Developer Rod Piatt in front of the old Western Psychiatric Hospital building, which lies on part of 217 acres set to become Southpointe II.

If you crave the convenience of having shopping, dining and entertainment options within walking distance from your home, watch out for the arrival of Southpointe II.

Currently under development by the Washington County Redevelopment Authority, Southpointe II is a $200 million, mixed-use development that will provide office space, retail shopping, restaurants and educational and cultural opportunities for all who live and work in Cecil Township.

Horizon Properties has been involved in the Southpointe II project from its inception, and its founder and president, Rod Piatt, was instrumental in overseeing the development of Southpointe in the 1980s.

Southpointe, which currently houses more than 150 corporation and 6,500 employees is one of the most successful business parks in Pennsylvania, according to State Sen. Barry Stout. He predicts similar success for Southpointe II.

“It’s the future of Washington County,“ he says.

By building upon the success of Southpointe I, Southpointe II should bring more than jobs to the area — it will be among the first steps taken in re-establishing a lifestyle that has been denied to the commuter crowd.

“We coined the phrase, ‘Live, work and play at Southpointe’ when we initially did the marketing for Southpointe I 15 years ago,” says Piatt. “And that thought process still plays into today’s time, because people want shorter commutes to work, they want to work in a safe environment, and they want to be able to shop and [play] and dine in places that are close by.”

The first 60,000 sq. ft. office building at Southpointe II is currently under construction and will be available for occupancy later this year, says Piatt, noting that USG Insurance Services is the anchor tenant for this building.

“We also have an agreement with the Washington County Authority to design and build a residential community that is part of this property,” he adds. Consisting of about 50 acres, The Villages of Southpointe will offer single- and multi-family homes and patio home units. In partnership with Howard Hanna Realtors, the goal is to get site plan approval from local municipalities this spring so that construction can begin this summer.

“Pittsburgh has been behind the times to a certain extent,” Piatt acknowledges, “but many of these retail lifestyle complexes are running and highly successful in other parts of the country. There’s not a better place to do that than at Southpointe.”