HARRISBURG-LANCASTER-LEBANON-YORK | South Central, PA | Regional Development Thread

[EastSideHBG]

New office complex to tie in with college

Thursday, January 25, 2007
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

The midtown campus of Harrisburg Area Community College won't open until late this year, but it's already spawning development in the area.

A 65,000-square-foot office and retail complex proposed at North Third and Reily streets was hailed yesterday as a direct result of the HACC expansion.

Developer Thomas Powers of Powers & Associates in Harrisburg said first-floor retail space in the $11 million building would be tailored to serve HACC students with amenities such as cafes, sandwich and pizza shops, a gym and day-care businesses.

The three upper floors of the building, to be known as Campus Square, would be devoted to office space.

"Demand is very strong right now, and we expect to be fully occupied in a very short period of time," added Doug Neidich, chairman of Powers & Associates. "We are confident this area of midtown will grow significantly in the coming years."

The property at 1426 N. Third St. is the site of the former Baker Garage, which would be razed. It is directly across Reily Street from the former Evangelical Press building, which is being renovated by Powers & Associates to become part of the new HACC campus. That 125,000-square-foot project is to become the center for HACC's building and trade programs. It is expected to bring more than 2,500 students to midtown each day beginning next fall.

In addition, several residential construction projects are under way in the area, including Capitol Heights, Marketplace, Olde Uptown and Governor's Square.

"The midtown corridor is quickly becoming Harrisburg's new hot spot for retail, commercial and residential development," Mayor Stephen R. Reed said.

Powers said demolition work should begin within the next two months, and Campus Square is expected to be completed by the summer of 2008.

[EastSideHBG]

HARRISBURG UNDER CONSTRUCTION

BOOMTOWN

Developers cash in on city's fertile ground

Friday, January 26, 2007
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

A university tower, a community college annex, a riverside condo building, two hotels, three office buildings and scores of residential units.

It all adds up to what some are calling a historic building boom in Harrisburg.

"We are entering a new high in terms of economic development, no question about it," Mayor Stephen R. Reed said. "The volume is at the highest level in over 50 years. This is the highest level since the pre-World War II period in Harrisburg."

But what's driving all that growth?

City officials and real estate developers said the reasons are numerous.

First, there are some trends that seem to be working in favor of midsized cities like Harrisburg.

Baby boomers looking to reduce their living space but improve their amenities, entertainment and enjoyment are eyeing urban town houses and condos.

This was a motivation for a $20 million project to develop the Tracy Mansion on the 1800 block of North Front Street into a restaurant and up to 40 condos, with units starting at $300,000.

"I think the trend of people rediscovering their cities, wanting to be part of their cities and invest in their cities will continue," said J. Alex Hartzler, who is behind two city projects -- a hotel at Second and State streets and an 85-home residential project in midtown.

Hartzler started out rehabilitating town houses one at a time in the late 1990s and watched as the market grew.

"We have been doing residential rehab work in the city for several years and know there is a strong market for modern homes in historic neighborhoods," he said. "The homes we have completed to date sell very quickly, so we know the buyers are out there."

Spinoff benefits:

For Reed, the success is the result of decades of work that has reached critical mass and is feeding from its own momentum -- often with private leadership and financing in the forefront.

When Reed began trying to resuscitate the city in 1982, trying to advance any project was like pushing a boulder up a mountain, he said.

Reed said he's finally reached the top and the rock is rolling downhill.

Among the current spate of projects, spinoff effects can be seen.

For example, it is less likely that two hotels would be proposed for opposite ends of the 200 block of State Street if it weren't for the nearby South Street parking garage.

Both hotels -- the Starwood Aloft on North Second Street and the Cosmopolitan in the existing Barto building on North Third Street -- have contracts with the 750-space city garage, and it's not finished yet.

The hotels' proximity to Restaurant Row, the city's strip of nightclubs, restaurants and bars, is expected to create more opportunities. Also, it sure doesn't hurt that the Capitol is right across Third Street.

Likewise, a 65,000-square-foot office and retail complex announced this week for North Third and Reily streets was hailed as a result of the adjacent expansion of Harrisburg Area Community College's midtown campus.

Developer Thomas Powers, of Powers & Associates in Harrisburg, said the $11 million building's first-floor retail space would support and serve HACC students, and the three stories of office space above might be tied-in with the technology and trade programs HACC will teach next door.

