USA – PENNSYLVANIA Trends and Developments Contributed by: Erich Schock, Ron Reybitz, Kate Durso and Colin Keefe, Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, PC
Infrastructure and Industrial Opportunities: Pennsylvania’s Next Development Cycle As the information age evolves, e-commerce grows and the United States renews its focus on indus - try and manufacturing, Pennsylvania is attracting renewed interest from companies and developers seeking land, infrastructure and market access in one location. The strongest activity is coming from uses that are often grouped together but place very different demands on a site, including data centres, distribution and logistics, pharmaceutical and life sci - ences manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, and, in some markets, transit-oriented or walkable devel- opment and redevelopment. These uses are not interchangeable. A warehouse project turns on addressing highway access, truck circulation, labour, grading, stormwater and traffic. A data centre starts with power, redundancy, fibre and cooling. Pharmaceutical and advanced manufacturing users may focus first on water, wastewater, process utilities, environmental controls and workforce train - ing. Mixed-use or transit-oriented development raises different questions about planning, housing demand, parking, transit access and walkability. Pennsylvania remains intensely competitive because of the availability of these inputs. The Commonwealth sits between the Midwest and the Northeast Corridor, with highway, port and rail networks that support dis - tribution and manufacturing. For data centres and oth - er power-sensitive uses, generation capacity, trans - mission access and fibre routes keep Pennsylvania in the conversation. For life sciences and advanced manufacturing, older industrial sites, water resources, universities, community colleges and technical train - ing programmes give several regions a strong work - force and infrastructure base. The advantage is not that every site is shovel ready, but rather that, in many places, land, power, water, transportation, workforce, connectivity and approvals can be assembled into a workable project. The Site-Selection Question Now Supplemented The old threshold questions do still matter. Buyers care about acreage, price, location, zoning, taxes and incentives. Those issues now sit beside a more practi -
cal one: can this site support this use on the required timeline? The answer depends primarily on the particular use. For logistics, the early issues may be access, off- site road improvements, truck circulation, grading, stormwater and municipal fatigue with warehouse development. For a data centre, the deal may hinge on available electric service, required upgrades, util - ity study timing, cooling, water, backup power and, increasingly, community acceptance. For pharma - ceutical or advanced manufacturing, diligence may turn on water supply, wastewater treatment, discharge limits, process utilities, clean manufacturing space, environmental controls and workforce training. For redevelopment, the focus may be title, easements, legacy contamination, parking, housing demand, pub - lic infrastructure and local planning goals. Early sequencing can determine whether a project advances. A developer may need utility input before finalising site control. A lender may want comfort on permits and service commitments before closing. A municipality needs to understand the impacts on traf - fic, water, stormwater and emergency services before hearings and public meetings begin. Long-lead equip - ment, utility upgrades, highway occupancy permits and land development approvals each move on their own schedule. Pennsylvania’s local approval structure adds another layer. Land use is municipally regulated, so a project of regional importance will depend on the ordinance, hearing schedule and political climate of one town - ship, borough or city. A use that fits one municipality may face different definitions, conditions or commu - nity expectations in the next. That local variation is not a reason to avoid Pennsylvania, but it is a reason to do the municipal outreach early. The best site is not always the cheapest or the larg - est; it is the site where the team can identify con - straints, price the improvements, allocate risk and secure approvals without losing the business case. A property that looks ordinary on a map may be more valuable than a larger tract if it offers a clearer path to power, water, access, zoning and construction. Con -
1153 CHAMBERS.COM
Powered by FlippingBook