12C — January 26 - February 8, 2018 — Economic Development — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
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E conomic D evelopment
Westmoreland County, PA offers the best of everything
ORTHEASTERN PA — Just as Amazon has changed the way people Penns Northeast Amazon, Why NEPA for your second corporate HQ N and historic communities of Jim Thorpe and Pottsville. • The region is home to Marcel- lus Shale natural gas to fuel transportation, minimizing air pollution.
There is a variety and style of suburban communities, bed- room communities, boroughs and hamlets. Weaving through the region are mountains, streams, forests, lakes and rivers providing additional choices. Like Amazon provides prod- uct choices, Northeastern Pennsylvania provides lifestyle choices. To a layman like myself, Amazon has always thought “out of the box”. I believe that Amazon and Penns Northeast can develop a creative solution for Amazon. Such a solution would obviously benefit the region but can also provide the business solution for Amazon’s east coast headquarters. Consider: • By providing a wide range of lifestyle choices, Amazon would attract a larger, diverse labor pool. • Weaving the region together is a network of roads and high- ways. • The principle cities have intermodal transportation ter- minals. A significant objective of the plan has been to improve connectivity and multimodal access, specifically highlighting vehicular, pedestrian, bicycle and public transportation. This project would connect existing areas with both Adam-Ricci Park and the proposed devel- opment, furthering the town- ship’s goal of creating a fully- connected pedestrian accessible township. The project also helps in furthering two goals set out in the East Pennsboro Township Comprehensive Plan; this proj- ect addresses the recreation goal by fulfilling an identified need of residents for additional facilities and programs includ- ing a greenway, trail and bi- cycle network, as well as their transportation goal calling for a community-wide circulation system that provides for the safe, convenient and efficient movement of people and goods within and through the Town- ship. The proposed development is also consistent with Cum- berland County’s Comprehen- sive Plan, which emphasizes connections and multimodal Hartman, Charley Gelb, Kristy Magaro and George Tyson.
shop, North- eastern Penn- sylvania can change the way your em- ployees live. Amazon pro- vides consum- ers choices, NEPA pro-
• Amazon and PNE can engage Pennsylvania and PennDot, the Federal Reserve Bank of Pennsylvania and SPARCC to provide seed money to find solutions. • We can engage the Reading and Blue Northern Railroad to discuss possibilities. • Discuss with Lyft Shuttle, Uber. • Engage the electric car in- dustry. • Engage the driverless car industry. • We have the real estate and the people. • The people of Northeastern Pennsylvania are dispersed around the world. Most would have stayed if there was op- portunity. Many would love to come home. Working together we will find not only the best solution for your business but also a place Amazon can call home. n Regards, John T. Cognetti Past Chairman PENNS NORTHEAST This project will have a posi- tive economic impact not only for East Pennsboro Township, but also for the County and surrounding areas. It will create 227 construction jobs, with an additional 262 jobs created as a result of the com- mercial, retail, medical and office component. The access off of East Penn Drive into the development will safely accommodate vehi- cle traffic. Capital Area Transit (CAT) also has a bus route that extends to Holy Spirit Hospital and Highmark’s Office Com- plex, which are both in close proximity to the project. The increased economic ac- tivity from the development would create an opportunity to expand the CAT route further north along East Penn Drive, and support the possibility of additional bus stops as a result of the lane widening that will occur. The pedestrian bridge is ADA-compliant to ensure all users have accessibility across East Penn Drive into the park. The trails connecting the de- velopment to Adams-Ricci Park will be accessible to both cyclists and pedestrians. n transportation throughout the county.
