McCandless Crossing

McCandless Crossing is an open-air lifestyle center and mixed-use development in McCandless, Pennsylvania, approximately 10 miles north of Pittsburgh. The project occupies a roughly 130-acre site and combines retail stores, restaurants, entertainment, fitness, hotels, residential development, child care, and health-care services. Rather than operating as a traditional enclosed shopping mall, it is organized as a collection of buildings and commercial areas designed to support both destination shopping and everyday community use. The development was delivered in stages. Its first phase opened in 2010 and included a Lowe's Home Improvement store and smaller retail units. The second phase followed with an LA Fitness location, while a third phase added a Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel and a day-care center. These early phases established McCandless Crossing as a broader commercial district rather than a single-purpose retail property. The most substantial expansion was the fourth phase, centered on a town-center area of approximately 250,000 square feet. Construction began in 2013 and included major tenants such as Dick's Sporting Goods, Cinemark Theatres, and HomeGoods, as well as restaurants and additional retailers. The fourth phase also incorporated 53 townhomes developed by Ryan Homes. Severe winter weather delayed the overall schedule, and the completion timetable was extended into 2016. Dick's Sporting Goods opened on April 9, 2014, Cinemark opened in September 2014, and several restaurants and shops began operating during the summer of 2014. By 2016, the center was described as largely complete and close to capacity. A Fairfield by Marriott hotel opened in 2017, adding another lodging component. In 2020, an Allegheny Health Network hospital with 10 beds opened at the development, broadening its role into medical and community services. A proposed four-story office building known as McCandless Town Center has not been built. McCandless Crossing was developed by AdVenture Development, a firm based in Selma, North Carolina. Its tenant mix has included national retailers, restaurants, a cinema, fitness facilities, hotels, residential units, and health-care services. Dick's Sporting Goods later relocated from the center to a Dick's House of Sport location in Ross Township in early 2024, where it replaced the former Sears anchor at Ross Park Mall. The center remains an active mixed-use destination serving McCandless and the wider North Pittsburgh area.

McCandless Crossing developed as a phased, mixed-use commercial project in McCandless, Pennsylvania, on a site of approximately 130 acres north of Pittsburgh. AdVenture Development, based in Selma, North Carolina, led the project. The development was intended to provide a combination of large-format retail, smaller shops, restaurants, entertainment, lodging, residential space, and community-oriented services. The first phase opened in 2010. Its principal tenant was Lowe's Home Improvement, supported by smaller retail businesses. A second phase followed in 2011 with the opening of an LA Fitness facility. The third phase was completed by 2013 and added a Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel and a child-care center. These stages established the project's initial commercial and service infrastructure before construction of the larger town-center component. The fourth phase began in 2013 and represented the project's principal expansion. It included a town-center area measuring about 250,000 square feet, three prominent anchor tenants, additional restaurants and retailers, and 53 townhomes developed by Ryan Homes. The planned anchors were Dick's Sporting Goods, Cinemark Theatres, and HomeGoods. Weather affected the construction schedule: on January 30, 2014, the project was reported to be delayed by severe winter conditions, extending work into 2016. Dick's Sporting Goods was the first completed fourth-phase business and opened on April 9, 2014. It replaced the retailer's earlier location at the Shoppes at Northway. Cinemark opened in September 2014, while various restaurants and other retailers began operating during July and August of that year. By 2016, the development was largely complete and close to capacity, with a substantial mix of national chains and local commercial services. The project continued to add non-retail uses after the main construction period. A Fairfield by Marriott hotel opened in 2017. In 2020, Allegheny Health Network opened a 10-bed hospital at the site, reinforcing the center's role as a mixed-use community destination. The development has also been associated with wider growth in assisted-living and senior-housing construction in McCandless, although a proposed four-story office tower called McCandless Town Center remains unbuilt. The tenant mix has changed over time. In early 2024, Dick's Sporting Goods left McCandless Crossing for a Dick's House of Sport facility in Ross Township, where it took the place of the former Sears anchor at Ross Park Mall. Despite that departure, McCandless Crossing remains an active open-air center with retail, dining, entertainment, lodging, fitness, residential, child-care, and medical components.

• 2024

  Dick's Sporting Goods leaves the center

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The retailer relocates to a Dick's House of Sport site in Ross Township.

