The opening of a long-awaited “first of its kind” Walmart fulfillment center in Antrim Township next year will strengthen Franklin County’s role as an industrial and logistics hub on the East Coast, local leaders said this month. .
The facility, where Walmart will ship online orders to customers in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, will likely be the centerpiece of several distribution and manufacturing projects underway this year and continuing through 2024.
Plans are also underway to transform the three historic buildings into a mixed-use district that will include housing, retail space, local serviced offices and more.
Let’s take a look back at the big business moves of 2023 and get a glimpse of what’s to come in 2024.
A new kind of Walmart fulfillment center
It’s been three years since county deed records revealed that Walmart quietly purchased land for a growing business park near Exit 3 of Interstate 81. A year and a half passed before Walmart announced construction of a 1.5 million-square-foot building that would tower over the south end. The centerpiece of the growing industrial park will be a “high-tech next-generation” fulfillment center designed to improve the company’s shipping processes and shorten delivery times.
“Our new next-generation fulfillment center is Walmart’s first facility that will change the way online orders are shipped to customers,” said David Guggina, Walmart’s senior vice president of automation and innovation. “Our automated storage system and patent-pending five-step process not only improves employee comfort, but also doubles our storage capacity and the number of customer orders we can fulfill in a day. He also doubles.”
It would serve as a “bookend” to a fulfillment center near Shippensburg, a combination that would give Walmart its “largest distribution hub” in Franklin County, Franklin County Development Authority President Mike Ross said in a poll earlier this year. He spoke at
The Walmart facility will create more than 1,000 jobs.
The positions will be full-time, including new technology-focused positions such as controls technicians, quality audit analysts and flow managers, Walmart said. As of last week, Walmart’s career website listed most positions as “future hires” and 46 positions (40 of which are related to asset protection) as currently open. .
Most types of jobs pay between $20 and $26 an hour. Freight handlers earn between $19.95 and $23.45 an hour, according to the jobs page. Maintenance positions, which range from about $30 to $38 per hour, are the highest paying of the positions listed, including her five currently open positions.
The Walmart fulfillment center, located at 1915 Evert Spring Road in Greencastle, is one of four facilities announced by the company at the same time. The company identified proximity to Interstate 81 as a key factor in choosing Antrim Township, adding Walmart to a long list of companies locating in Franklin County for the same reason.
Building pressure:Interstate 81 continues to drive development in Franklin County
I-81 improvements:Franklin County identifies I-81 improvement priorities and time to address concerns.
Amazon opens recycling facility
Not far from Walmart, the country’s other e-commerce giant plans to open its own facility in Antrim Township.
The Amazon re:Cycle Reverse distribution facility is scheduled to open in April in a 550,000-square-foot building at the Matrix I-81 Distribution Center, according to the Franklin County Regional Development Corporation’s latest newsletter.
Re:Cycle aims to extend the life of used electronics through the process of reuse, repair and recycling. We specialize in valuable equipment such as data servers.
Amazon has a goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040, and recycling electronics is a key part of that goal.
Logistics center nearing completion
Two projects were underway this year in the Marion area of Antrim and Guilford townships near the Pennsylvania-Maryland border.
Both Phase 1 of State Line Logistics Park and Chambersburg Logistics Park are approximately 1 million square feet and can accommodate more than 200 trailer bays. His second 420,000-square-foot building is planned for Stateline Park.
Both projects included infrastructure improvements to make rural roads safe and suitable for commercial truck traffic.
Improvements to Greenmount Road, the primary access to State Line Logistics Park from Mason Dixon Road, are currently underway. Safety and traffic flow improvements at the Interstate 81 Exit 1 interchange include the addition of traffic lights on the southbound on- and off-ramps.
Most visible is the new right-turn lane on Pa. 914 (Swamp Fox Road), which connects I-81 and US 11 in Marion.
Both facilities were built with confidence that they would find tenants. Ross said this week that he was unaware of the agreements at both facilities. Each property has a marketing website to attract potential tenants.
Local short-term rental market:Beautiful views, activities and location boost Cumberland Valley Airbnb market
New opportunities at school facilities at Chambersburg Mall in Scotland
After a long and slow decline, Chambersburg Mall officially closed at the end of June after more than 40 years in business. Black Rose Antiques was the last tenant. AMC movie theaters closed in April.
FCADC has been working with property owner Namdar Realty Group to develop a master plan for the 127-acre property. It could include a mix of housing, commercial and retail space, healthcare, and other services.
“Namdar management is currently considering a consultant’s proposal to develop a master plan,” Ross said. “…it is reasonable to expect that the consultant selection will take place in the first quarter of 2024.”
A similar fate may await the former Scottish Veterans School.
This 170-acre site was until recently home to the Scottish Campus. This preparatory school, which was once attracting attention as a domestic powerhouse in baseball and basketball, closed earlier this year due to rent arrears and unpaid staff salaries.
Mr Ross said: “I am not at liberty to discuss the outlook, but there are active discussions taking place in Scotland and an announcement could be made before the end of the year.” “From what I currently know, it would be a very harmonious use for this land and the surrounding neighbors.”
Green Township zoning precludes the construction of warehouses on either site.
Chambersburg Area Prep School ClosedHow did the situation at the Scotland campus unravel?
Transformation begins at Southgate in Chambersburg
A Keystone Health Community Health Center will soon be built at Southgate Shopping Center, part of a long-term plan to redevelop the aging shopping center on Chambersburg’s west end into a mixed-use district. This will be the first project.
The three-story healthcare center offers a variety of medical services and support spaces. It is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Investors have until July 31st to submit proposals for the site, so it’s likely this will be the only project for a while.
After years of unsuccessful discussions about what to do with Southgate, the district purchased the 14-acre property using $4.1 million it received from the American Rescue Plan Act. The mixed-use district concept was developed with input from stakeholders.
Downtown Chambersburg grows to the west
Work on the west side expansion of Chambersburg’s downtown corridor will begin in earnest in 2024, with construction of a 300-seat amphitheater overlooking Conococheague Creek likely to begin in the spring. It hosts a variety of activities and can be an important space for the many festivals and other outdoor events held in Chambersburg each year.
“This is a big deal and we’re excited about it,” said Downtown Chambersburg President Sam Thrash.
The move to extend the downtown corridor to Lincoln Way West follows a recent revival along North Main Street and South Main Street.
more:Is Downtown Chambersburg more “exciting” than ever? Learn more
Oasis Cafe (21 N. Main St.), Golden Juniper Boutique (23 N. Main St.), Ruby Beauty Company (42 S. Main St.), Screaming Bambino Wines (47 D N. Main St.), Chasing Shadows Skateboards (67 N. Main St.) is one of the newest additions to downtown, and Thrash said he knows of several others opening in the near future. Vacant storefronts don’t last long these days, and residential units are popular, Thrash said.
Chambersburg lost a beloved business this fall with the closure of Liquid Art Brewing Company (formerly Roy Pitts). This old brick warehouse was home to a brewery and attached pub/restaurant for 15 years, and was also home to Mar Le Ni Dance Studio for 30 years before moving in last spring. , is attracting interest. Thrush said DCI will work with the building owner to fill the site.
Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.