to be announced. The Washington County Authority is implementing this countywide project, which is expected to take approximately three years and has an initial budget of $30.0 million, funding made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. In Washington County, many of our successes have highlighted the strategic diversification of our economy, the maximization of opportunities presented to (and by) our businesses, and our unique public/private partnership initiatives. This is exemplified by the two decades long partnership between the county commissioners and Washington County Chamber of Commerce, providing coordinated economic development services to the benefit of the customer. This approach has allowed Washington County to be nimble and respond to the market quickly, provide our partners with stability and a predictable environment, and help to assure that their projects will be a success. We remain prepared for new opportunities and welcome you to visit to see for yourself. Westmoreland County Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation 40 North Pennsylvania Avenue # 520 Greensburg, PA 15601 724-830-3061 (T) 724-830-3611 (F) Jason W. Rigone, Executive Director wcidc@wpa.net www.co.westmoreland.pa.us A lot of activity has taken place in the cluster of parks that encircle RIDC Westmoreland Innovation Center near the border of East Huntington and Hempfield townships, so we’ll start there with our Westmoreland County midyear update. In February, an Al. Neyer affiliate signed an option agreement to buy a 14.79-acre lot in Westmoreland Technology Park II. Al. Neyer plans to build a 150,000 square foot flex industrial/warehouse building. The property is across the street from a 13.39-acre lot where Al.
Neyer currently is building its 150,000-SF Hempfield Commerce Center I facility. Also in Tech Park II, shortly after opening its 41,000 square foot facility earlier this year, start-up manufacturer Fossil Industries announced expansion plans. An affiliate of the company entered into an option sales agreement in April to buy an adjoining 5.72-acre lot so the manufacturer can build a separate, 52,000 square foot facility. Fossil Industries also plans to expand its existing building in the coming years. Moving clockwise around RIDC Westmoreland, Roechling Industrial signed an option sales agreement to buy the final lot in Westmoreland Technology Park I in May. Roechling owns an adjacent lot and expects to break ground on an expansion project that will add 26,000 square feet to its existing 34,000 square foot building. Roechling — which manufactures custom CNC machined components made from a wide variety of plastic materials — plans a second, future expansion for the 6.39-acre new lot. Continuing our clockwise journey, we come to Westmoreland Distribution Park East-West, where Performance Foodservice - Pittsburgh is in the midst of an expansion that will nearly double the size of its Reinhart Foodservice facility. The company announced in February that it will add 155,000 square feet to its 169,000 square foot facility. Next door is Westmoreland Distribution Park North, the site of the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation’s latest project — in June we began work to develop three pad-ready sites on 60 acres in the park. Given the market demand for industrial properties that we’ve seen in the county these past three years, we’re eager to add these parcels to our portfolio of available sites. Work is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2023. As for RIDC Westmoreland, itself, City Brewing signed a five-year lease in January for 255,584 square feet of space for a warehousing and distribution operation. City Brewing, the largest full-service alcoholic beverage contract manufacturer in the nation, operates a brewhouse in nearby Latrobe. RIDC Westmoreland, a 2.5-million square foot multi-tenant facility, is now 70 percent
melt campus in California Technology Park. They also plan to add additional furnaces at the same location to increase titanium melting capacity by more than 60 percent. Both projects are expected to be underway this summer and will be completed by 2024. This dual expansion project marks a significant investment in Washington County and will support additional jobs at the plant. In the Mon Valley, Bakery Barn, a protein bar manufacturer, has announced plans to occupy a 55,000 square foot manufacturing facility in the Alta Vista Business Park. The company will have 50 employees at the facility and is expected to open this year. Another truly transformational project for Washington County is the Fort Cherry Development District - led by Imperial Land Company - which will redevelop more than 200 acres of previously strip-mined property in Robinson Township. The development will feature 25-to-75-acre sites for industrial, flex and distribution. Site and infrastructure development is currently underway on the first phase of the project with lots expected to be available in late 2022. Washington County continues to prioritize infrastructure development and invest in the future through new roads, utilities, and broadband. One of the most significant infrastructure projects for Washington County last year was the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s opening of the Southern Beltway linking the Pittsburgh International Airport to Washington County communities. This delivers another main interstate to Washington County’s front door and will be a major catalyst for development across the northern portion of Washington County, as evidenced by the aforementioned Fort Cherry Development District project. Broadband development has also been a major area of focus for the county. The Washington County Commissioners have unanimously approved several projects to increase high speed internet service accessibility to unserved and underserved residents and businesses in the county. The initial pilot projects in the county have been awarded for Avella and Scenery Hill, with additional locations
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DEVELOPING PITTSBURGH | Fall 2022
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