MERCER COUNTY Penn-Northwest OKs action plan for land development

This is Mercer County's first countywide industrial site development plan.
THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
MERCER, Pa. -- Penn-Northwest Development Corp. has proposed an ambitious $15 million development plan to identify and prepare land in Mercer County for industrial development.
Penn-Northwest's board of directors approved the Economic Development Action Plan and accompanying Strategy 1000 Implementation Plan on Monday. It goes to the county commissioners for approval.
Penn-Northwest, created in 1985 as a private, nonprofit economic development group, is Mercer County's designated lead economic development agency.
Larry Reichard, executive director, said about 75 percent of the new plan consists of items that Penn-Northwest or the county are already doing.
The action plan pulls all of those things together into a cohesive effort, he said, noting that there is no countywide site development plan in place.
Here's the goal
The ultimate goal is to buy and prepare 1,000 acres for industrial use, Reichard said, noting that includes all of the necessary infrastructure improvements such as sewer, water and electrical service.
Efforts will begin within the next six months to raise the $15 million necessary to launch that plan, he said, noting that Mercer County will be asked to borrow money through a bond issue or other measure to come up with $5 million of that amount.
Penn-Northwest plans to divert $3 million from its revolving loan fund, used to provide low-interest money to new or expanding companies. The state will be asked to kick in $5 million from the governor's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, Reichard said.
The remaining $2 million will be secured from various other state and federal grant programs.
The money should be in place by March and should be sufficient to buy and prepare the first 600 and 700 of the targeted 1,000 acres needed for industrial development, depending on land costs. That land could also be used to help businesses expand operations, he said.
Looking ahead
The effort should produce between 5,000 and 8,000 industrial jobs plus several thousand more in support and related business jobs over the next decade. It would also be a major boost to the county property tax base, he said.
Reichard emphasized that no sites have been selected yet although the Interstate 79 and 80 corridors running through the county may be primary targets.
A study has already begun under the direction of Mercer County Regional Planning Commission to locate and determine the feasibility of potential sites, he said.
That process should be nearing completion by the end of this year, he said.
There are only 150 acres in all of Mercer County that have the infrastructure in place for industrial development and that property is being developed at the rate of 40 to 50 acres per year. That latter number probably would have been higher had industrial land been ready along the interstate corridors, Reichard said.
gwin@vindy.com