KANE — After months of speculation, it appears as if Kane will not be the home to the “Golden Arches” after all as the Ohio-based developer has pulled the plug on the project.

The property located at 300 N. Fraley St., the former home of Mountain Motor Sports, was obtained by Cocca Development to build a McDonald’s Restaurant for a client. Cocca planned to build a 3,116 square foot structure with a 65-space parking lot.

Speculation as to whether or not the iconic restaurant franchise would be coming to Kane started to surface in November last year. However, the topic of the restaurant opening in the borough was tabled at the December meeting of the McKean County Commissioners, and three weeks after no further action was taken at the commissioners’ January meeting, the entire project was scrapped.

In an e-mail dated Feb. 3 to Kane borough manager Don Payne and McKean County assistant planner Laura Lord, Brian Searcy, civil engineer of Boardman, Ohio-based Cocca Development Ltd. thanked Kane Borough and the McKean County Planning Commission for their due diligence on the project, but their “client has decided not to proceed with construction of a McDonald’s in Kane” and that Cocca will be “terminating any further efforts on this matter.”

When Payne asked if there was any reason that discouraged the client from choosing Kane as a community in which to set up shop, Searcy said the borough is not a fault for Cocca’s client putting a halt to the project.

“I cannot provide many details as I am not privy to them,” Searcy wrote. “However, from what I do know this decision was not due to any negative feelings towards Kane.”

Payne was disappointed to hear about Cocca’s decision not build the fast food franchise in the borough. However, while he is optimistic that Cocca will find another client for the site, Payne is not sure how long Kane will have to wait for the site to be developed.

“I’ve got hopes something is going to come in eventually,” Payne said. “Unfortunately, we’ll wait until the next horse comes through town I guess.”

Kane borough councilman Gary Schul said that he was disappointed to hear the McDonald’s will not be coming to the borough after all. Borough council president Howard Kane was surprised to hear that McDonald’s considered Kane in the first place, but he now shares Schul’s sentiments.

“It would have been nice if they were coming to town,” said Kane.

Lord was not immediately available to return calls from The Era.

Searcy declined further comment to The Era.