A proposed quick-service restaurant with a drive-thru is headed to 1414 Sterling St. in Logan Township after Blair County planners gave the project a positive review Thursday. The 3,488-square-foot building, pitched by Lancore for 415 Orchard Associates LLC, would bring parking, utilities, stormwater infrastructure, landscaping and lighting to the site, but it's doing so with noticeably fewer parking spaces than township rules typically call for.
According to the Altoona Mirror, the Blair County Planning Commission's positive review came Thursday, clearing one procedural hurdle for the restaurant and drive-thru combo. The Logan Township Zoning Ordinance would typically require 33 parking spaces for a development of this size and type, but the applicant proposed just 18 spaces onsite.
Parking Gap Bridged by Neighboring Plaza
To make up the difference, the developer is relying on a joint-use agreement with the existing Orchard Plaza, which would supply the remaining spaces needed to satisfy the township's parking requirements, per the same report. The arrangement effectively ties the new restaurant's parking capacity to its neighbor rather than requiring the site to stand entirely on its own.
Pedestrian access drew attention from commission staff as well. The project site currently has no sidewalks along any perimeter streets, and the submitted plans only propose sidewalks around the building's exterior — not connecting out to the surrounding roadways. Regional planner Mackenzie Caron recommended the inclusion of sidewalks along Orchard Avenue, if feasible, to promote safe pedestrian passage.
Stormwater and Greenery Considerations
On the environmental side, no stormwater plans were required for this proposal because the project would actually decrease impervious surface cover on the site rather than add to it. Still, the developer was advised to ensure that existing stormwater provisions are designed to adequately manage runoff generated by the new restaurant and drive-thru.
Landscaping plans for the site already include various trees and shrubs, but Caron also recommended the addition of street trees along Orchard Avenue, if feasible, to complement the plantings already called for in the proposal.
Part of a Busier Orchard Avenue Corridor
The Sterling Street proposal lands in an area that has already seen restaurant turnover and development activity in recent years. Back in January 2025, the Logan Township Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a separate Orchard Plaza building plan, situated to the left of the plaza's main entrance on a site where three former restaurants had stood, including Em’s Subs, according to the Altoona Mirror. That project's owner also secured a setback variance allowing the new building to sit 15 feet closer to the property line on Orchard Avenue, as reported by the Altoona Mirror.
A separate Logan Township planning report from August 2026 described a different proposal involving a subdivision of 0.55 acres of a parking lot to include a restaurant, 30 parking spaces and a drive-thru lane built for mobile pickup orders. It isn't clear from available reporting whether that project is connected to the Sterling Street proposal reviewed this week.
