Did you get a copy of the CD? Get one. See me. Sponsor 100 and give them out yourself.
Development taking flight near Pittsburgh International Airport A simulated ground-breaking ceremony inside the Findlay Municipal Building -- they hauled in the dirt -- kicked off development of the 240-acre Clinton Commerce Park.
Posts
1 comment:
Development taking flight near Pittsburgh International Airport
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When Kent George became Allegheny County's aviation director in 1998 he counted no less than seven plans for the development of thousands of acres of land surrounding Pittsburgh International Airport.
Not one of them had been implemented.
But with the help of the region's political leaders, Mr. George set out to change that. And yesterday, the first fruits of that effort materialized.
A simulated ground-breaking ceremony inside the Findlay Municipal Building -- they hauled in the dirt -- kicked off development of the 240-acre Clinton Commerce Park.
It marks a milestone in unlocking the potential of some 10,000 acres of county-owned vacant land near the airport, coming nearly 14 years after the midfield terminal opened amid promises of economic development.
Clinton Commerce Park is the first under a new development plan to try to tap into that potential.
"Things are getting done now. And it's getting done because all these folks are stepping forward and saying it's good for the region," said Mr. George, now airport authority executive director.
Clinton Commerce Park, at Route 60 and Clinton Road, initially will provide five sites over 100 acres. The sites allow for development of 1.5 million square feet of building space. County and airport authority officials estimate the park will create 750 to 1,500 jobs.
The Buncher Co. already has an agreement with the authority to build, on speculation, a 400,000-square-foot warehouse at the site. The first phase will be 200,000 square feet, with work expected to start in the fall and be completed by early next year.
Buncher has done industrial parks in the past, but President Tom Balestrieri said the warehouse will be the company's largest ever built on speculation. The firm is banking that the demand for warehouse space suggested by real estate experts and development experts will produce a tenant quickly.
"Hopefully, we're taking a gamble that will prove to be beneficial to all of us," Mr. Balestrieri said.
Buncher also will lease and manage the warehouse. It will pay a base rate of 8 cents a square foot to the authority, plus additional amounts based on the success of the building.
The infrastructure development, which will include grading, roads and utilities, is being financed through a $7.5 million state grant, $5.5 million in tax increment financing involving the county, Findlay and West Allegheny School District and a $140,000 federal grant.
Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, who was on hand at the ground breaking, said one of the reasons development around the airport finally is taking off is that the region is being aggressive in seeking state and federal dollars for site preparation.
In the past, he said, nobody wanted to put public money into infrastructure. That has changed in the last two years, with the county receiving more than $250 million in state capital funding for land development.
"We're putting in major, major public money for public infrastructure -- roads, water lines and sewer -- because we believed that if this land was shovel ready, people are going to want to be out here. And it's happening," he said.
Mr. Onorato said he is hoping to get another $70 million to $100 million in state capital money for brownfield and other land development this year.
(Mark Belko can be reached at mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.)
Post a Comment