A new stand-alone Starbucks in Mahoning Township is on its way to becoming a reality.

Demolition work got underway last week at the former PNC Bank in the Carbon Plaza Mall along Route 443.

The township’s board of supervisors recently granted unanimous approval to the Starbucks pre-security construction agreement.

In March, supervisors on a 3-1 vote granted conditional final plan approval for Starbucks to operate a stand-alone store. Supervisor Deb McGowan was opposed.

The township’s planning commission previously recommended conditional approval with conditions.

Of the conditions, supervisors deadlocked 2-2 on the issue of 18-foot parking spaces, with McGowan and board Chairman Robert Slaw opposed.

Slaw, who serves on the planning commission, said he would remain firm with the planning commission that the parking spaces should be 20 feet so that to adhere to the township’s zoning.

However, Victor Kelly, executive vice president of Larken Associates, based their plan on 18-foot parking spaces per the planning commission.

Ultimately, conditional final plan approval was granted, conditioned on the 20-foot parking spaces.

In December, supervisors on a 4-0 vote granted conditional preliminary plan approval for the relocation project.

Mark Bahnick, from Van Cleef Engineering, said the plan was to demolish the former PNC Bank and build a new, roughly 4,000-square-foot Starbucks on property currently occupied by the former PNC Bank.

In addition to the Starbucks, Bahnick said the rest of the space may be a food-type use.

Currently, Starbucks is located inside Giant in the Carbon Plaza Shopping Center.

The Carbon Plaza Shopping Center owns the mall area.

The PNC Bank site has been empty since the bank closed the branch on June 11, 2021.