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A Michigan-based developer is preparing plans for a 137,500-square-foot retail center that township officials hope signals a new direction for Cranberry's rapid growth.

Cranberry Promenade could cost $30 million to build, said John Odell of Warner of Sturgiss, the development company heading the project. The center will occupy 19 acres along Route 19, just north of Ogle View Road.

It is the first development proposed for Cranberry's new "mixed use" zoning district, which the township created in February. The district is an effort to channel development away from the big-box, strip mall style that characterizes much of the Route 19 corridor and create a more aesthetically pleasing and pedestrian friendly shopping district.

The Promenade's atmosphere is what will distinguish it from other Cranberry developments, Odell said.

"We're creating a unique project with the emphasis that we're placing on making this a walkable and almost park-like setting," he said.

Sidewalks connect the site's 10 buildings, the largest of which measures 40,000 square feet, according to preliminary plans. The smaller buildings are arranged along an internal main street with on-street parking. A small park forms the focal point of the shopping area.

Potential tenants include a specialty grocer or furniture store that would draw shoppers in from the surrounding region, Odell said. The plaza could also include establishments, like a bank, that are looking for a presence in the neighborhood, as well as office space, he said.

The mixed-use district encourages developers to disperse parking around buildings, avoiding a "sea of asphalt," said Cranberry code administration manager Ron Henshaw. It also gives incentives for them to intermingle retail shops with small office buildings and even residences, he said.

Eventually the mixed use district will meld with a planned town center, he said.

For local business owners and residents, the continued growth has both advantages and disadvantages.

"The traffic has gotten so much worse," said Nancy Kelmeckis, who owns The Book Connection, a small used book shop on Route 19 just south of the Promenade site. "At certain times of the day you can't even get across the main highway. We're fortunate to be at the upper end of the traffic where it's not too bad."

Her business has picked up some since she bought the store 10 years ago, she said, as more people drive the highway every day.

"It's very sad for me to see the trees and the landscape going," said Kelmeckis, a Cranberry resident for the last 20 years. "You wonder when we'll get oversaturated."

Representatives from Warner were scheduled to meet with township administrators this week to continue work on the project, and the developer is aiming to win preliminary approval for the project in October.

If the approval process goes smoothly, construction could begin next spring, Odell said.

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