Oct 26, 2012 4 min read

Washington County, which has been a major beneficiary of the growth created by the Marcellus Shale industry of the past several years, now must take full advantage of the opportunities the industry is expected to create in the future. That was the conclusion of a panel of politicians, commercial real estate developers and economic development officials Thursday. The hourlong discussion came from a “Regional Real Estate Roundtable” sponsored at the Crossroads Center by Millcraft Investments. The event was attended by about 75 real estate developers and brokers, bankers, attorneys and other professionals. “Things are hitting on all cylinders in the county now,” said panelist Mary Stollar, director of business investment for the Washington County Chamber of Commerce. Responding to questions from moderator Ed Page, Millcraft’s director of property management, Stollar and the other panelists agreed that one of the next steps will be trying to capture some of the spinoff industries expected to be created by shale gas industry, which already has created an abundance of natural gas in the region. “The Marcellus Shale is playing a continuing role in its business presence” in the region, said state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, noting the county is now home to more than 100 companies related to the energy industry, helping to build out Southpointe, Southpointe II, Alta Vista and Starpointe business and industrial parks. “There have been more groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies in the past five years here than there have been in the last 20 to 30 years,” he said, adding the companies have created opportunities “from blue collar to Ph.D. jobs.” Stollar said the goal now is to build a diversified portfolio of companies that may be spun off from the natural gas industry here, including plastics and petrochemicals. Solobay also noted that between the natural gas drilling impact fees created from Act 13 and the local share account created from gaming revenue from The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, the county and its municipalities can now expect something in the neighborhood of $26 million a year to use for municipal and county projects. But William McGowen, executive director of the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, said the challenge will be “to keep a vision out in the future” as the revenue streams continue to arrive. “We have to do the right thing with it,” he said. Other panelists acknowledged there continues to be much work to do in the city of Washington and elsewhere. Mayor Brenda Davis said the city has been a beneficiary of the shale gas industry, noting Chapman Corp.’s recent completion of a $6.6 million pipe facility and other companies working in the supply chain. She added the city will break ground next year on a new transit facility that will expand mass transit for the city and the county. While the shale industry has helped to fill rental properties here, she said she is hopeful that proposed state legislation dealing with blight will make it easier to deal with neglected properties in the city. As for the city’s newest prime commercial property, now known as Crossroads Center, its owner said he’s optimistic for it and the city. Panelist Lucas Piatt, chief operating officer for Millcraft, said he believes Washington can remake itself, much in the same way old Pittsburgh communities like Lawrenceville and Braddock are doing. “We can turn Main Street around,” he said, if the right incentives can be found to encourage property owners to invest in many of the historic buildings downtown. “We really have an opportunity here,” he said. Millcraft is the owner of Crossroads Center, where Thursday’s event was held. Piatt told the audience the company had envisioned a $100 million Crossroads plan to revitalize the city. It originally built the building for prime tenant LandAmerica, which went bankrupt about a year after moving into the structure. Piatt said Millcraft, which also owns Millcraft Center on Chestnut Street, “never left the city” but was dealt a setback when it lost its prime tenant. “We got dealt a pretty big blow with a tenant that left us and left the city,” he said, adding that the building is now 60 percent occupied. “We’re seeing some momentum in the city of Washington now,” he said.