Company to build warehouses in foreign-trade zone

Pittsburgh International Airport's efforts to develop its cargo business advances today when a Dallas-based developer breaks ground on warehouses in the foreign trade zone, officials said.

Trammell Crow Co. will announce its PIT International LogisticsCentre, a 90-acre industrial park where it plans to build as many as seven warehouses, said airport senior development director Randy Forister. He said he did not know if the company has secured tenants for the properties.

Officials at Trammell Crow's Cranberry office did not immediately return a call seeking comment. More details are expected during a 12:30 p.m. news conference at the airport's cargo facilities.

The site's location in a foreign trade zone means tenants could import goods to the warehouses, assemble or repackage them on site, and not pay tariffs until the finished goods are trucked to U.S. markets, Forister said.

Local officials in recent years have touted the possibility of bringing direct air cargo service from China to develop logistics jobs around the airport. Those efforts continue, Forister said.

"We also plan to continue outreach into European countries," home to many of the state's largest trading partners, he said.

The LogisticsCentre is adjacent to the airport's northern runway at its Northfield site. Dick's Sporting Goods also is building its headquarters there.

Source: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/