MONTGOMERY COUNTY — Montgomery County is moving forward with plans to build a new $45 million Job and Training Center at the vacant Forest Park site in Harrison Township.
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The 40-acre property previously housed a zoo, an amusement park, and the Forest Park Shopping Center.
Township leaders have spent years working to redevelop the vacant land, which will now serve as the permanent home for the county’s Jobs and Family Services and Workforce Development departments.
Montgomery County Administrator Michael Colbert explained that purchasing and modernizing the property were key factors in relocating from the existing facility.
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“We’re going to be able to modernize the facility, and we’re going to own the facility, which is one of the big pieces that we decided to move from the existing site to this site,” Colbert said.
Colbert also highlighted the unique nature of finding such a large parcel of open land within an urban setting.
“Location was key. I mean, where else can you find 40 acres of land that is vacant in the middle of the urban hub? It was just a no-brainer,” Colbert said.
The completed facility is expected to house approximately 1,000 jobs. Harrison Township Administrator Shannon Meadows noted that the concentration of workers and visitors will help spur broader economic activity in the community.
“A $45 million investment is nothing to sneeze at, but the stimulation of the economy from that investment and that concentration of employment and people coming to the center really drives market investment,” Meadows said.
Meadows added that local leaders anticipate surrounding commercial development will naturally follow the new influx of employees and visitors.
“You’re going to see that private development along the Main Street corridor and Shoot Mill that will follow the employees and the consumers who are provided services from the training center,” Meadows said.
The project is currently in the design phase.
The new Job and Training Center is scheduled to open in 2028.
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