LACKAWANNA, N.Y. — ​The 240-acre site on Dona Street will now be home to a new 150,000 square foot distribution and advanced manufacturing facility.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says he never thought the old site could be repurposed the way it has. As a Lackawanna native, he is proud to see major developments take shape in his hometown.

"If you’re old enough to remember like I did, my father worked here," Poloncarz said. "If you’re old enough to remember, where we are standing was not vacant land for decades. This was former bar mills and strip mills and all other ancillary buildings associated with the Bethlehem Steel site. There are a lot of folks that though it would never get done. It has gotten done. And right now, you are seeing still the beginning. In some ways, it’s the end of the beginning, but it is not the end because I know the best is yet to come."  

So far, the Renaissance Park Redevelopment Project has cost $25 million. And almost another $10 million will be spent on other improvements.

The manufacturing hub is expected to open next summer.