A Bob Evans restaurant is planned for development on Plank Road, near the Martin's Food Store, based on land development plans filed with the Altoona and Blair County planning commission offices.
Bob Evans Farms Inc., an Ohio-based company, owns and operates 564 family restaurants in the nation including 38 in Pennsylvania, the closest one in Breezewood, according to the company's website.
The Bob Evans proposed for Altoona consists of a 5,218 square foot building with parking for 80 vehicles and seats for 133 patrons, project engineer Scott Leiter of ms consultants, Columbus, Ohio, said in a letter filed with the plans.
The restaurant will have as many as 18 employees on staff during peak hours, Leiter said.
The Blair County Planning Commission reviewed plans Thursday showing access to the site via Plank Road with the restaurant's entrance facing Martin's. The site is also expected to be accessible from Logan Boulevard, commission Director David McFarland said.
In a letter to the Altoona Planning Commission, which will review the project in August, McFarland said the proposed development will have minimal impact on the location.
But McFarland also suggested and the county planning commission members agreed, to recommend a realignment of access routes within the restaurant's parking lot, so they line up with access routes within the neighboring Martin's parking lot.
"The slight offset proposed could cause visual confusion, particularly in the evening or during bad weather," McFarland said.
Attempts to contact a Bob Evans spokesman for comment were not successful Friday.
In additional reviews, the planning commission endorsed plans to remodel the former First American Bank, in front of the Salvation Army store on Plank Road, to accommodate Advanced Vein and Laser Center.
In a letter to Allegheny Township where supervisors will further review the proposed project, McFarland mentioned a concern about sufficient parking, but he said it could be addressed through efforts to avoid overbooking appointments.
The planning commission also reviewed plans for construction of a 2,095-square-foot building in the Cross Keys area, to accommodate the Altoona Regional Health System's Federal Credit Union.
The project is proposed for the site of an abandoned truck/car wash between Colonial Drive and Route 764, south of Burns Avenue. The project appears to be designed primarily for drive-thru traffic, McFarland noted in his review.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 946-7456.
