The RIDC is a private economic development organization in southwest Pennsylvania that develops industrial and technology sites. It focuses on growing key industry clusters like advanced manufacturing, biotech, and autonomy. Some of RIDC's past projects include redeveloping former steel and manufacturing sites, removing contamination, and attracting new companies. These redevelopment projects have created thousands of jobs and millions in annual tax revenue while transforming formerly blighted areas.

1. Note: Some slides are from a November 2020
CREW presentation with the PRA, RIDC and PJ Dick

2. RIDC: Regional Driver of
Economic Growth
• RIDC is a private, not-for-profit economic development
organization that receives no public operating support
• Developing competitive industrial and technology sites
and facilities
• Supporting a full spectrum of jobs
• Sharpened focus on strengthening industry
growth clusters: Autonomy, Biotech & Advanced
Manufacturing
• Focus on growing opportunities in underinvested
"seedling" communities
• Hazelwood, Fairywood, Rankin, McKeesport, Duquesne, East
Pittsburgh, along with Armstrong, Lawrence
and Westmoreland Counties
SWPA Economic Distress by Zip Code
& RIDC Park Map

3. 23
24
Current Projects
1. Thorn Hill Industrial Park
2. Innovation Ridge
3. RIDC Park West
4. Neshannock Business Park
5. O'Hara RIDC Industrial Park
6. RIDC Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green
8. Keystone Commons
9. Industrial Park of McKeesport
10. City Center of Duquesne
11. RIDC Westmoreland
12. Lawrenceville Technology Park
23. RIDC Carrie Furnace
24. RIDC Armstrong Innovation Park
Past Projects
7. Beaver Manor
13. Meadow Ridge Business Park
14. Nabisco Bakery
15. Air Cargo Building III
16. Pullman Plaza
17. Harmar Manor
18. West Hills Commons
19. Oakland-University Area
20. Penn Garrison Cultural District Properties
21. Pittsburgh Technology Center
22. Edgewater Steel

4. Parks
14
Square Feet
7.5M+
Companies in our
facilities
106
Annual real estate taxes
paid
$3.4M+
Jobs in RIDC parks
17,000+
Annual capital
investment
$40M

5. Heinz Lofts
Before
Heinz Lofts
After
“A brownfield is a property, the expansion,
redevelopment, or reuse of which may be
complicated by the presence or potential
presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant,
or contaminant.”
- EPA

6. • Locations near rail or water transit
• Existing infrastructure
• Contamination Removal
• Job creation & expanded property tax base
• Revitalization of economically depressed
neighborhoods
•
Unknown levels of contamination
Costly remediation process

7. Steel Bust: 1980-1982
• Nationally
• The economy suffered through two recessions in this period. The first during the first six months of
1980. The second lasting 16 months, from July 1981 to November 1982.
• In 1980, inflation had reached 13.5% and the Federal Reserve raised interest rates and slowed
money supply growth, which slowed the economy and caused unemployment to rise. Energy prices
and supply were put at risk causing a confidence crisis as well as inflation.
• In 1981, the Iranian oil embargo aggravated economic conditions by reducing U.S. oil supplies, which
drove up prices.
• Regionally
• The region stretching from roughly from Chicago to Central Pennsylvania was impacted
disproportionately as their industrially driven economy went into a severe decline. Decades of
disinvestment, labor issues and foreign competition forced the steel and auto industries to
restructure.
• Nearly one-third of the regional workforce was in manufacturing. The regional unemployment rate
peaked at 17% in January 1981, compared to 10% nationally.
Peak Trough Months
January 1980 July 1980 6
July 1981 November 1982 16

8. 4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
12.0%
14.0%
16.0%
18.0%
January,
1980
March,
1980
May,
1980
July,
1980
September,
1980
November,
1980
January,
1981
March,
1981
May,
1981
July,
1981
September,
1981
November,
1981
January,
1982
March,
1982
May,
1982
July,
1982
September,
1982
November,
1982
January,
1983
March,
1983
May,
1983
July,
1983
September,
1983
November,
1983
January,
1984
March,
1984
May,
1984
Unemployment Rate
Southwest PA United States
Trough 1
Trough 2
-10.0%
-8.0%
-6.0%
-4.0%
-2.0%
0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
January,
1980
March,
1980
May,
1980
July,
1980
September,
1980
November,
1980
January,
1981
March,
1981
May,
1981
July,
1981
September,
1981
November,
1981
January,
1982
March,
1982
May,
1982
July,
1982
September,
1982
November,
1982
January,
1983
March,
1983
May,
1983
July,
1983
September,
1983
November,
1983
January,
1984
March,
1984
May,
1984
Year over Year Change in Employment
Southwest PA United States
Trough 1
Trough 2
Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics - US Bureau of Labor Statistics, PA Dept. of Labor & Industry Source: Local Area Unemployment Statistics - US Bureau of Labor Statistics, PA Dept. of Labor & Industry

9. -50,000
-40,000
-30,000
-20,000
-10,000
0
10,000
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Components of Population Change
Total Change Natural Change Net Migration
-1.6%
-2.0%
1.8% 1.8%
-1.1%
3.2%
1.7%
-2.5%
-2.0%
1.9%
2.3%
2.0%
5.4%
2.2%
-3.0%
-2.0%
-1.0%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
6.0%
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985
Change in Per Capita Personal Income ($2018)
Pittsburgh MSA United States
Source: Population Estimates – US Census Bureau
Source: US Bureau of Economic Analysis
Note: Components of Population Change not available in 1979 and 1980.

