Dick's to build complex next to airport
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Dick's Sporting Goods in Findlay is planning to build a 1-million-square-foot office campus next to Pittsburgh International Airport to accommodate a growing workforce.
Findlay supervisors approved preliminary plans Dec. 12 for the first phase of construction, including 610,000 square feet of office space and related amenities, plus a 60,000-square-foot aircraft terminal.
The campus would sit on 116 acres in the North Field development owned by the Allegheny County Airport Authority, just south of Route 60 at the Flaugherty Run interchange.
It would have direct access to a taxiway to accommodate air travel by employees and vendors.
Michael Swisher, a partner with the development firm Horizon Properties, of Canonsburg, said Dick's has outgrown its 200,000-square-foot headquarters on Industry Drive, just outside RIDC Park West. The new building would satisfy growth for the next 20 to 30 years, he said.
Since Dick's moved to Western Pennsylvania in 1994, he said, the company has continually added jobs, and the business is now "on the verge of becoming the largest sports retailer in the nation."
He hoped to finish the first phase of construction and start occupancy by September 2009.
Brandon Miles, an architect with Horizon Properties, said the new building would house about 4,000 employees.
Mr. Miles presented plans for the I-shaped building with 5- to 7-story sections, including offices, a cafeteria and fitness facilities.
A glass hallway with outdoor views would connect the two ends of the building.
He planned to maintain green space around the perimeter to reduce the effect on wetlands and maintain pleasant views.
Along with their preliminary approval, supervisors granted several modifications of parking requirements to allow for parking lots designed to arc around the front of the building and leave more green space in surrounding areas.
Mr. Miles said the building probably could be expanded to 2 million square feet in the future, if needed.
First Published December 20, 2007 2:58 am
