Tonelli's Construction Could Begin by Spring

Owner Chip Randa has hit another speed bump en route to opening his second Tonelli's Pizza Pub in Horsham Township.

Randa, who also owns the roughly 100-seat Easton Road eatery with wife Maura, would like to have three signs at his long-awaited site at 1055-1101 Horsham Road instead of the maximum two signs permitted. One of the signs is planned for the rear of the property, directing customers to the restaurant's takeout area.

"It’s important for us to get that sign in the rear of the property," a Tonelli's representative told the Horsham Township Council Monday night during a review of upcoming zoning hearing board applications.

Because of the additional sign request and minor infringement of the township's required setback, Randa will go before the zoning hearing board on Feb. 12 to seek zoning relief. The governing body said it would take a "neutral" position on the Tonelli's zoning relief request.

Randa told Patch that he "should be able to start" construction on the 128-seat restaurant and pub in March or April. The new site, which will be situated on Horsham Road near Davis Grove Road at the site of the former Moon Tavern was originally expected to open in 2011. When Randa received land development approval last year, he had said the restaurant would open by Thanksgiving 2012.

Plans call for a new entrance, a spruced up façade, additional parking, an expansion of the garage at the rear of the property and the demolition of two homes. At one time, Randa had envisioned building a nearly . 

Besides the zoning relief required, Randa told Patch Monday that ongoing litigation with the previous landowner regarding soil remediation expected to cost between $400,000 and $800,000 could be the real deciding factor of if and when construction could get underway.