10. Steel Bust: 1980-1982
• Civic Investment Environment
o Renaissance II underway as recession began - construction of skyscrapers, convention center,
the “T” (light rail system) helped cushion immediate impact
o Three Mile Island accident propelled CMU into field robotics
o Pitt recruited Tom Starzl to build transplant program
• Public Policy Interventions
o Benjamin Franklin Partnerships (1983)
o Pittsburgh High Technology Council (1983)
o Pittsburgh Cultural District
o Strategy for Growth (1984)
o Software Engineering Institute (1984)
o Strategy 21 (1985-92)
o Municipalities Financial Recovery Act - Act 47 (1987)
Peak Trough Months
January 1980 July 1980 6
July 1981 November 1982 16

11. 1994- RIDC’s
Pittsburgh
Technology
Center, one of the
first successful
remediation
projects
Year Law Effects
1980
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) or
“Superfund”
Placed liability for past contamination with the
current owner of the property, discouraging
development
1995
Pennsylvania Land Recycling and
Environmental Remediation Standards Act or
“Act 2”
Removed the owner’s liability for past contamination
as long as they completed the necessary
remediation steps, becoming a nation-wide model
for Brownfield policy
RIDC’s
McKeesport
where Act 2
legislation
was signed

14. • Pennsylvania Brownfields Inventory
• Often sites that private developers may
avoid due to cost, but which have a high
community impact

16. • Environmental Site Assessment (ESA)
conducted to determine level of
contamination
• Phase 1: Records review to determine
potential for contamination (required
for financing)
• Phases 2 & 3: in-depth study, findings or
financing requirements may trigger Act
2 process
• Geotechnical Assessment for building
suitability

18. • Committed tenancy in most submarkets
• Appraisals that support loan to value ratios
• Prepared sites with infrastructure
• Market return expectations

19. State Federal Local
Site Remediation RACP CDBG, EPA LERTA
Infrastructure and
site preparation
RACP, PennWorks,
BIOS, TIF*, PIDA
HUD 108 TIF, LERTA
New Construction RACP, PIDA EDA, NMTC, OZ LIHTC
Redevelopment of
Existing Structure
RACP, PIDA NMTC, OZ Foundations, LIHTC,
Historic Tax Credits
• Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (Grant, requires 1:1 cash
match with non state sources)
• Business in Our Sites (Grant, Loan)
• Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority (Loan, $2.25M cap or
40%)
• Community Development Block Grants (Grant)
• Environmental Protection Agency (Grant, $100K for assessment)
• Economic Development Administration (Grant)
• Housing Urban Development (Loan)
• New Market Tax Credit (Complicated, generally requires $10M
project min)
• Opportunity Zone (New, but generally requires tenant in hand)
• Tax Increment Financing (Pubic Infrastructure only)
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit

20. • Market analysis to identify profitable uses
• Visioning and community engagement
• Area assets and needs study
• Redevelopment partners

21. • Remedial Action Work Plan (RAWP)
• Permitting Process
• Demolition, site clearing and
redevelopment according to state and
federal standards

22. RIDC Tech Forge, Lawrenceville
51
Buildings
owned
$3.4M+
Annual real estate
taxes paid
112
Companies in
our facilities
7.5M+
Square feet
owned
17,000+
Jobs in RIDC parks
5,800+
Jobs in our
tenant’s facilities

23. HEPPENSTALL STEEL
Lawrenceville Technology Center
EDGEWATER STEEL
NABISCO BAKERY
JONES & LAUGHLIN STEEL MILL
Pittsburgh Technology Center
RIDC Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green
WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC
Keystone Commons
US STEEL – MON VALLEY
Industrial Center of McKeesport
City Center of Duquesne
SONY ELECTRIC/Volkswagen
RIDC Westmoreland

24. 1994- RIDC’s
Pittsburgh
Technology
Center, one of the
first successful
remediation
projects
Year Law Effects
1980
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) or
“Superfund”
Placed liability for past contamination with the
current owner of the property, discouraging
development
1995
Pennsylvania Land Recycling and
Environmental Remediation Standards Act or
“Act 2”
Removed the owner’s liability for past contamination
as long as they completed the necessary
remediation steps, becoming a nation-wide model
for Brownfield policy
RIDC’s
McKeesport
where Act 2
legislation
was signed

25. FORMER USE J&L Coke Works
LOCATION Hazelwood/Oakland, City of Pittsburgh
DATE OF
ACQUISITION
RIDC acquired Mill 19 in 2016 after
completing site preparation and
infrastructure
SIZE 265,000 sf
ESTIMATED
IMPACT
1000+ jobs
$100M+ investment

