26-01-2025
Warehousing project on mine-scarred land in Mayfield, Archbald on track to begin this year
A $110-million-plus project to build nearly 1.4 million square feet of warehouses on former mine land above the Casey Highway in Mayfield and Archbald is closer to materializing.
Century Development Associates owner Mark Powell expects to begin work on his proposed Century Logistics Center during the second quarter of 2025, reclaiming about 87 acres of mine-scarred land and making way for two warehouses across the 230.4-acre site just off Exit 5 on the Casey Highway at the end of Rushbrook Street.
To pay for the mine reclamation, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced in September 2023 that it would award Mayfield $14.97 million through its Abandoned Mine Lands and Acid Mine Drainage Grant Program to remediate the site ahead of the development. Mayfield applied for the funding on behalf of the Reading-based Century Development Associates.
Mayfield is now working to finish the paperwork on the grant, which comes from the federal government administered through the state, said grant administrator and former Councilman Ron Ryczak.
'It's a paperwork process at this point that we're trying to get squared away,' Ryczak said. 'The developer is keen on getting this done ASAP … so we want to make sure we have everything lined up.'
The funding itself is already locked in, with the borough receiving final grant approval, Mayor Al Chelik said.
The process of filling in the defunct mines is to essentially blast away the rock down to the level of the coal vein, putting the now-fragmented material back and compacting it, said Ryczak, who previously worked for the DEP's Bureau of Abandoned Mines for more than three decades.
According to a DEP grant summary for the project, there were two coal seams that were historically deep mined on the site: the Top Clark and Clark beds, with a 16-acre area covering a portion of the Clark mine that is considered a potential subsidence zone. In addition to reclaiming the mines, other work includes removing spoil piles, backfilling pits and excavating high walls, according to the DEP.
Powell said he is now waiting for his National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit, or NPDES permit, from the Lackawanna County Conservation District, which he hopes to receive during the second quarter of the year.
'The minute that permit hits my hand, we're going to be breaking ground,' Powell said.
Powell plans to build two warehouses — one in Archbald and one in Mayfield. If the reclamation work starts on time, Powell wants to begin construction of a 646,380-square-foot warehouse on the Archbald portion of the property in the fall, followed by construction of a 745,200-square-foot warehouse in Mayfield during the first or second quarters of 2026.
He estimates the entire project will cost between $110 million and $120 million, creating 500 to 700 jobs across the two buildings, with pay ranging from $20 to $40 an hour and most jobs being in the $20 to $30 range.
Powell could not comment on potential tenants in the warehouses, though he said, 'I don't think there's been a month go by where we haven't had inquiries about our two buildings. There's a lot of interest.'
He sees his logistics center as part of a growing warehousing trend in Northeast Pennsylvania. In less than a decade, developers and warehousing giants have increasingly turned to Lackawanna County to develop new warehouses, including Amazon opening warehouses in Jessup and Olyphant, as well as online pet retailer Chewy opening another in Archbald.
Powell pointed to the region's workforce and its proximity to multiple major highways. Because it is located along the Casey Highway, his logistics park will keep the wear-and-tear of the traffic out of the towns and on the highway system, he said.
'In the next 10 years, (Lackawanna) County is going to look very, very different,' Powell said, adding that he's had home builders contact him interested in building 400 to 500-home communities. 'You can go anywhere you want in the country on those highways. It gets you there faster.'
Citing U.S. Department of Commerce reports, Powell estimated the warehouses will contribute $200 million per year of goods and services and noted the tax revenue they will provide to their host municipalities.
The warehouses will have a large economic impact on the borough, which has an annual budget of just over $1 million, Chelik said.
Although a 10-year Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance term will reduce how much the property owner initially pays on improvements to the land, Chelik pointed to other taxes including local services and earned income taxes.
'These warehouses are going to be a boon to Mayfield,' he said. 'No question.'
