MVEDP obtains former Philipsburg Hospital site for new commerce park

PHILIPSBURG — The Moshannon Valley Economic Development Partnership now owns the former Philipsburg Area Hospital property located in Rush Township, officials announced recently.

The partnership closed on the acquisition March 27, said Rusty Christoff, president of the partnership.

“We purchased the property from the state’s taxpayers for the appraised price of $150,000,” Christoff said. “The staff worked closely with officials of the Pennsylvania Department of General Services to get the deal closed. The official name of the site is now the Philipsburg Area Commerce Park.”

“Ever since we first learned three years ago that there might be an opportunity to buy the property, the partnership wanted to add the site to our inventory of ready-to-go sites,” said Stan LaFuria, executive director of the partnership.

LaFuria credited the work of state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Bellefonte, and Alan Walker, former secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development. They were able to get the Department of General Services to budget the money for the demolition of the hospital buildings, he said.

Once the buildings were down and the site cleared, it was state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-State College, who steered the project through General Services, LaFuria said.

According to LaFuria, the partnership has taken on a $117,395 loan, with a 15-year term, through the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority for the purchase of the property.

“The attractiveness of the state loan funding is the patience that they allow with the repayment,” he said. “No payment is due for two years, and then for years three through five, only interest is owed each month. This program gives the local economic development organization some time to find a buyer for the land in the Commerce Park.”

The Philipsburg Area Commerce Park is 14.79 acres. A buyer can purchase a 1-acre lot or the entire site. The site is served by all infrastructure, including natural gas.

Rush Township has zoned the site commercial/office. The site continues to have the Keystone Opportunity Zone designation, which offers added incentive for buyers interested in the site.

“The partnership still has four lots remaining to sell in our Moshannon Valley Regional Business Park,” said LaFuria. “Those four lots total only 11 acres, so we knew that we needed to start looking for other properties. Without sites, it is much more difficult to assist existing businesses with their projects and to attract outside business to the area.

‘We are very fortunate at the partnership to have two multi-tenant buildings, a business park site, a revolving loan fund program, and now the new Philipsburg Area Commerce Park that we can use to help stimulate new private investment in the Philipsburg/Moshannon Valley region.”