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Since its inception in 1954, the Pittsburgh International Airport has played an important role in the economic growth of Moon Township. One area of Moon Township that is seeing a great deal of renewed commercial development is the University Boulevard Corridor, which was previously known as Beers School Road and Narrows Run Road. With the opening of numerous restaurants, hotels and other airport-related businesses, University Boulevard began to see a significant increase in traffic. This growth continued until 1992 when the Pittsburgh International Airport terminal relocated to the adjacent township of Findlay, taking with it a great deal of airport-related traffic and thus altering the boulevard's identity as an airport service corridor. Today, those businesses have developed to reflect the needs of Moon Township's corporate businesses, office parks and Robert Morris University's student body.

In order to be proactive and abate the consequences of Pittsburgh International Airport's relocation, township officials developed a forward-thinking plan that would maintain the corridor's commercial success. The first step in ensuring stability was to develop a strategic plan that would guide the future growth and sustainability of development in this thoroughfare. The key action identifying this strategic plan was the renaming of Beers School Road/Narrows Run Road to University Boulevard, a name that reflect the road's main anchor, Robert Morris University. This plan also included a conceptual design for improvements to University Boulevard to improve traffic flow, enhance pedestrian access and mobility and develop streetscape improvements. In addition, the plan recommended how to implement urban design changes to the corridor such as landscaping, sidewalks, building facades, public amenities and a gateway. The plan was presented and approved by the Moon Township Board of Supervisors in 2003.

Since that time, the plan has been further enhanced with the approval of an overlay district, designed as a tool to implement the recommendations included in the strategic plan. Over the past five years, vast improvements have been made to University Boulevard. Nearly $25 million in developments have been added, including a Double Tree Hotel, Sheetz convenience store and a Primanti Brothers Restaurant, one of Pittsburgh's cultural icons. Robert Morris University has also enhanced the beauty and appearance of their campus with the addition of an iron archway entrance and a multi-million dollar football stadium, which sits above University Boulevard. Moon Township is now also home to a 14,000 square-foot Walgreens pharmacy/drug store. Additionally, Wal-Mart Corporation has also submitted plans to build a 150,000 square-foot supercenter where the West Hills Shopping Plaza currently exists. Those plans are currently being reviewed by the Moon Township Board of Supervisors.

The redevelopment along University Boulevard and the continual addition of new businesses allows Moon Township officials to continue to pursue funding for the improvements that are outlined in the plan.


 
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