Westmoreland County has approved $2.3 million in no-interest loans to supplement the $14 million project for Westmoreland County Housing Authority to build a senior living complex in Irwin Borough.
 
Planned for 17 acres in Irwin Borough, the four-story Grand View Senior Residences complex will consist of 50 one- and two-bedroom apartments designated for income-qualified people ages 62 and older. Several units will be designated for households with income below 20 percent of the area median income, with the remainder to be rented to tenants whose household income is below 60 percent of the area’s median income. An additional 10 units will be targeted specifically to income-eligible veterans.
 
Construction is expected to begin in early 2023 and be completed by mid-2024.

The Community Development Division received 44 project applications for the the Fiscal Year 2023 Community Development Block Grant program, and staff currently is conducting site visits and evaluating each proposal for eligibility and compliance with HUD regulations
 
All told, the applications — which were submitted by municipalities and nonprofit agencies — request more than $10 million in funding. The proposals include public services, demolition, emergency rehabilitation and infrastructure improvements such as street reconstruction, stormwater facilities and ADA-accessibility improvements.
 
 Eligible projects will be submitted to the Westmoreland County Commissioners for their approval to be included in the County’s 2023 Annual Action Plan to HUD.

Funded by HUD via both a $3 million Lead Hazard Reduction Grant and a supplemental $400,000 Healthy Homes grant, this program will improve the lives of children and families by identifying and mitigating lead and health hazards in owner-occupied and privately owned eligible residential homes. For an application for assistance or to review program guidelines, click here.

Applicants must meet the following program requirements:

• The home was built before 1978.
• The household income limit is at or below 80 percent of the county’s area median income.
• A child under the age of 6 years must reside or spend a significant amount of time in the home, or a pregnant woman must reside in the home.

Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland is excited to announce the creation of a new revolving loan fund that is available exclusively for projects in Westmoreland County. The Building a Better Westmoreland Loan Fund was established with $3.5 million in American Rescue Plan funding that the EGC received through the State Small Business Credit Initiative. The EGC — which serves as both lender and loan administrator — is currently accepting applications. Details:

• Minimum loan amount is $25,000
• Must be matched 1:1 by bank financing*
• Flexible amortization periods: 5, 7 or 10 years, balloon options available
• Fixed-interest rate
• Businesses must have fewer than 750 employees*
• Project size must not exceed $20,000,000*
• Allowable uses include machinery and equipment, real estate (passive real estate activities excluded), lines of credit**
• Funds must be used for projects within Westmoreland County
• Personal guarantees may be required
• Minimal loan fees

* State requirements ** LOC may be issued in certain circumstances.
 
 For an application or to learn more, contact EGC Business Development Officer Kyle Martin at 724-771-5427 or [email protected]. For the full announcement, click here.

Ribbon cutting celebrates completion of Commerce Crossing at Westmoreland, 

I-70 improvements and construction of Al. Neyer facility

In October, the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corporation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate not only the opening of its newest industrial park but also the completion of the first facility to be built in it … AND an infrastructure project that modernized both the adjacent interstate and the interchange to access our park. 

Hosted in Al. Neyer’s new 250,000 SF Commerce Crossing Business Center, the event showed off that class-A distribution center as well as the Sewickley Township park, itself, which is made up of five pad-ready sites. Three of the lots are already under contract, and the two remaining lots are attracting a lot of interest.

In keeping with an objective in the county’s comprehensive plan, Commerce Crossing at Westmoreland was built to maximize the local impact of Interstate 70. The IDC used the ribbon cutting to also shine a spotlight on the crucial role that transportation plays in economic development, so PennDOT District 12 Executive William Kovach was invited to discuss PennDOTs efforts to modernize I-70. Kovach put the $92.8 million project to improve the stretch of highway adjacent to the industrial park in the greater context of PennDOT's $934 million total investment to improve the interstate from New Stanton to West Virginia.

For more details, click here.

Work begins on Phase II of development at Westmoreland Distribution Park North

After securing full funding for the second phase of development at Westmoreland Distribution Park North, the WCIDC wasted no time in digging in. A September groundbreaking ceremony kicked off the project, and then work crews quickly started transforming 78.8 acres of raw land into pad-ready sites of 21.4, 10.4 and 4.1 acres. Thanks to the relatively mild weather in fall, contractors got off to a strong start and are on track to complete the project by summer of 2023.

The WCIDC projects that this expansion will be able to accommodate up to 625,000 SF of building space.

Demand for industrial sites has been strong in recent years; as a result, the number of available Westmoreland properties has shrunk over that time. This project will refresh the county's portfolio of sites so we can continue to attract economic development.

In addition to the WCIDC’s own funds, this $6,315,500 project is financed by a $2 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant and a low-interest $2.25 million loan from the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority. Work includes earthmoving, the creation of stormwater ponds, erosion- and sediment-control measures, landscaping and the relocation of a non-domestic gas line.

For more details on Phase II of development, click here.

Central, Alle-Kiski planning districts update

The Planning Division is nearing the end of its Planning Districts process in the center of the county. This process aims to tap into the vision, intelligence and capabilities of the central Westmoreland communities while connecting them to the effort to attract, develop and retain a diverse and stable workforce that will sustain a healthy economy.
 
County planners are currently preparing a plan for the Central Planning District that incorporates all of the input received over the last year from the 15 central communities. The plan will follow a similar format laid out in the County’s first district plan, Remaking Our Westmoreland – A Plan for the Alle-Kiski District but will align the strategies most relevant to the Central Planning District communities, call out specific goals and areas to focus on, and identify a model for intergovernmental cooperation for communities to continue to work together. Upon completion of the Central District plan, it ultimately will be up to communities to implement identified strategies and actions.
 
Consultant Susan Hockenberry has engaged with municipal officials in exploring discussions around intergovernmental cooperation to gauge the appetite of the Central Planning District communities for working together once the process ends. Determining how and to what extent these communities can continue to work together is a critical part of the Planning Districts process. This task specifically gets at addressing municipal fragmentation, which was identified as a strategy in the county’s comprehensive plan, Reimagining Our Westmoreland.

Browse the Land Bank's inventory of properties

The Land Bank has helped re-energize communities by facilitating the rehabilitation of dozens of properties throughout the county. To view a map of all Land Bank projects past and present and browse a list of the current inventory of properties, click here. Interested in purchasing and rehabbing a Lank Bank property? You can learn more by clicking here.