By Lou Pektor, River Pointe Commerce Park
Once home to iconic manufacturers like Bethlehem Steel, Pennsylvania has the potential to reclaim its status as an industrial epicenter as companies look to reshore operations. The Lehigh Valley is one of the nation's fastest-growing industrial markets with over 150 million square feet of product and a below-market vacancy rate. River Pointe Commerce Park aims to contribute to this success and meet the increasing complexity of requirements for this new era of industry.
River Pointe Commerce Park is an 800+ acre, 16-building, master-planned industrial park strategically located in Upper Mount Bethel, PA. With allowable building footprints of up to 1.5 million s/f and power infrastructure capable of meeting intense energy demands, the development offers the new generation of manufacturing everything the state's “legacy sites” cannot.
Strategically located along I-80 at the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border, River Pointe Commerce Park provides tenants with unparalleled transportation access to reach one-third of U.S. consumers within a one-day drive. On-site rail service via Norfolk Southern; proximity to multiple International Airports with diverse cargo options including Lehigh Valley, Newark, and Philadelphia, and easy access to Port Newark, and New York City creates an invaluable opportunity for users with complex supply chain requirements.
Other site features, including heavy power capabilities, with connections at 115 kV and 230 kV; allowable building heights up to 100 feet; and the ability to offer both sale and lease options, provide companies the unique opportunity to build state-of-the-art facilities customized for their workflow.
In addition to purpose-built infrastructure, the area is surrounded by a dense talent pool to staff operations. Thanks to the dozen higher education institutions in the region churning out STEM and engineering graduates, as well as vocational programs training precision machinists, welders, and more, the workforce stands ready to fuel growth across production sectors. Within a 30-minute drive, there are already over 47,000 employed in manufacturing-related occupations and 35,000 in transportation, warehousing, and logistics.
With the region eager to welcome new business into the area, the property also benefits from Pennsylvania's LERTA tax incentive program, which phases in real estate taxes on improvements over 10 years to encourage capital investment. Other programs, including the Foreign Trade Zone designation, the Job Creation Tax Credit Program, and PA Code 32.32, which allows businesses engaged in manufacturing and processing to take advantage of a sales tax exemption, will be available to eligible businesses.
River Pointe Commerce Park stands as a beacon of progress for revitalizing manufacturing in both the Lehigh Valley region and the United States as a whole.
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