City officials and business leaders are pinning their hopes on Harrisburg University's planned downtown tower to be the next Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Restaurant Row, Strawberry Square or Hilton Harrisburg in terms of its spinoff benefits.

The transformative power of the $73 million, 16-story academic center at Fourth and Market streets lies with the students and staff it will lure downtown, officials said. The tower is to be connected to Strawberry Square and feature street-level retail of its own.

Development overdrive:

Harrisburg has hit development overdrive at the same time the city's been beset by budget problems.

Last fall, Harrisburg faced a $13.8 million budget deficit, forcing layoffs, borrowing and tax increases.

Yet, Harrisburg continues to draw investment from developers familiar with the city, as well as those taking a risk for the first time.

Developers such as Hartzler, Powers and Vartan Enterprises all have projects in the current boom.

By contrast, Jules Patt gained a reputation building shopping centers and hotels all over the mid-Atlantic region, but never in Harrisburg. Yet, the Hollidaysburg developer said he couldn't resist the city he visited and loved as a boy as the site of his hotel planned at Third and State streets.

"We are very excited about coming to Harrisburg," he said. "Our capital city is well-positioned for extensive future growth."

In fact, all the development should help the city, replenishing its coffers with fresh tax revenues.

"I've always said, 'we need more people living in Harrisburg,'" said Hartzler, who's gauging the success of residential projects as the key to a lasting city development boom.

"That will be people voting with their feet, to come here and live here," Hartzler said. "If that is sustained, I think you will see Harrisburg take things to the next level."

Reed said there's plenty more growth in store, such as a $100 million project for a federal courthouse. The Department of General Services has relaunched its site search and might announce a list of alternatives soon.

[EastSideHBG]

My response on another forum, thought I would share here too:


This is all great news, but Harrisburg needs some new residential buildings downtown for sure.

And not trying to be negative here because any development is great for HBG, but is any of this stuff really *that* worthwhile? HACC's new campus is great because it will bring people into Midtown, but I never quite understood this concept because if you go down a "few" blocks, what do you have? HACC's main campus. It's too bad HBG couldn't have lured something else because it could be known as a college town in a sense with HACC, Sci-Tech, and whatever other school all within its limits.

My question will always remain: what about the entertainment, the shopping, etc., to go with all of these projects? It can be argued that this will bring those but I have yet to see that happen in HBG. Harrisburg has always been very heavy on the commerce side of things, and that is what makes it so drab IMO. Unemployment is really low and so is the cost of living, and that is definitely one thing I enjoyed about the place. But being bored to tears week after week got really old, and I know for a fact this is why many people leave the area. "It's only what you make it..." can only go but so far when you have limited options. Until the day comes when I stop hearing people say, "HBG is great because of the location and I can spend most of my time in other cities," I won't be satisfied.

Harrisburg has A LOT of potential in this dept. and I wish someone would step up to the plate and do something grand. The Superclub (LOL) site would've been great for a Station Square, Penns Landing, Harbor Place, etc., type of development. Instead, we get another sub-par office complex...

[EastSideHBG]

LOL here we go again! On the bright side, it looks as if the GSA is FINALLY listening to reason and looking at sites in the Northern and Southern Gateway projects.


Ten Possible Sites for New Federal Courthouse

Tuesday January 30, 2007

Harrisburg - The U.S. General Services Administration is moving forward in the site selection process for a new federal courthouse in Harrisburg, and has released a list of 10 possible locations. The sites were narrowed down from a list of 30 to 40 locations GSA was considering in December.

Last year, GSA had picked three possible sites for the new federal courthouse, and announced the Cumberland Court Apartments at North 6th and Verbeke Streets was its preferred location. In October however, GSA decided it did not want to relocate the 100 low-income families who live at Cumberland Court, and began the search for a site all over again.

The new list of possible sites include:

- South Front and Sycamore Street
- Eastern corner of 2nd and Paxton Streets
- Western corner of 2nd and Paxton Streets
- North 6th and Reily Streets
- Maclay and Cameron Streets
- Scottish Rite Cathedral, North 3rd and Wiconisco Streets
- 3rd and Pine Streets
- 2nd and Locust Streets
- 7th and Boas Streets
- Dauphin County Administration Building, 2nd and Market Streets

GSA will hold an open house where the public can learn more about the federal courthouse project and the site selection process. The meeting will be held February 21st from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 23 South Second Street in Harrisburg, in Ballrooms A and B.

