New Stanton warehouse construction continues; operator remains unidentified

Motorists traveling along the Pennsylvania Turnpike near New Stanton or along Arona Road parallel to the turnpike can see what a $120 million warehouse project covering more than 1 million square feet looks like.

The walls have been constructed, and doors for loading docks are visible. The extensive earthmoving that began in September continues, with a steady stream of dump trucks leaving the site.

The contractor, Layton Construction Co. of Sandy, Utah, leveled a hilltop for the warehouse pad and created a hill rising above the turnpike just east of Glenn Fox Road. A giant stormwater retention pond has been dug between the front of the building and Glenn Fox Road.

Layton Construction wanted to work 24 hours a day at the site three or four days a week, but the New Stanton Zoning Hearing Board in December rejected the request to work between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Layton wanted permission to work overnight because of the numerous concrete-hauling trucks needed to pour concrete at the warehouse. Concrete-hauling trucks would be arriving about every five minutes, according to Joel Isaksen, lead superintendent for Layton.

As construction continues, Glenn Fox Road is closed between the Pennsylvania Turnpike and the road’s intersection with Seanor Church Road. New Stanton’s calendar for April shows the road closure will continue, and there is no definite date for reopening, said Jeff McLaughlin, New Stanton borough manager.

The warehouse is owned by SunCap Property Group LLC of Charlotte, N.C., which purchased the property from New Stanton Technology Park LP of Canonsburg for $10.57 million last August under the corporate name Glenn Fox New Stanton LLC.

The developer had said in December it would take about a year to finish the project.

Matthew Virgin, senior vice president for SunCap Property Group at its Pittsburgh office, could not be reached for comment.

The company that will operate or own the warehouse has been the subject of much speculation. SunCap has a confidentiality agreement with the future operator of the warehouse and cannot disclose its identity, Virgin said.

The operator of the warehouse is expected to employ about 600 people. It is projected to serve about 180 trucks a day, according to SunCap’s engineers.

Amazon has declined to comment on whether it is interested in owning or operating the warehouse.

Walmart Inc. did not respond to a request for a comment.

The company in June announced it is building a 1.5-million-square-foot, high-tech fulfillment center in Greencastle, Franklin County, that would be open in 2024. Walmart also has distribution centers in Bedford and near Phillipsburg in Central Pennsylvania.