As a $5.3 million “tech flex” building at RIDC Armstrong Innovation Park in South Buffalo broke ground Thursday, officials announced a deal to potentially develop another 615 acres.

The 30,000-square-foot building, designed to have flexible uses aimed at attracting tech companies, is the first of two expected to be constructed.

“This is an outstanding location, and we’re going to build the kind of modern facilities that attract companies creating high-quality jobs,” RIDC President Donald Smith Jr. said.

“We need sites in this region that can accommodate large, growing companies and drive economic development for this community, and the groundbreaking was the beginning of an effort to make that happen.”

Area set aside for houses, too

More than 100 single-family homes and townhouses also are scheduled to be built on the 925-acre campus off Route 28 at Exit 18 (Slate Lick).

“This is only the beginning of good things to come,” Armstrong County Commissioner Don Myers said.

He called it an exciting moment that represents a shared vision to move Armstrong County forward with development that will create jobs.

RIDC (Regional Industrial Development Corporation of Southwestern Pennsylvania) is a nonprofit that seeks to spur economic growth and job creation through real estate development.

Last year, it partnered with Armstrong County Industrial Development Council (ACIDC) to manage and market land at the park, formerly known as Northpointe Industrial Park.

The pair is eyeing larger-scale development that will bring technology and light industry.

RIDC is acquiring 72 acres of developable land at the park and has been granted an option for an additional 543 acres of raw land that it can prepare for future development.

The group paid nearly $882,000. It will split profits with ACIDC after the costs of future development are recouped.

“The partnership with RIDC and the collaboration with state and local officials has created momentum,” county Commissioner Pat Fabian said. “This investment is another piece of the resurgence.”

The expansion in South Buffalo comes at a time when O’Hara RIDC, another RIDC park in the Alle-Kiski Valley, reported having a healthy occupancy rate of 89%. RIDC O’Hara was the first planned industrial park in Pennsylvania. It has a capacity of 3.75 million square feet.

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