The development team at Sheetz has held preliminary talks with PennDOT about a traffic study for the northwest corner of State Route 72 and Long Lane in North Lebanon Township.
PennDOT staff met with the development team on June 5 to discuss a potential traffic study, a PennDOT spokesperson confirmed, noting that the discussion doesn’t necessarily mean the company will develop and submit a traffic study.
Traffic studies are often required as part of PennDOT’s process for obtaining a Highway Occupancy Permit, which are needed for any entity that desires to access the state’s right-of-way, such as that of Route 72.
North Lebanon Township manager Lori Books said that the township has not received any official plans to develop the site, nor has the township had conversations with anyone from Sheetz directly.
“We were included in a scoping meeting with PennDOT regarding the possibility of a Sheetz going in at the intersection of Route 72 and Long Lane,” said Books. “It is my understanding that Sheetz is considering their options regarding this location.”
According to the township’s zoning map (PDF), the land is zoned general commercial (C2A), and gasoline stations, automobile washes, and retail stores are all considered permitted uses.
Read More: What officials can and can’t do when it comes to approving land development
A spokesperson for Sheetz said that it was too early for the company to comment.
“At this time, it is still too early in the process to provide details on this specific project,” said Harry Hammel.
Jonestown Bank & Trust has owned the 13.1-acre property since 1979, when it was purchased for $101,000. The bank’s Ebenezer branch operated there from March 1981 through its closure at the end of 2022, with JBT citing a continued migration towards digital options and a lessening of efficiencies in operating branches nearby each other as branch visits decline.
The Ebenezer branch was located between two other branch locations in Jonestown and Cleona. Today, a drive-up ATM is located on the property, and the building has been put to re-use as the bank’s Ebenezer Operations Center.
JBT chief operating officer Ed Martel told LebTown that the bank has partnered with a group to assess what future prospective uses the vacant land may have.
“As of today, there are no concrete plans for the development of the property other than we will be maintaining our Operations Center and drive-up ATM at its current location,” said Martel.
Editor’s note: This article was updated after publication to include information on the parcel’s zoning status.
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