Lackawanna's Renaissance Commerce Park — the brownfield redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Steel site along Route 5 — is in the most active period of industrial construction in its history. Two separate projects are advancing on the 240-acre site managed by the Erie County Industrial Land Development Corporation (ILDC): a $77 million manufacturing campus for Deckorators/UFP Industries that was under construction in 2025, and a newly designated developer — J.G. Petrucci Company — preparing to break ground on a 200,000-square-foot Phase Two light manufacturing spec building. Taken together, these projects signal that the long-term vision for this former steelfield is materializing. The ECIDA describes the park as home to eight businesses and more than 400 employees as of the end of 2025.

UFP Industries / Deckorators: $77 Million First Northeast Manufacturing Campus

In March 2025, UFP Industries announced the acquisition of a 30-acre site at 300 Commerce Drive in Lackawanna for its Deckorators brand's first Northeast production facility. The $77 million investment includes a campus with approximately 240,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehousing space across two buildings — designed to double production capacity for the company's Surestone mineral-based composite decking product.

Construction began in April 2025. UFP Industries targeted operational status by year-end 2025 — an aggressive 8-month construction-to-operations timeline. The Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA) approved a tax incentive package for the project. The facility is expected to create approximately 60 jobs, including production, logistics, and administrative roles. UFP Industries (Nasdaq: UFPI) is a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based manufacturer with approximately $7 billion in annual revenue; the Lackawanna investment is part of a broader $250 million five-year plan to expand the Deckorators product line.

J.G. Petrucci Company: Phase Two Spec Building on 24 Acres

In January 2025, the ILDC unanimously selected J.G. Petrucci Company, a New Jersey-based industrial developer, as designated developer for a 23.7-acre parcel south of the Dona Street Extension — the first parcels in Phase Two of Renaissance Commerce Park. Petrucci committed to building at least 200,000 square feet of light manufacturing space, acquiring the land for $1.19 million.

The project was selected from three RFP applicants after a months-long review process. The ILDC's requirements were strict: the end-user must be a light manufacturing company with at least 150 employees, and the buildout must reach a minimum of 200,000 square feet. Land speculation projects were explicitly excluded. Petrucci has a 12-month window from closing to identify occupants, followed by 18 months to complete construction. The ECIDA's 2025 Year in Review confirms that Petrucci closed on the Phase 2 parcel purchase agreement and that construction will begin once a tenant is identified. Conversations with local and national brokers are underway.

The Broader Context: A 240-Acre Brownfield Coming to Life

Renaissance Commerce Park's transformation is the result of more than a decade of patient public investment. The ILDC completed the initial purchase of 150 acres in 2018. Since then, the site has attracted TMP Technologies (280,000 sq ft manufacturing, $22.7 million investment), Welded Tube (109,000 sq ft, $48 million), Uniland Development (spec warehouse), and Sucro Sourcing (sugar refinery expansion on 12 acres). More than $130 million in private investment has been committed since 2013, alongside nearly $40 million in public infrastructure investment by New York State, Erie County, ECIDA, the City of Lackawanna, and the federal government.

The site carries exceptional industrial development attributes: access to rail, deepwater Great Lakes port, Interstate highway proximity (minutes to the Peace Bridge to Canada), federal Opportunity Zone designation, New York State Brownfield Cleanup Program tax credits, New York Power Authority Hydropower Zone eligibility, and FAST NY Shovel Ready Certified Site status. Low-cost hydropower from Niagara Falls is a specific competitive advantage for energy-intensive manufacturers.

Why This Matters to the Construction Industry

Two simultaneous industrial construction projects on a brownfield site with complex remediation history represent meaningful work for general contractors, specialty contractors, and the regional subcontractor base. Industrial facilities in this scale range — 200,000 to 240,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space — typically involve tilt-up or pre-engineered steel construction, significant mechanical and electrical buildouts for manufacturing processes, concrete floors designed to industrial loading specifications, and dock/drive-in logistics infrastructure. The Deckorators project specifically involves a production facility for a composite material product, adding process-specific mechanical and utility demands to the standard industrial shell.

Brownfield construction also adds site-specific complexity. Phase II environmental work, foundation design around legacy contamination, and coordination with ongoing remediation monitoring are standard requirements for development on former steel plant properties. Contractors working in Lackawanna need to be familiar with these requirements.

Implications for Subcontractors and Labor

As Renaissance Commerce Park continues its expansion, it creates sustained demand for subcontractors in structural steel, concrete, roofing, site work, MEP, and specialty manufacturing fit-out. The park's multimodal access — rail, water, highway — also makes it attractive to tenants that require specialized utility connections and loading infrastructure. Erie County's prevailing wage requirements apply to much of the public-related work and infrastructure at the site. The 12-month tenant identification period for Petrucci means the formal construction procurement for Phase Two's spec building may not launch until mid-to-late 2026 at the earliest.

What to Watch Next

• J.G. Petrucci's announcement of a tenant for the Phase Two parcel — triggering the formal groundbreaking and construction procurement timeline.
• UFP Industries' confirmation of operational status at the Deckorators Lackawanna campus and any expansion announcements.
• ILDC's future RFP activity for remaining undeveloped parcels within the 240-acre site.
• Any expiration of Brownfield Cleanup Program tax credits — Erie County Executive Poloncarz, Mayor Ryan, and ECIDA officials have raised concerns about the 2036 deadline for those credits. ECIDA's press releases document this advocacy.

Bottom Line

Renaissance Commerce Park is not a future promise anymore. It is an active industrial construction site with two projects either complete or in pre-construction. The UFP Industries campus demonstrates that a major national manufacturer chose Lackawanna for its first Northeast facility — a validation of the site's competitive attributes. The Petrucci Phase Two designation confirms the park's momentum and expands the footprint of active redevelopment south of Dona Street. For contractors and subcontractors in the industrial construction sector, this site warrants regular attention over the next several years.

Sources

• UFP Industries Press Release — Lackawanna Facility Announcement, March 2025
• Buffalo Business First — Petrucci Phase Two Selection, January 2025
• ECIDA — 2025 Year in Review
• ECIDA — Renaissance Commerce Park Project Page
• Plastics Today — UFP Industries Expansion Coverage, April 2025
• Real Estate NJ — Petrucci Project Coverage, February 2025
• Invest Buffalo Niagara — Renaissance Commerce Park Site Brochure