Oct 2, 2018 3 min read

“Development” has been a frequently used term in Washington County over the past 10 or 15 years, and it has been expressed in several ways. There has been real estate development, retail development, entertainment development and, certainly, energy development.

The result is a more vibrant county where the population has been growing, jobs have been created and tax money has been generated. Development along Racetrack Road, separating North and South Strabane townships, has provided a major boost, driven especially by Tanger Outlets and the casino that opened at The Meadows racetrack. Both of those successful ventures launched about a decade ago.

Southpointe continues to percolate in Cecil Township, other business parks have been growing, and development and redevelopment efforts in other parts of the county are gaining momentum. Downtown Washington has been undergoing a renaissance, along with areas of the Mon Valley.

A project, announced just last week, brings further promise to the table. A massive, 1,200-acre site in South Strabane – the Zediker Station property – is being marketed as a potential site for manufacturing or high-tech usage. Hanna Langholz Wilson Ellis is selling the tract. Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. the parent company of Hanna Longholz, is a heavyweight in local and national real estate, and is marketing the land for an asking price of $10.8 million. One owner is being sought.

The Zediker Station site, where a farm and coal mine once operated, has been a longtime rail site that still has an operating line. The property is near the flyover connecting Interstates 70 and 79 – near Eighty Four.

Howard “Hoddy” Hanna, chairman of the real estate operation, announced the sale last Tuesday a a gathering at a downtown Pittsburgh club. Hanna touted the size of the property and its close proximity to the interstates.

“We’ve not seen that much land with one owner in the western part of the state,” he said. “It’s near the 70-79 junction, an incredible road system within 500 miles of 48 percent of U.S. businesses.”

Several real estate professionals at the event discussed possibilities, including a large distribution center that would be served by the high-speed highways, or perhaps a 1-million-square-foot warehouse, which would still leave room for other buildup.

“Really, there’s no other site (in Western Pennsylvania) for a 1-million-square-foot warehouse,” said Hanna Langholz’s Jim Winter, who is leading the marketing effort with A.J. Pantoni.

Some may speculate that this could be related to Pittsburgh’s bid to land Amazon’s second headquarters, but that seems slim. No one brought up that possibility last week.

Jeff Kotula, president of Washington County Chamber of Commerce, attended the announcement and was gratified by the news. “This is an opportunity to grow in a county that knows how to grow businesses,” he said.

No matter how it turns out, this could be a long-term project, requiring construction of roadways and intersections and, possibly, a warehouse with a million square feet. But this is still another promising development in a county brimming with them.