Bechtel Plant Machinery expanding in Monroeville, adding jobs

Dillon G. Carr
Wednesday, July 12, 2017 6:45 p.m. | Wednesday, July 12, 2017 6:45 p.m.

The Elmhurst Group plans to build a 90,000-square-foot office buiding for Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. at this site off of Monroeville Boulevard near the post office. It will be next to Bechtel's existing office.

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Strip mall approved

Monroeville Council also approved site plans Tuesday for an 8,600-square-foot strip mall, Sherigar Pike Market, along Northern Pike Road next to the Wine & Spirits store.

The one-acre property, zoned business commercial, according to municipal records, is at 3837 Northern Pike, which currently houses a massage business and several houses.

Developer Manjunatha Sherigar of Ankitha LLC said the building will house multiple tenants for retail businesses.

Sherigar declined to comment on which retail businesses have expressed interest in the project. He expects construction to begin later this summer.

The project includes demolishing five buildings, two of which are vacant, according to Monroeville Open Records Officer Joe Cedlack. All of the buildings are owned by Ankitha LLC, Cedlack said.

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Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. is expanding its Monroeville operations, adding hundreds of jobs and a new 90,000-square-foot office building at 3500 Technology Drive to its existing facility.

Monroeville Council approved plans recently for the new structure, which is located next door to the Bechtel building behind the post office.

The company apparently will double its employment at the site, according to information from the council meeting.

Employment at the complex, including the current 179,000-square-foot Bechtel office, could grow over a five-year span to 1,200 BPMI workers. The plan includes additional parking spaces, for which the company has acquired seven acres.

Elmhurst Group, a Pittsburgh-based commercial real estate firm, represented BPMI and presented the plans to council Tuesday night.

Before voting unanimously, the council placed a special condition on BPMI: Stop using Jamison Lane.

BPMI employees apparently use Jamison, a residential street with access to the BPMI building, causing congestion.

Municipal attorney Robert Wratcher said the Allegheny County Redevelopment Authority has $6 million in funding to build an access road from Stroschein Road to BPMI.

“I think what we want from you, gentlemen, is a commitment ... You'll get off Jamison Lane and use (Stroschein Road) instead,” Wratcher said.

Elmhurst Group Director of Development Brian Miller said he would talk with BPMI.

“They've talked about that internally; I really can't speak on their behalf. We would be proactively working with them to get (Jamison Lane access) shut down,” Miller said.

BPMI declined to comment for this story.

According to its website, BPMI is a prime contractor for the United States Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, a research arm within the Department of Energy that was originally formed to develop atomic energy.

Bechtel Corp., BPMI's parent company, is a lead contractor for the Shell petrochemical plant in Beaver County.

Monroeville Community Planner and Zoning Officer Paul Whealdon III said construction on the new office building and the parking lot will likely begin in September.

Dillon G. Carr is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-871-2325, dcarr@tribweb.com or via Twitter @dillonswriting.