With the opening of the Midfield Terminal Complex, the 84-hectare site of the 40 year-old terminal building became available for redevelopment and played host to the airport's first real estate development - the Airside Business Park.
Following the demolition of the terminal building and clearing and environmental remediation of the site, the Airside Business Park brought new life to Pittsburgh International Airport with the construction of three Class A office buildings, two flex offices, warehouse buildings and the state-of-the-art Atlantic Aviation Fixed Base Terminal, Hangar Cargo Building A and the HJ Heinz Corporate Hangar.
The total size of the development is over 600,000sqft and includes on-site amenities such as landscaped walking trails, a veterans memorial fountain and plaza.
Additional shovel-ready building sites remain available for an additional office building or warehouse and airside building sites that can accommodate corporate hangars or cargo facilities.
On a former airport parking lot, located across highway I-376 Business Loop from the Airside Business Park, the 316th US Army reserve facility has been constructed and final plans are being completed for the relocation of the military's regional post exchange (PX) and commissary that serves 160,000 veterans residing within a 100-mile radius of the airport to be completed by 2012.
Located on 40 hectares of land on the western end of the airport, phase one of the Clinton Commerce Park has been completed. A 400,000sqft high-bay warehouse built by the Buncher Company is home to FedEx Post and American Tire. Knepper Press has consolidated its facilities under one roof in a 100,000sqft printing plant and distribution facility that can be expanded to meet future needs.
German glass manufacturer Flabeg is the latest addition, having moved into a 225,000sqft manufacturing facility to build solar mirrors for the green building and energy conservation sector.
A 32-hectare, second phase of the Clinton Commerce Park is also planned.
Pittsburgh International Logistics Centre
Located within the FTZ and adjacent to the 10,500ft runway 10L/28R, site work has been completed on what will be one of PIT's principal cargo and logistics hubs - the 36.4-hectare Pittsburgh International Logistics Centre.
Developed in partnership between Trammell Crow and Allegheny County Airport Authority, the Logistics Centre can accommodate facilities ranging in size from 25,000sqft to 600,000sqft and provide businesses in western Pennsylvania with cargo and warehousing facilities for just-in-time manufacturing and distribution with good connections to the East Coast and Midwest.
One of the centre's first residents arrived in1994 when New York-based Dick's Sporting Goods, identified Pittsburgh as a good place to expand its facilities in order to distribute its merchandise.
Today Dick's has grown from a regional company to the largest sporting goods retailer in the United States and its new 45-hectare airport-based campus is its third facility since moving to western Pennsylvania, having out-grown the original two due to their significant growth over the past 16 years.
The new campus includes a state-of-the-art 670,000sqft headquarters building with cafeteria and restaurant, conference centre with auditorium, prototype stores, bank and employee services, full gymnasium, health club, tennis courts, day care centre, athletic fields, fitness trail and a 70,000sqft corporate aviation centre to house company aircraft.
Robert Morris University
Located one mile north of the airport on University Boulevard, the former business college has grown into a major university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in 60 majors to 5,000 students from 40 countries.
Enrollment in the freshman class has grown by 40% over the past five years. With the new facilities at the Island Sports Centre and Sewell Centre, Robert Morris is able to offer a variety of conferencing facilities to airport area organisations.
Westfield
Currently in the planning stages, Westfield, the Allegheny County Airport Authority's planned conference and exhibition development, will be part of a project that will also have available development sites for office development, and hotel/hospitality facilities.
Following the completion of the Midfield Terminal Complex, development along the Airport Parkway Corridor (now I-376) took off.
In addition to the commercial and industrial growth, retail development has dramatically changed the landscape along the airport corridor connecting with Pittsburgh's Golden Triangle.
The Robinson Town Centre, anchored by IKEA and Costco, includes a mall that is home to Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods.
The Pointe at North Fayette with Sam's Club, Best Buy and the Home Depot along with the recently completed Settler's Ridge complex, which includes the Market District, one of North America's largest grocery and gourmet food stores.
West Hills Shopping Centre, the original retail development in the airport area, constructed 50 years ago is currently being redeveloped as a Wal-Mart Super Centre and will help to reinvigorate the University Boulevard business district that connects the Airside Business Park and the Robert Morris University Campus.
Cargo and Logistics
With over 250,000sqft of dedicated facilities and status as an independent cargo screening facility, Pittsburgh International Airport is well placed to provide a base halfway between New York and Chicago.
The airport's airfield layout has five runways all with ILS systems, including two runways with CAT II/III all weather capabilities. Runway crossings are minimised giving PIT an enviable record on taxi times, greatly reducing operational costs for cargo carriers, in terms of fuel costs and time.
