HERMITAGE, Pa. - The City of Hermitage has received a land development plan that includes a 250,000 sq. ft. FedEx distribution center facility. 

The site is currently Tam O' Shanter golf driving range as well as two other parcels that are being consolidated for development. 

The development plan will be reviewed by the Hermitage Planning Commission during a April 4, 2022 meeting. 

According to a statement released by FedEx, the company chose Hermitage due to proximity to the highways, customers' distribution centers and the local workforce for employee recruitment. 

The full statement reads below: 

"FedEx Ground has entered into a lease agreement on a new, 250,000 square-foot distribution center on Hermitage Road in Hermitage that is expected to be operational in 2023. The new facility will employ a mix of full and part-time team members. The company also will contract for package pickup and delivery services with service provider businesses that hire locally for driver, helper, manager and other positions. We continue to experience significant package volume due to e-commerce growth and are optimizing the capacity of our network to meet growing demand for our services. The site was chosen because of its ease of access to major highways, proximity to customers' distribution centers and a strong local community workforce for recruiting employees."

Hermitage City Manager Gary Hinkson has been working with project developer Scannell Properties over the past year on this project. 

"About a year ago we were contacted by a site selection firm who told us that Hermitage was in the running," adding that he didn't know which company was building the facility at that time. "We shared some information about the community and were later notified that we were the site, then began some dialogue with the developer."

"We are excited about this announcement. It is great news for the City of Hermitage and the region, and we want to welcome FedEx Ground to Hermitage and thank them for this significant investment in our community," says Hinkson. 

Hinkson tells 21 News Hermitage is promoted as an asset for businesses to relocate, stating that it is "central to a lot of the business conducted around the region and across the country."

Hinkson also tells us he believes that this new addition to the city can produce a significant amount of jobs. "With a project this size...there will be spinoff jobs related to the work they do," he said. "There will probably be jobs during the construction and support jobs going forward."