On Tuesday, Onvo, a hospitality company based in Scranton acquired a 37-acre property in Cass Township, located in the Highridge Business Park, with the intent to develop the site into a travel plaza.
According to a press release from Onvo, the Onvo Travel Plaza will be located at exit 119 off of Interstate 81 and will serve travelers and truck drivers with premium fuel, food service, and a convenience store.
The site acquired to build the plaza is directly off the northbound exit at the intersection of Highridge Park Road and Keystone Boulevard with traffic entering and exiting from Keystone Boulevard.
Construction on the project is expected to begin Fall 2021 with the company aiming to open the site for business by Memorial Day 2022.
The plaza is expected to create up to 70 full time jobs between the convenience store and Burger King. The property also has potential for additional retail, food service, and hospitality development that will also be explored by Onvo.
The Highridge Business Park is a 2000-acre development covering Butler, Cass and Foster Townships. Developed by the Schuylkill Economic Development Corporation (SEDCO), the park is home to several distribution and manufacturing operations including Wegmans, Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Tyson Foods among others.
Onvo was founded in 1988 in Tunkhannock, PA, and has grown into a network of over 50 businesses, including 32 travel plazas and gas stations, 23 quick-service and full-service restaurants, and 5 hotels located throughout Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania and upstate New York.
Onvo is behind various developments in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania, including a 110 room Residence Inn hotel project set to open this summer near in Wilkes-Barre, PA as well as travel plazas in Blakeslee, Lake Ariel, Tannersville, Tobyhanna, among other locations. Onvo employs over 1,000 team members throughout the Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania region in various roles related to hospitality, customer service, and petroleum distribution.