OK, Churchill, now what?
On Thursday, Amazon announced it won’t use the former George Westinghouse Research and Technology Park as a new warehouse and distribution facility.
It was an anticipated $300 million investment that brought about passionate debate from locals.
Churchill council approved the project — expected to generate up to $11 million in annual tax revenue — by a vote of 5-2 after 55 hours of testimony at public hearings and more than a year of back-and-forth with the planning commission.
But the rosy picture of increased income and jobs didn’t assuage concerns about the possible negative impacts on the area for residents. An opposition group, Churchill Future, was outspoken about those downsides. They even challenged the project in Allegheny County Court, claiming it failed to meet requirements for zoning such as noise and traffic impacts.
Those opponents are pleased with the withdrawal of the project by Texas company Hillwood Development.
“We’re very happy. It doesn’t surprise me because we fought so hard. We raised money for an attorney. We took them to court,” Nicole Phillips said.
But what happens next? Not for Amazon, which can afford to put a facility anywhere it wants and was doubtless not intimidated by the idea of one crowd-funded lawyer. Amazon had $469 billion in sales in 2021, with plenty of those smile-logoed boxes ending up on Southwestern Pennsylvania doorsteps. There is talk of a facility being located near the New Stanton exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which might mean the Churchill project just wasn’t the best option for the company’s needs.
No, the real question is what happens next for Churchill? It isn’t like the property has been deluged with other multimillion-dollar offers over the years.
That doesn’t mean that the people of Churchill — or any other community — have to accept a proposal that goes against what they believe are their local needs or character. Far from it.
But it does mean that there is more to looking to the future and protecting the present than simple opposition. Not in my backyard is a childish answer that stomps its feet and holds its breath. A grown-up response has a plan and next steps.
The project’s opponents should accept the challenge not just of stopping the development, but finding new ways to build jobs and increase tax revenue by brainstorming the kind of economic development they believe would better define their area and then outlining a way to go get those projects and make them reality.
