Developer proposes 1-million-square-foot warehouse in New Stanton

A 1-million-square-foot warehouse proposed for the site near the UPS warehouse and terminal in New Stanton could bring as many as 600 jobs to the community, the development firm’s representative told New Stanton officials.

“It is enormous,” Jay Gomolak, chairman of the New Stanton planning commission, said of the warehouse proposed by SunCap Property Group of Charlotte, N.C.

The planning commission recently recommended approval of the land development plans that SunCap representatives and engineers outlined for a 196-acre site along Westinghouse Drive. The parcel was once the site of a Robertshaw Controls Co. plant.

SunCap’s representatives would not reveal to the planning commission what trucking or delivery company might occupy the building, Gomolak said. SunCap has developed 35 warehouses across the country for FedEx Corp, according to its website.

Matthew Virgin, senior vice president of business development for SunCap, declined to comment on the project.

While FedEx “continuously evaluates opportunities that can enhance our ability to serve our customers,” the package delivery company said in a statement that it has a policy of not commenting on specifics of projects until all aspects have been finalized.

The site that SunCap Property has selected for the warehouse is south of the Pennsylvania Turnpike and bounded by Westinghouse Drive and Glenn Fox Road, said Jeff McLaughlin, borough manager. SunCap representatives could present the plans for council approval Aug. 3, McLaughlin said.

New Stanton Technology Park LP of McMurray, owns the property that SunCap wants for the warehouse. RSP, a sister company of New Stanton Technology Park, acquired the property and a 42-acre parcel north of the turnpike for just under $5 million in March 2002, according to the documents filed with the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds.

CBRE, a Pittsburgh commercial real estate firm, is offering the property for sale. The real estate firm does not list an asking price on its website.

SunCap wants to build a warehouse on property that was the target of remediation efforts to remove or cover mercury-contaminated soil and sediments and other chemical contaminants from the site, according to a 2012 covenant the owners reached with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Richard Erenberg, president of New Stanton Technology Park, could not be reached for comment. He signed the covenant, which stated that an assessment of the soil, groundwater and surface water was conducted, as well as a human health and ecological risk assessment.

A concrete cap had been placed around the area of the former Mercury Building to prevent mercury exposure and the possibility that any contaminated soil might spread from the site, according to the covenant. Any building constructed on the site must have a vapor barrier.