Community Area New Development Organization - CAN DO - Hazleton, PA

CANDO, Inc., is a non-profit industrial/economic development corporation serving Greater Hazleton in Northeastern Pennsylvania, which includes portions of Luzerne, Schuylkill and Carbon counties. The Hazleton area is bordered on the west by Columbia County, east by the Lehigh River, north by Wilkes-Barre, and south by upper Schuylkill and Carbon counties.

For half a century, CANDO has been growing the economy of Pennsylvania’s Greater Hazleton Area region by developing industrial sites. CANDO was formed in 1956 by Dr. Edgar L. Dessen and other community leaders.  Their objective was to diversify employment opportunities when the coal industry, the mainstay of the area economy, crashed as America turned to alternate heating fuels. In the 50 years since its founding, CANDO has developed over 3,500 acres as industrial parks, created 20,000 new jobs and increased the area payroll by $240 million.

BIA has been providing a range of engineering, surveying, environmental, and construction phase services to CANDO in the development of new projects since the late 1990s. Several projects are listed below.

HUMBOLDT INDUSTRIAL PARK NORTHWEST

Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

This 380-acre site along Route 924 in Hazle Township is highly accessible to Interstates 81 and 80, which are the transportation links to approximately half the US population who live within a 300 mile drive of the site, making it an excellent location for the logistics industry.

BIA conducted a Phase I Environmental study and a Wetland study of the site and prepared a master plan for an industrial park which recommended infrastructure and building sizes.

BIA subsequently prepared a feasibility study for the proposed park, examining options for rail service to serve selected parcels.

BIA services included:

• A layout plan for rail tracks
• The preparation of preliminary grading plans
• An opinion of probable costs for both the construction of the rail line and cut-fill for a building
• The preparation of a sketch plan for the rail service option

BIA also prepared an alternative plan without rail access that examined:

• The maximum building size for a particular parcel
• The preparation of a preliminary rough grading plan to establish an approximate finished floor elevation for the building
• An opinion of the construction cost of the cut-fill required  to create a suitable building site

HARWOOD INNOVATION SITE

Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

This prime acreage on Route 924 near the Interstate 81 interchange was scarred from decades of surface mining. In preparation to reclaim the land for redevelopment, CANDO engaged BIA to prepare boundary and topographic surveys, conduct wetland studies, prepare a grading plan, and provide construction phase services in the regrading of the site.

DESSEN DRIVE MASTER PLAN

Hazle Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania

BIA prepared a master plan for a 22-acre parcel on the south side of Dessen Drive to create a gateway presence for the Valmont Industrial Park in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. BIA’s scope of services included:

• A review of municipal zoning and subdivision ordinances to determine applicable lot dimension standard, building setback requirements, roadway standards, and any other pertinent information pertinent to successful development.
• Preparation of two preliminary Conceptual Layout Plans including internal traffic patterns, highway access, rail access, and parcel size.
• Investigate options of sanitary sewer, water, gas, electric service, and stormwater detention.
• Client meetings to review the Conceptual Layout Plans; preparation of the final Conceptual Layout Plan based upon the client’s input.