26. •
•
•
•
•

27. J&L Coke Works 2003 – Almono acquires site

28. 2012 – After demolition of most remaining structures 2014 - After rough grading project that imported over
800,000 cubic yards of fill, adding between 2-14 feet of
cap

29. 29
29 Creating Spaces and Places for Economic Growth
Mill 19 Site Plan
C B A
OLD SECOND AVENUE
LYTLE STREET

30. • Gaming and Economic Development Fund -
$500,000 Grant
• Tax Increment Financing - $80,000,000 Authorized
• Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program -
$5,000,000 Grant
• Multimodal Transportation Fund - $400,000 Grant
• Power of 32 - $9,600,000 Loan
• Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority -
$2,250,000 Loan
• Penn Works - $3,000,000 Grant
• PennDOT - $5,000,000 Grant
• Commonwealth Financing Authority (Business in
Our Sites x 2) - $7,000,000 Loan
• Industrial Sites Reuse Assessment - $19,890 Grant

31. •
•
•
•
•

33. 33
33 Creating Spaces and Places for Economic Growth
Mill 19 – A Building in a Building
Volume = 10,725,000 Ft3 Volume = 3,8000,000 Ft3

34. •
•
•
•
•

35. 35
35 Creating Spaces and Places for Economic Growth
Mill 19 Progress

36. 36
36 Creating Spaces and Places for Economic Growth
Mill 19 Phase A

37. 37
37 Creating Spaces and Places for Economic Growth
Mill 19 Phase A

38. 38
38 Creating Spaces and Places for Economic Growth
Mill 19 Phase B

39. •
•
•

40. 40
40 Creating Spaces and Places for Economic Growth
Current and Near Term Construction at
Hazelwood Green

41. 41

42. 1994- RIDC’s
Pittsburgh
Technology
Center, one of the
first successful
remediation
projects
Year Law Effects
1980
Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) or
“Superfund”
Placed liability for past contamination with the
current owner of the property, discouraging
development
1995
Pennsylvania Land Recycling and
Environmental Remediation Standards Act or
“Act 2”
Removed the owner’s liability for past contamination
as long as they completed the necessary
remediation steps, becoming a nation-wide model
for Brownfield policy
RIDC’s
McKeesport
where Act 2
legislation
was signed

43. FORMER USE Geoffrey Boehm Chocolates
Heppenstall Steel
LOCATION Lawrenceville, City of Pittsburgh
DATE OF
RIDC
ACQUISITION
1996
2002
SIZE 14 acres
200,000 square feet
ESTIMATED
IMPACT
8 companies
300+ jobs

45. 45
45

46. Don Smith, President ▪ dsmith@ridc.org ▪ (412) 315-6444
Tim White, SVP, Development ▪ twhite@ridc.org ▪ (412) 315-6447
FORMER USE US Steel
LOCATION Cities of Duquesne & McKeesport
DATE OF
ACQUISITION
1989-1990
SIZE 290+ acres
ESTIMATED
IMPACT
900+ jobs
1.3 million square feet
Duquesne & McKeesport
4

47. City Center of Duquesne
Before

48. City Center of Duquesne
After

49. Industrial Center of McKeesport
Before

50. Industrial Center of McKeesport
After

51. Keystone Commons - 1989
FORMER USE Westinghouse East Pittsburgh
Plant
LOCATION Turtle Creek, East Pgh, North
Versailles
DATE OF RIDC
ACQUISITION
1989
SIZE 110 acres, 2.2 million square
feet
ESTIMATED
IMPACT
38 companies, 1100+ jobs
$1.4 million in annual real
estate taxes
5

52. Keystone Commons - Redevelopment
52

53. Keystone Commons Today
6

54. Keystone Commons

55. Keystone Commons Industrial Mall

56. FORMER USE Sony Electric, Volkswagen,
Chrysler
LOCATION East Huntington
DATE OF RIDC
ACQUISITION
2012 (ground lease from
PIDA)
SIZE 350 acres, 2.8 million square
feet
ESTIMATED
IMPACT
6 companies, 1000+ jobs
RIDC Westmoreland
7

57. EDGEWATER STEEL & THE BAKERY
9
FORMER USE Edgewater Steel Atlantic Bakery
LOCATION Oakmont East Liberty, City of
Pittsburgh
DATE OF RIDC
ACQUISITION
2002
SIZE 34 Acres
RIDC cleaned up these sites and then sold them to private
developers who turned them into mixed-use communities

59. Pittsburgh Technology Center
FORMER USE J&L Steel
LOCATION Hazelwood/Oakland, City of
Pittsburgh
DATE OF
ACQUISITION
*URA acquired the property in the
late 1980s. RIDC built 2 buildings –
1991 and 1997
SIZE 100+ acres
ESTIMATED
IMPACT
760+ jobs
$500,000+ annual real estate taxes
Jones & Locklin Mill

60. Pittsburgh Technology Center

61. Meadow Ridge

62. LTV Hazelwood