McKees Rocks hopes addition of $4 million will spark business park
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The Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad site in McKees Rocks, closed in 1992, sits abandoned. -
A rendering of how a planned business park might look on the P&LE brownfield site.
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Officials from McKees Rocks and its community development corporation are hoping that an additional $4 million in state grants and loans will spur development of the abandoned Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad yard, making it once again the economic hub of the community.
The loans will enable construction of a $25 million to $35 million business park on the site of the long-bankrupt railroad's locomotive and freight car shops and maintenance yard below Island Avenue and underneath the McKees Rocks Bridge.
Taris Vrcek, CDC executive director, said he expects the flex-use business park being developed by Trinity Commercial Development on the brownfield site to again become the borough's economic engine, just as it was during the heyday of P&LE, before the site closed in 1992.
With the possibility of creating 1,172 permanent jobs and 642 construction jobs, he sees the project as a catalyst to create a demand for housing while providing an influx of consumers that will generate more retail development.
All of those items are steps in the CDC's strategic plan to attract and retain residents and businesses in McKees Rocks.
"This is one piece of the puzzle," Mr. Vrcek said, adding that another important piece is revitalizing the borough's Chartiers Avenue business district.
Craig A. Rippole, president of Trinity, said the first phase of brownfield development will include a 100,000-square-foot building on 33 acres to accommodate office, commercial, manufacturing, retail business, customer service, wholesale and warehouse facilities.
The development will progress with a total of three or four phases ultimately encompassing 52 acres. The phases include plans for 385,000 square feet of new construction and 76,000 square feet in renovated existing buildings.
"We have letters of intent from organizations looking to be on that site," said Mr. Rippole, who added that site preparation should begin this year.
Trinity, headquartered in Emsworth, will ultimately relocate to the yet-to-be-named business park, Mr. Rippole said.
The Commonwealth Finance Authority will lend Greenville Commercial Properties, a subsidiary of Trinity, $3.1 million under its Business in Our Sites program. This money will be used for property acquisition and site preparation.
A $985,000 PennWorks grant was awarded to McKees Rocks to help cover the $1.3 million cost of bringing new water and sewer lines to the site.
"Everyone has participated to make this work," said Mr. Rippole, who is impressed with the amount of support the project has received from local, county, state and federal governments.
"It levels the playing field and makes the redeveloping of a brownfield as attractive as any other similar development," he said.
Brownfield sites are abandoned or underused industrial sites available for reuse. Many are hampered by environmental contamination.
In 2008, the site was awarded a $600,000 environmental assessment grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The resulting testing of the P&LE site showed "the contamination wasn't that bad," Mr. Vrcek said.
The municipality and school district are offering a 10-year tax abatement to businesses relocating there, Mr. Rippole said.
He noted that the local entities were not giving up anything to do so.
An estimated $9.7 million in state and local taxes are expected annually when the project is at "full build-out," Mr. Rippole said.
Greenville Commercial Property owns the current home of 5 Generations Bakers at Island Avenue and Churchill Street.
Once a suitable location is ready in the business park, the bakery will be relocated into the park and the existing building will be razed, allowing for the widening of Churchill Street and for easier access into the entrance of the park, Mr. Rippole said.
The future business park site also has transportation advantages, such as proximity to Route 65 and Interstate 79 and access to the CSX and Pittsburgh and Ohio Central railroads.
"I don't know how you can't look at McKees Rocks," Mr. Rippole said. "That's what real estate is all about. Location. Location. Location."
Mr. Rippole has previous success in helping with the redevelopment of McKees Rocks through his company's work at The Shoppes at Chartiers Crossing, formerly McKees Rocks Plaza.
"I think that inside of a decade, McKees Rocks will be transformed into a vibrant community once again," said Sister Sarah Crotty, associate director of Focus On Renewal. "This isn't the beginning; it's a step along the way."
Sister Crotty noted that both Mr. Vrcek and Mr. Rippole "grew up in this community and are spending their lives giving back."
Both are Sto-Rox graduates. Mr. Rippole serves as vice president of the board of directors for Focus On Renewal.
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
