Stonecrest Golf Course to remain open while plans for business park continue

NEW BEAVER, Pa. — The Stonecrest Golf Course will remain open through 2022 while its new owners plan a business park for the site off Route 18.

Pittsburgh-area developer John LaCarte confirmed the situation this week while discussing plans with Gannett Media for the property, which he took control of on March 1.

He said the project is now in the civil engineering, as well as the permitting phase, and looking to get utilities, such as sewage and water, to the site.

As previously reported, the goal of the project is to turn the golf course property into a business park for industrial, distribution and manufacturing businesses and companies, which would be a minimum of 130 acres.

LaCarte said he has already received inquiries from some large companies about moving into the space once it is completed.

He said the business park could have up to 1.5 million square feet of vertical construction space and could create up to 1,000 jobs.

While LaCarte couldn’t give a specific timeline of when everything will be done, he said he would like to finish all the permitting, engineering and outside utilities into the park by 2022, and to begin building the buildings on-site in spring 2023. As such, LaCarte said the golf course will remain open for all of 2022.

The total cost of the project is expected to be around $7.4 million.

Reason for choosing the location

LaCarte said he chose the location for the business park for a few reasons.

One of which is its general location to not only some major highways, but also to areas like Pittsburgh and Youngstown.

LaCarte said it also will be close to the Shell Chemicals complex in Potter Township, Beaver County, which is set to finish construction in 2022. He said once the cracker plant is complete, businesses will want to take advantage of access to a facility with such a large operation.

LaCarte said the project has gotten tremendous support from New Beaver, which approved a 10-year Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act (LERTA) abatement on the property; Lawrence County Commissioners; the Mohawk Area School District; the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce; and the Lawrence County Economic Development Corporation.

The latter helped secure $5 million in state Business in Our Sites funding – $3 million in loans and $2 million in grants.

Nicholas Vercilla is a staff reporter for the Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger. He can be reached at nvercilla@leadertimes.com. Beaver County Times reporter Chrissy Suttles contributed to this report.