Allegheny, Westmoreland county projects among those hoping for state RACP funding

A wish list of 90 projects in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are among hundreds across the state seeking funding in the latest round of the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.

They include $5 million to redevelop a former Alcoa site in New Kensington, $5 million for a health sciences center at Seton Hill University in Greensburg and two projects overseen by the Westmoreland County Industrial Development Authority.

The total amount available for projects and a timeline for when it will be awarded hasn’t been finalized, state Department of Community and Economic Development spokesperson Casey Smith said.

The program has funded more than $5 billion in projects since its inception in 1986.

The money generally goes toward projects that can show “regional economic, cultural, civic, recreational and historical improvement,” according to the state’s description of the program.

They’re also generally projects that otherwise wouldn’t be eligible for state funding.

“It certainly has been very supportive and beneficial to our industrial park system,” said Westmoreland County Industrial Development Corp. director Jason Rigone. “This particular program is the primary funding source for economic development-related projects. Counties like ours need access to capital. We’ll see what we get this round.”

The amount awarded is generally below what is asked for, and it takes years for some projects to get a RACP award.

These are the Westmoreland County projects seeking funding:

• $5 million, Alcoa Legacy Project, applied for by Zion Community Network, New Kensington

• $2 million, Distribution Park North, Westmoreland County Industrial Development Authority, East Huntingdon

• $2.5 million, Enhanced Supervision Facility, Adelphoi USA, Unity

• $5 million, Health Sciences Center, Seton Hill University, Greensburg

• $3.1 million, Hempfield Office Park, Westmoreland County Industrial Development Authority, Hempfield

• $5 million, RIDC Westmoreland, RIDC Regional Growth Fund, East Huntingdon

• $3.5 million, Saint Vincent College Athletic and Convocation Center, Saint Vincent College, Unity

• $5.1 million, Specialty Pulmonary Care Facility, Pulmonary Institute at Redstone, North Huntingdon

There are 82 Allegheny County projects seeking funding.

They include a $10 million request from Churchill Creek Project LLC to develop what’s described as an “e-commerce fulfillment and distribution center” that’s presumably being eyed by Amazon, which hasn’t confirmed its interest in the site, which formerly was the George Westinghouse Research Park.

Some residents have opposed the project, but developers have been working to address concerns about increased traffic. If Amazon moves forward, it could mean 1,000 jobs and more than $600,000 in tax revenue for Churchill and more than $2 million in taxes for Woodland Hills School District, borough officials have said.

FNB Corp. is seeking $4 million in RACP money for its planned $200 million headquarters on the former Civic Arena site in the Lower Hill District that’s set to break ground this summer.

Pittsburgh’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is set to vote to approve the first phase of the FNB project when it meets June 10.

During the round of funding approved in 2020, which was announced in December, the program awarded $3 million to the FNB project.

For a listing of the 2021 requests, click here.