moved farther up the hill away from McKnight Road. In addition, plans for a car wash have been abanonded, and the number of fueling islands has been reduced from nine to eight, with one potentially providing compressed natural gas instead of gasoline.

The company also owns a  nearby at 5603 Babcock Boulevard, and it hopes construction of the new GetGo will alleviate some of the congestion around its Babcock location.

Avolio also told the planning commission the new GetGo would include enough green space, trees, and shrubs to reduce storm water runoff into a 66" culvert which conveys McKnight Run, a tributary to Girty's run.