Some 16 years after the midfield terminal opened at Pittsburgh International Airport, the economic development it was expected to spawn finally seems to be materializing.

The new plant German-based Flabeg will be opening next year in Findlay to manufacture cutting-edge parabolic solar mirrors is just one of a number of new developments being built on thousands of acres of county-owned land near the airport.

It was a long time coming.

Many officials, most notably the late Allegheny County Commissioner Tom Foerster, had pitched the $1 billion terminal construction, completed in 1992, as the key to unlocking the land to development.

But for nearly 14 years, that real estate sat largely undeveloped. It wasn't until 2006 that the county's Airport Authority, aided by a $7.5 million state grant, $5.5 million in tax increment financing and a $140,000 federal grant, broke ground on Clinton Commerce Park.

Less than three years later, the site, more than 100 acres in all, not only will house the Flabeg plant, but also is home to Knepper Press, which recently opened a 100,000-square-foot facility to house its printing press, creating 40 new jobs and retaining 105.

In addition, American Tire Distribution this fall is expected to move into a 200,000-square-foot warehouse built on speculation by the Buncher Co. under agreement with the airport authority. American Tire will occupy an estimated 90,000 square feet of the building.

At Clinton Commerce Park and others near the airport, the airport authority and state and local leaders have been plowing millions of dollars into the advancement of "shovel-ready sites," sites that already have utilities and access roads in place in anticipation of development.

In the case of Flabeg, the approach produced dividends. The firm is moving into a new product area where it already has orders for 600,000 units and needed to get its plant up and operating quickly.

"This event marks another milestone development of airport property," county Chief Executive Dan Onorato said last week. "Preparing shovel-ready land is the key to jump-starting development, stimulating job growth and attracting new businesses within the airport corridor and the surrounding area.

Findlay Supervisor Tom Gallant, who described the county's performance in developing airport land as "dismal" six years ago, said the progress recently has been "satisfactory to good."

While he said the airport authority has been "absolutely superb in trying to attract business," he believes there's more work to do.

In Mr. Gallant's view, too much of the development so far has been piecemeal. He said, for example, he would like to see more of what he sees when he travels to Vancouver -- a number of projects going up at the same time in the same place.

"That's when you know you've hit the jackpot as far as economic development," he said.

While southwestern Pennsylvania hasn't exactly been an economic hotbed lately, Mr. Gallant believes such development is possible near the airport because of a growing residential base and commercial projects like the Pointe and the Robinson Mall.

However, Randy Forister, the airport authority's senior director of development, said the rate and massing of development is largely dependent on the demand in the marketplace and the availability of funding to redevelop sites.

While he can't promise the multi-project, same-site building that Mr. Gallant envisions, he added he believes development will continue at a "fairly steady pace" in the years ahead.

Mr. Forister said the key so far in attracting business has been preparing shovel-ready sites. Without such ready-made parcels available, it could take companies as much as three years to get to construction.

Flabeg, on the other hand, hopes to finish its building by next spring.

Another "big boost," he said, was the decision by Buncher to construct its huge warehouse on speculation.

"They led the way in the marketplace. They said we believe in this and we think it will work. That was a huge step," he said.

With Flabeg's decision, more than half of the 100-acre Clinton Commerce Park is under development, and Mr. Forister said he has "some very significant interest" from a manufacturer he wouldn't identify that may want another 15 acres.

At the same time, work has started on the new Dick's Sporting Goods headquarters on another tract of county-owned land dubbed Northfield. The airport authority also has reached agreement with Dallas-based Trammel Crow Co. to build up to seven warehouses there.

The authority has started earthwork on the 90-acre parcel, aided by $5 million in tax increment financing, and expects to have it ready for development by spring.

It also has reached a deal with DiCicco Development to lease about half of 60 acres of county-owned land in Moon adjacent to the Cherrington office complex for a possible mix of tech, flex, medical and professional office space. Mr. Forister said the first building should be ready by early 2009.

"I think we've come a long way in the last three or four years," he said.