• 2020

  Allegheny Health Network hospital opens

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  A 10-bed hospital opens, adding a medical-services component to the center.

• 2017

  Fairfield by Marriott opens

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  A Fairfield by Marriott hotel opens at the development.

• 2016

  Development reaches substantial completion

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The center is mostly completed and reported to be near capacity.

• 2014

  Fourth-phase anchors begin opening

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  Dick's Sporting Goods opens in April, followed by restaurants, retailers, and Cinemark Theatres later in the year.

• 2013

  Third phase completed and fourth phase begins

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The third phase adds a Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel and a day-care center, while construction begins on the larger fourth phase.

• 2011

  LA Fitness phase opens

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The second phase adds an LA Fitness facility.

• 2010

  First phase opens

  [1]McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org

  The initial phase opens with Lowe's Home Improvement and smaller shops.

A suburban, open-air lifestyle center combining retail, dining, entertainment, lodging, residential, fitness, child-care, and medical services for McCandless and the wider North Pittsburgh market.

• Home improvement retail · 2010

  Lowe's Home Improvement

  The first major anchor at McCandless Crossing, Lowe's provides home-improvement merchandise, building materials, tools, appliances, garden products, and related project services. Its opening formed the commercial foundation of the first development phase in 2010.

• Fitness and wellness · 2011

  LA Fitness

  LA Fitness was added during the second phase of the project. The facility broadened the center beyond shopping by providing membership-based fitness, exercise, and wellness services.

• Entertainment · 2014

  Cinemark Theatres

  Cinemark Theatres became a major entertainment anchor in the fourth phase. The cinema opened in September 2014 and complemented the center's restaurants and retail stores by creating an evening and destination-use component.

• Home furnishings · 2014

  HomeGoods

  HomeGoods was planned as one of the principal anchors of the fourth-phase town-center expansion. The retailer's format focuses on home décor, furnishings, and household merchandise.

• Sporting goods · 2014

  Dick's Sporting Goods

  Dick's Sporting Goods opened on April 9, 2014, as the first completed business in the fourth phase and served as a major sporting-goods anchor. The store subsequently relocated from McCandless Crossing to a Dick's House of Sport facility in Ross Township in early 2024.

• Hospitality · 2013

  Hotels and lodging

  McCandless Crossing includes hotel uses, beginning with a Home2 Suites by Hilton facility in the third phase and later adding a Fairfield by Marriott hotel in 2017. These properties support visitors and contribute to the center's mixed-use character.

• Health care · 2020

  Allegheny Health Network hospital

  A 10-bed Allegheny Health Network hospital opened at the development in 2020, adding acute and community health-care services to the retail, hospitality, and entertainment mix.

• 2024

  Dick's Sporting Goods relocates from the centerStrategy

  Background

  Dick's Sporting Goods had operated as a fourth-phase anchor since 2014.

  Action taken

  The retailer moved to a Dick's House of Sport location in Ross Township, replacing the former Sears anchor at Ross Park Mall.

  Aftermath

  McCandless Crossing lost one of its named sporting-goods anchors, while the retailer expanded into a different format and location.

  Source

• 2014

  Extend the construction scheduleOther

  Background

  Severe winter weather disrupted construction of the fourth phase and affected the planned opening timetable.

  Action taken

  The expected completion schedule was extended into 2016.

  Aftermath

  Several businesses still opened during 2014, including Dick's Sporting Goods in April and Cinemark in September, while the wider development continued toward substantial completion.

  Source

• 2013

  Proceed with a large town-center expansionStrategy

  Background

  After the initial retail, fitness, hotel, and child-care phases, the developer planned a fourth phase focused on a roughly 250,000-square-foot town center with major anchors, restaurants, retailers, and townhomes.

  Action taken

  Construction began on the fourth phase, including Dick's Sporting Goods, Cinemark Theatres, HomeGoods, additional commercial space, and 53 Ryan Homes townhomes.

  Aftermath

  The phase opened progressively during 2014, although harsh winter weather delayed overall completion into 2016. The development was mostly complete and near capacity by 2016.

  Source

1. 1McCandless Crossingen.wikipedia.org
2. 2McCandless Crossing official websitemccandlesscrossing.com