Questions, comments, and suggestions regarding the new courthouse can be sent to:

U.S. General Services Administration
Attention: Abby Low, Project Manager
20 N. 8th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Email: HarrisburgCourthouse@gas.gov

[EastSideHBG]

Harrisburg is so ghetto! LOL This is the second time in a few years something like this has happened!


HARRISBURG

Council members cited after sparring

Council members spar after meeting
Thursday, February 01, 2007
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

Harrisburg City Council committee meetings are typically dry affairs in which members plunge into the minutiae of proposed laws and pending actions.

But Tuesday night's administrative committee session to interview seven prospective members for the Harrisburg Authority ended not with bills bound for passage, but with two council members cited with summary harassment offenses.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriot...860.xml&coll=1

*************

BISHOP McDEVITT'S FUTURE

Leaving town?

Diocese begins search for potential relocation sites

Thursday, February 01, 2007
BY DIANA FISHLOCK, JUDITH PATTON, MARY WARNER AND MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

The prospect of Bishop McDevitt High School leaving its historic Harrisburg location looms closer today as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg searches for 50-acre sites to which it might relocate the school.

All options remain open, including staying at 2200 Market St., until the diocese knows what land is available and how much money it could raise, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades said yesterday.

http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriot...400.xml&coll=1

[EastSideHBG]

HARRISBURG

Reed touts 5 of 10 sites eyed for federal courthouse

Thursday, February 01, 2007
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

When federal officials chose Cumberland Court apartments in 2004 as the site for a new federal courthouse, Harrisburg Mayor Stephen R. Reed opposed uprooting more than 100 low-income families.

The General Services Administration subsequently decided not to build there.

This week, the GSA proposed 10 nonresidential sites, and Reed found half of them acceptable.

The GSA plans to replace the federal courthouse at Walnut and Locust streets by 2012, largely to meet security requirements. The new courthouse is expected to be six to 14 stories high and have eight courtrooms.

Reed said two proposed sites at Second and Paxton streets, near Interstate 83 exit ramps, could "jump-start the southern gateway [revitalization] project." Those sites are 2.2 acres and 4.3 acres, respectively.

He also spoke favorably of a 2-acre site at the northwest corner of Seventh and Boas streets occupied by an M&T Bank branch and the Penn State Harrisburg Eastgate campus; a vacant 2.4-acre site at the northeast corner of North Sixth and Reily streets, across from Bethesda Mission; and the 4.1-acre site of the Scottish Rite Cathedral at North Third and Wiconisco streets

"All of these areas are largely empty," Reed said. "If a courthouse is built in one of those areas, it could induce major economic development. The tax money lost from most of these sites would be very small. Some are tax-exempt, like the PinnacleHealth parking lot at Second and Paxton streets."

The mayor said he "vigorously opposes any effort of the federal government to dislocate a slew of businesses and residences and take their tax-based property."

Reed said one proposed location, the site occupied by the Dauphin County Administration Building at South Second and Market streets, would not be economically sound because the county spent $17 million to renovate the former Mellon Bank building. That amount would have to be reimbursed, he said.

"I don't put much stock in the other sites either," he said. Those are the southeast corner of North Second and Locust streets, the Payne-Shoemaker building at Third and Pine streets, South Front and Sycamore streets, and the southwest corner of Maclay and Cameron streets.

[klingy04]

Check out this website. Thought it was pretty interesting. I'll be anxious to see if this happens. It would be more good news for midtown.

www.harrisburgarts.com

[EastSideHBG]

Only in America is sprawl referred to as "first class".


SWATARA TWP.

Building boom shakes up township
Construction at mall, TecPort center revitalizes area, officials say

Monday, February 05, 2007
BY MARY KLAUS
Of The Patriot-News

One's for business. One's for pleasure.

TecPort Phase Three and the Great Escape Theatre complex under construction along Route 441 in Swatara Twp. have been catching the attention of commuters each night.

"Both of these developments are bringing a lot of life to that area," said Larry Bekelja, president of the Swatara Twp. commissioners. "They're first class."
Advertisement


The Great Escape Theatre, which will have 14 screens and is expected to open in November, is part of the second round of renovations at the Harrisburg Mall.