RIDC Westmoreland aerial
its strong partnerships. An example of this is RIDC West- moreland. The WCIDC and the Regional Industrial Devel- opment Corporation (RIDC) partnered with the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania to begin redevelopment of the 2.8-mil- lion s/f former Sony Technology plant in 2012. The property is an important regional asset. It not only offers large utility capacity, but it also has direct railroad access and excellent highway connections. Currently, RIDC Westmore- land has 1 million s/f leased. Some of the major tenants are: DNP IMS America, Cenveo and Westmoreland College’s Advanced Technology Center (ATC). The ATC creates oppor- tunities for job growth, not only in the county but also in the region, by identifying chang- ing workforce needs, educating the community, and providing hands-on learning to prepare students and incumbent work- ers for high-demand careers in manufacturing, energy and other sectors. In June 2017, Siemens Cor- poration signed a 15-year lease for 230,000 s/f of existing space at RIDC Westmoreland. Along with leasing the existing square footage, Siemens will construct a 60,000 s/f high bay addition. Total investment into RIDC Westmoreland is anticipated to exceed $100 million in 2018, and will employ over 700 em- ployees on-site. Westmoreland County rec- ognizes that an essential part of a strong economic develop- ment strategy is a young labor force. That is why Westmore- land County is committed to implementing strategies that continue to emphasize why the county has strong attributes not only for businesses but for those looking to live and work in the county. In 2018, Westmo- reland County will be unveiling a comprehensive strategy to target and attract young and diverse people to live within its borders, to work and support business and industry, and play at the cultural and recreational amenities found in Westmore- land County . n
WESTMORELANDCOUN- TY, PA — With its sprawling hills, down-home charm, at- tractive business climate and close proximity to 70% of the country’s total population, Westmoreland County offers the best of everything. A leader in economic develop- ment, Westmoreland County knows the dynamics for success and provides the in-depth ser- vices and support necessary to meet the needs of any business. The county has the site options available, a superior transpor- tation network, exceptional utility and energy services, a qualified workforce, and strong financial support packages to make relocating or starting a business easy and fast. Unique to other counties in the Commonwealth, West- moreland has combined the resources of private and public agencies by forming the West- moreland Development Council to improve and coordinate eco- nomic development efforts. One of these agencies, the Westmo- reland County Industrial Development Corporation (WCIDC) , has made its mark in industrial park develop- ment. To date, the county has 16 developed sites strategically located throughout the county, with each having different amenities. This year the WCIDC plans on developing its seventeenth industrial park, Commerce Crossing at Westmoreland. The 206-acre industrial park will be designed to accommodate com- panies that desire pad-ready sites with direct access to active rail and the interstate highway system. Commerce Crossing will consist of five parcels, each ranging in size from 20 to 40 acres. Currently, rail accessible sites over 10 acres are limited in southwestern Pennsylvania, and with the Shell Ethane Cracker being built in nearby Beaver County the need for accessible rail sites are now at a greater premium. Commerce Crossing will be a key location for those businesses looking to support the Shell Ethane Cracker. The WCIDC is known for
John T. Cognetti
vides people lifestyle choices. The principle cities of Scran- ton and Wilkes-Barre provide the young and uncoupled the urban lifestyle choices of living in repurposed historic buildings with the required amenities in their downtowns in addition to providing a variety of neigh- borhoods providing choices for those who like city living. In addition we have cities and towns offering the “small- er town feel”, Carbondale, Pittston, Hazleton in the urban core separate but distinct from our larger cities. We have farm communi- ties, Tunkhannock, Honesdale, Montrose There are mountain communities, Milford, Strouds- burg, Towanda and LaPorte CUMBERLAND VALLEY, PA — The East Penn Drive Project in Enola is a proposed mixed-use development, requir- ing a traffic signal, adaptive sig- nal controls, and turning lanes. The development incorporates neighboring Adams-Ricci Com- munity Park through trails and a pedestrian walkway. The Commonwealth Fi- nancing Authority awarded the East Penn Drive project $900,000 through aMultimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) grant. The Cumberland County Industrial Develop- ment Authority submitted this application on behalf of 199 Associates in June of this year. The grant will pay for traffic signals, the installation of new turn lanes, and a pedestrian and bicycle bridge across East Penn Drive connecting the two sides of Adams-Ricci Commu- nity Park. Key stakeholders that played an integral role in making this project possible include: Sena- tor Mike Regan, Representative Greg Rothman, Cumberland County Commissioners Vince DiFilippo, Jim Hertzler and Gary Eichelberger, and East Pennsboro Township Commis- sioners John Kuntzelman, Paul
Mixed-use development plan for East Penn Drive Project
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