[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by Spudmrg

2) Anyone have tips on Harrisburg City real estate? Someone has asked me about any decent homes that have parking (IE, not really downtown).

The Northern section of the city is one of my favorites (N 2nd, N. 3rd, etc.). Heck, even some of the rowhomes have off-street parking. Just look around and see if something jumps out at you.


More unnecessary sprawl. Hooray!!! What is it with this area and retail all of a sudden?!? I'm not complaing about the new things coming, of course that is a good thing. What I don't like is all of these stupid strip malls. Build a FEW big ones and be done with it...

*Of course I'd rather see something other then a strip mall, but if it must be, then a FEW is better then many scattered all about.


Swatara strip mall proposed for 2006

Center would have 2 anchor stores, freestanding sites

Friday, February 04, 2005
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

A Lancaster County developer and a Tennessee real estate company plan to open a $50 million shopping center on 43 acres behind the Wyndham Harrisburg-Hershey in Swatara Twp.

High Pointe Commons would house two anchor stores and several smaller stores, said H. Stephen Evans, retail division managing director of High Real Estate Group of Lancaster.

The project would include freestanding businesses such as restaurants and banks, he said. The 350,000-square- foot shopping center is expected to open in the fall of 2006, Evans said.

Evans would not disclose the names of any of the stores, but said the anchor tenants would be "probably national department stores."

"There is strong interest in having a supermarket," Evans said. "There also are five out-parcels which will have free-standing buildings."

As proposed, the shopping center would be a little more than half the size of Paxton Towne Center, which is 600,000 square feet, in Lower Paxton Twp.

Evans said High Real Estate Group and CBL & Associates Properties Inc. of Chattanooga, Tenn., have an agreement to buy the property from PPL Corp.

The property, which consists mostly of cornfields, was the site of a 21-acre corn maze shaped like the symbol of Children's Miracle Network to raise funds for that organization in 2002.

Swatara Twp. Manager Paul Cornell said that High Pointe Commons "will give people more shopping choices. Some people won't go to the discount stores, and the mall is going upscale. Some people don't want to travel on Route 22 and deal with the crowds there." [but what do you do after there are crowds in this area?!? ]

Evans said High Pointe Commons is needed "because the southeast quadrant of the East Shore isn't well served for the customer to have convenient access for retail shopping."

He said that Jonestown Road and Route 22 "has a great concentration" of retail shopping -- Colonial Park Mall, Colonial Commons and Paxton Towne Centre.

"Now, with the Harrisburg Mall and High Pointe Commons, there will be a complete array of shopping opportunities on this side, too."

The shopping center would provide the township with "a good tax base," Cornell said.

"The commercial tax base is very important in keeping residential real estate [tax] low," he said.

High Real Estate Group is a diversified company with steel, concrete and real estate divisions.

CBL is the fourth-largest mall real estate investment trust in North America and the largest owner of malls and shopping centers in the Southeast.

CBL owns, holds interest in or manages 173 properties, including 69 enclosed regional malls, in 28 states.

The shopping center would be bordered by I-283 to the west, Lindle Road to the south and Chambers Hill Road to the north.

Swatara Twp. Commissioner George Lebo said he supports building a grocery store in that area, "but it would be ridiculous to build a strip mall when this area has so many stores around already."

Cornell and Evans said that the developers already have taken the project to the Swatara Twp. Planning Commission.

"They are now in the redesign phase to make the plan comply with township ordinances," Cornell said.

The plan must comply with both the township planners and the Dauphin County Planning Commission.

Then the township board of commissioners would consider it during a public meeting.

Evans said the main entrance off Lindle Road would go through the Wyndham property, necessitating the tearing down of the multilevel parking garage.

He said that Chambers Hill Road would be considered "the back door."

Evans said he hopes to break ground this summer and complete the project by the following fall.