Zediker Station property on track for development

September 26, 2018

Rick Shrum
Observer Reporter

A longtime rail location in South Strabane Township is on track for major development.

The 1,200-acre Zediker Station property, near the intersection of Interstates 79 and 70, is being marketed for manufacturing or high-tech purposes. Hanna Langholz Wilson Ellis, the commercial real estate firm doing so, made the announcement Monday evening at Perle restaurant in Pittsburgh’s Market Square.

Southpointe-based CNX Resources owns the property, which is north of I-70 and west of I-79.

“This is a property I’m very excited about,” said Howard “Hoddy” Hanna, chairman of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, parent of Hanna Langholz. He said the entire 1,200 acres will be sold to one owner.

“We’ve not seen that much land with one owner in the western part of the state,” Hanna said. “It’s near the 70-79 junction, an incredible road system within 500 miles of 48 percent of U.S. businesses.”

Putting the size of the site in perspective, he added: “Downtown at the Point is 250 acres. This is five times that. If a company wants to put up a 1-million-square-foot warehouse, they can do it and still have space.”

Jim Winter agrees. He is marketing the property as a team with A.J. Pantoni.

“Really, there’s no other site (in Western Pennsylvania) for a 1-million-square-foot warehouse,” he said. “This would serve that well.”

The Zediker property was a farm in the 19th century, and railroad lines were installed there around 1890 to transport coal. A line is still operating there.

“We’ve got rails and we’ve got roads,” Pantoni said. “One thing we hear about site selection in Western Pennsylvania is ‘We want 1,000 acres or more.’ Well, here’s 1,200. Let’s do something. This provides the opportunity for a big distribution center.”

The location of this property was enshrouded in secrecy beforehand, raising speculation the announcement could be related to the Washington Mall or Cool Valley properties. Jeff Kotula, president of Washington County Chamber of Commerce, was pleased with the selection.

“This is an opportunity to grow in a county that knows how to grow businesses,” Kotula said. “We look forward to this not only because of the addition of jobs, but the chance to attract new opportunities.”

Hanna, a longtime real estate figure, is bullish on the project.

“This gives a competitive edge to the region.”