Developers view Mon Valley sites on bus tour

The Mon Valley is a becoming a booming hub of economic growth.

After the decline of the steel industry, community organizations, business professionals, developers and local leaders have begun to work together with a common goal in mind — to reinvent their downtowns and redevelop industrial sites that line the rivers of their once-bustling communities.

To facilitate that growth, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce sponsored a county-wide bus tour for members of NAIOP Pittsburgh, a regional association of developers, owners, investors and professionals of commercial real estate.

NAIOP is a commercial real estate development association that fosters business relationships, promotes responsible development and supports growth of the region through education, leadership and advocacy.

More than 60 professional members traveled from Pittsburgh to the Mon Valley to see the types of projects, both large and small in scale, that are being completed in small Valley neighborhoods.

The tour kicked off Thursday with a stop at the newly opened Magic City Riverfront Park, where guests took in the sunshine at the newly renovated and opened boat launch area.

Mary Stollar, Director of Real Estate and Economic Development, gave guests a taste of the history of the site and described what it could look like in coming years. Stollar also discussed several other MVA projects, including the demolition of the Atlas building and former Bill’s Feed store, an opportunity at the site of the former Coyle Theatre and three available lots at Alta Vista Business Park in Fallowfield Township.

“We are honored to host you on your first stop here in Washington County,” Stollar said. “All three of the sites we are going to discuss today had buildings on them that were beyond their useful life and are now being transformed to useful, attractive properties.

“These projects would not have been possible without the cooperation of the school district, the borough and the state. And we would like to acknowledge the financial support we have received from the state as well as the county’s Local Share Account program. Without everyone pulling in the same direction, we would not have been able to move these projects forward.”

Stollar explained how the park’s name was chosen, with the borough’s history in mind.

“It is fitting that this is called the Magic City Riverfront Park, because a glass factory used to occupy this site,” she explained. “Charleroi got the nickname, Magic City, from its days of glass manufacturing where byproducts of the manufacturing process would take off up into the air and look like fireflies in the sky, or as we call them, lightening bugs. It looked like sparkles and hence the nickname, Magic City.”

The glass factory that gave Charleroi its nickname closed in 1937 and then the former Cougar Football Stadium was built, which lasted until 2010.

In 2018, the Charleroi Area School District donated the stadium to the Mon Valley Alliance. Shortly afterward, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources designated the projects as a pilot Brownfield to Playfield project.

The stadium was demolished four years ago using a $157,250 grant from the DCNR that kicked the project into gear.

Since then, the vacant lot has been turned into a riverfront oasis for residents looking to connect with the water or enjoy a sunny afternoon. Phase I of the redevelopment project designated one acre of the site for improvements to complement the adjacent public boat launch. The upgrades made to the parcel included revamping the existing boat launch for easier public access, expanded and repaving the parking lot and installing landscaping, improved lighting and public safety cameras.

The project, years in the making, was made possible by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, along with support from the Washington County commissioners, Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency and several community stakeholders.

In addition to the grant from the DCNR, the project was funded in part by a $252,000 Washington County Local Share Account grant and $10,000 from the Washington County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Promotion Agency.

“Phase 1 has been completed and has been donated to the borough of Charleroi, who will maintain the site,” Stollar said. “The plan for Phase 2 is to work with the Charleroi Community Park Trustees to explore the best possible use for the remaining 4 acres.”

Stollar then directed guests’ attention to an up coming project on the corner of Sec-BUS TOUR • A7 FROM A3 ond and McKean avenues, the former site of the Atlas building and Bill’s Feed store.

The space will allow the alliance to construct a new 6,300-square-foot office building that will be able to accommodate one single user — or up to four smaller users — in a built-to-suit space with onsite parking.

“Construction is set to begin in the fall of this year,” Stollar said, “and when it is complete, we hope this new building will serve as the gateway to Charleroi and hopefully spark additional development.” Stollar spoke of an empty lot a few blocks away that is ready for development at the site of the former Coyle Theatre.

“The community was very attached to the Coyle,” Stollar said. “Everyone had their first date there. However, after many years of neglect it had fallen into disrepair.

“The MVA purchased the building in 2016 and after an extensive evaluation of the renovation possibilities, we came to the conclusion that the best plan was to demolish the theater and explore opportunities for redevelopment of the lot.” The MVA is looking for potential developers and is exploring the potential of senior housing, offices or a modified outdoor space.

Before directing those in attendance to walk through the spec building site, Stollar briefly touched on ongoing developments at Atla Vista Business Park, which currently only has three of 17 lots available for purchase.

With nearly 60 people in attendance, she said it was a good exposure for the borough.

“Even if this does not spark an interest with someone here today, they will know about us,” she said. “Maybe they know someone, or will have learned about us so that they keep us in mind if they are ever looking for partnerships in the future. It was a great opportunity to share a little about these projects with so many people from across the region.”

After a brief visit and networking session in Charleroi, members headed to Allenport’s Mon River Industrial Park, which currently has 102 acres of flat, riverfront property available for development. They also stopped in the Fort Cherry Development District, Crossgates/Brockway Glass and Hardy World.

Will Thomeier, director of economic and tourism development for the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, said it’s important for the chamber to build partnerships, especially throughout the region.

“We wanted to help organize this tour to allow people to see some of these places, the projects happening here and really showcase some exciting commercial and industrial development opportunities,” Thomeier said. “This group, NAIOP, is full of emerging leaders in commercial real estate, engineer, architecture, construction and so many different fields. It is a great opportunity for them to become more familiar with Washington County and everything we have to offer.

“It’s a great way for us to talk to a larger audience about some pretty exciting things happening right here in the Mon Valley.”

NAIOP Pittsburgh Executive Director Brandon Mendoza said he always welcomes an opportunity to bring his members outside of geographical bounds of Allegheny County.

“We have members making investment throughout our 10-county region,” he said. “Allegheny County, and the City of Pittsburgh is such a regional hub for development, but we wanted a chance to members outside of that area to see what these other communities have to offer and really showcase what is happening around the region, not just within city limits.

“There is a lot of great stuff happening here. The goal today, for us, is to learn more about these projects, developments that have been completed or are well on their way to completion and also future opportunities to connect the right people with the right projects and partnerships in the future.”

The Charleroi stop was sponsored by Hickman Consulting Services, Kulak George Architects, Nova ESI, Pasheck MTR and Tedesco Construction.

The event was sponsored by the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, Imperial Land Corporation, Hardy World, The Mon Valley Alliance and Crossgates. The Regional Industrial Development Corporation is a year-long sponsor.