Apr 20, 2003 By Steve Ostrosky 4 min read

WAYNESBURG – The first – and largest – tenant at a new retail development proposed for Greene County could be on board in as soon as two weeks, according to a development official. LeRoy Kline Jr., president of Delta Development Group of Mechanicsburg, said a real estate review meeting is scheduled for May 5 with a major retailer and an official announcement could come anytime after that meeting. While Kline would not confirm it, that major retailer has long been thought to be Wal-Mart.

“Things are moving well, and we may well see activity in May,” he said. “Hopefully dirt will fly in August or September.”

The Greene County commissioners entered into an agreement with McHolme/Waynesburg Limited Partnership in January for the purchase of almost 115 acres of land in Franklin Township to be developed into a retail complex. The commissioners accepted a $66,652 check in January, totaling 10 percent of the purchase price.

Kline said the Greene County Industrial Development Authority has voted to seek requests for proposals from engineers to do the design work for an extension of Kiwi Road and up to $1 million of improvements to Route 21. A consultant could be on board within 30 to 45 days, he said.

The federal government has committed $1 million for the development of Kiwi Road, which will be the main artery connecting the proposed shopping center with Route 21. Additionally, Kline and Commission Chairman Dave Coder met in Harrisburg with Larry King, deputy state secretary of transportation, and other PennDOT officials to get the engineering work and Route 21 improvements on the state’s transportation improvement program.

Kline said improvements to Route 21 include signals at the Interstate 79 ramps, a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 21 and Kiwi Road, widening of Route 21 and the installation of turning lanes.

The fact that GCIDA will accept the role of advertising for proposals from engineers will save six months in the development schedule, according to Kline, noting that PennDOT’s RFP process would have added delays to the development.

Additionally, he said the Army National Guard is exploring the viability of locating an armory on the development site and would contribute resources to the project.

Funding for roads and infrastructure long has been considered a sticking point in this development plan. Supervisors in Franklin Township have been opposed to any form of tax-increment financing or any sort of other incentives to lure a major retailer, other than the existing five-year tax abatement.

Kline said the financing issue has been resolved and a TIF district will not be needed to make the development happen. The township’s tax abatement will provide the tenant funds to make site improvements, federal and state money will be used to improve Kiwi Road and Route 21, the developers have contributed funds, and with the Army National Guard considering building on the site, excavation costs could be lowered, he said.

“This is a public-private partnership with a lot of partners agreeing to a specific role in a comprehensive funding strategy,” he said.

The retailer has agreed to all the development costs, the site plan and the infrastructure budget and will make a final decision May 5.

“We’re working very hard at this,” Kline said. “People have been skeptical about this project, but this thing is put together. We have used the last six months to put all the pieces in place, and we are ready to go.”

Kline noted that other parcels at the site already have attracted interest, and another retailer could be on board by the end of May.

Coder said the project is before an executive committee of a “major retail corporation,” and he is pleased with the developer’s efforts to attract a tenant to commit to the site.

“If you look at the plan and see the amount of money that has been spent by all parties involved, you can see how aggressively we have been working on this project,” he said.

Coder said he worked with King, with whom he sits on the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, to revise the strategy to get the road project put together to include needed improvements to Route 21 for the commercial development.

“It’s a mix of private and public funds with the developer and the state involved,” he said. “It’s been a real team effort.”