The future occupant of a massive warehouse proposed in New Stanton remains a mystery.
But extensive earthmoving in underway at the site of what’s expected to be a more than 1 million-square-foot warehouse that a North Carolina developer estimates will cost $120 million and create about 600 jobs.
SunCap Property Group LLC of Charlotte, N.C., which owns the property through its Glenn Fox New Stanton LLC subsidiary, is leveling the site of the proposed warehouse along Glenn Fox Road and the end of Westinghouse Road. The property is bounded by the Pennsylvania Turnpike, just west of the New Stanton interchange, said Jeff McLaughlin, New Stanton borough manager.
Matthew Virgin, senior vice president for SunCap Property at its Pittsburgh office, had told New Stanton officials last year that it could take a year to build the warehouse. It is projected to serve about 180 trucks a day, according to SunCap’s engineers.
New Stanton officials will have another say in the project when the zoning hearing board considers a request from the contractor, Layton Construction Inc. of Sandy, Utah, for a variance from borough ordinances to work 24 hours a day at the site, rather than from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., McLaughlin said. The borough will consider the request during a public hearing at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the municipal offices at 318 Paintersville Road.
Virgin could not be reached for comment.
SunCap Property purchased a 131.6-acre site in September from New Stanton Technology Park LP of McMurray for about $10.5 million, according to documents filed with the Westmoreland County Recorder of Deeds. SunCap also purchased an additional 10.2 acres from James and Margaret Fox for $450,000 in September, according to deed filings.
The Charlotte development firm then acquired a $112.5 million mortgage from Huntington National Bank of Columbus, Ohio, with the possibility of borrowing as much as $224 million, according to documents filed with the county.
The company that will operate the warehouse remains a secret that the developer has declined to reveal. Virgin repeatedly told New Stanton officials during earlier meetings that he could not reveal who will operate the warehouse because of a confidentiality clause.
SunCap has developed 35 warehouses across the country for FedEx Corp., according to its website. Layton Construction, a national construction firm, has built warehouses for both Amazon and UPS, according to its website.
UPS has a warehouse in New Stanton and FedEx Corp. has a warehouse at the RIDC Westmoreland Innovation Center, which is the site of the former Sony Corp. plant in East Huntingdon.
Amazon said in a statement that it is “constantly exploring new locations and weighing a variety of factors when deciding where to develop sites to best serve customers, however, we have a policy not to provide information on our future roadmap.”