TecPort Phase Three, the final phase of the TecPort Business Center 3, includes construction of seven office buildings on a 33-acre part of the complex bordered by Chambers Hill Road and Route 441. The TecPort Business Center, developed by Crossgates Inc., is a 102-acre business park on the former AMP Inc. property.

The main "building boom" for the third phase will begin in the spring, said Diane E. Voda, Crossgates' vice president. The company has begun construction of the main road for the section, called Portview Drive.

"Sixty percent of the lots already have been sold," she said, adding that the buildings will contain offices and a beauty school. "We're finishing the road and the sewer and storm water facilities first."

The third phase will also include a walking trail connected to the Harrisburg Greenbelt and other trails in the business park, she said.

TecPort's first two phases include Capital BlueCross, Commerce Bank, Computer Aid, Crossgates Inc., K&W Engineers/Consultants, Masco Construction Inc., GTECH Corp., Faulkner Nissan, Health America, the Trane Co., the U-Grow Learning Center, the Homewood Suites, Sheetz and several restaurants.

The Hilton Garden Inn, under construction in TecPort Phase Two just south of Homewood Suites, is expected to open in the spring.

Swatara Twp. administrator Paul Cornell and Bekelja praised Crossgates for creating "a huge success story" in the township.

"When AMP pulled out, it took 2,500 jobs," Cornell said. "Crossgates came here with a vision and created TecPort. Now, we have 3,600 jobs here and will have closer to 5,000 when this third phase is done. It's a wonderful development."

Bekelja credited TecPort with "starting a development boom in that area."

"After AMP and Tyco and before TecPort, that area was a green field," Bekelja said. "When TecPort started, it brought back life to the mall, too, even though they're not related. Now, Swatara Twp. is moving in the right direction."

The Great Escape Theatre, being built along the Route 441 side of the mall between Macy's and Boscov's, "will be more than just a place to see a movie," said Larry Feldman, chairman and CEO of Harrisburg Mall owner Feldman Mall Properties Inc.

In July, officials broke ground for the theater complex, which will add 60,000 square feet to the mall. Three weeks later, construction began.

The theater is being built on 80 concrete and steel piers so the mall can keep its 4,300 parking spaces.

The 14 theaters, ranging from 90 to 450 seats, will have stadium seating, rocking high-back chairs and love seats, wall-to-wall screens, digital projection systems and surround sound, high ceilings, marble floors and plush drapes, said Mark Nobile, the Harrisburg Mall's manager.

Feldman said that the theater "will be the only one of its kind in 100 miles."

"It will be part of our entertainment zone at the mall, which, we hope, creates the feeling of a town center," Feldman said. "Shoppers who have given up on this mall and left should come back and see what we've done."

[wrightchr]

^ it's not traditional sprawl Dave...in any sense of the word. but I see your point. I think what is going on at TecPort and the Harrisburg Mall is great...turning largely vacant undeveloped land and a depressing mall into economic boosters for the region. This is infill development at it's best IMO. what you see happening just a couple miles away across I-283 is a completely different story.

on another note, i'm really impressed with the GSA's site selection. they really have a few great possibilities here. personally, i'm hoping for something DT, near or inside the southern gateway.

[Austinlee]

Are there any plans for residential mid rises or high rises in downtown Harrisburg anytime soon? If not, do you think eventually DT will start to build up instead of out? I just wonder how long it will be until Pennsylvania's capital city begins to look more like a large, multi-industry city as opposed to the relatively large metro but small feeling city that it has been.

[wrightchr]

Originally Posted by PA Pride

Are there any plans for residential mid rises or high rises in downtown Harrisburg anytime soon? If not, do you think eventually DT will start to build up instead of out? I just wonder how long it will be until Pennsylvania's capital city begins to look more like a large, multi-industry city as opposed to the relatively large metro but small feeling city that it has been.

if you really examine Harrisburg, you will notice that center city has nearly 30high-rise (12 floors or more) buildings and double the amount of considerable mid-low rise buildings...over 10 million sq. ft. of commercial office space....and a daytime working population of 250,000. the city proper has been at "built out" stage for nearly a century now. i think that's why we are really seeing new upward development within the last 10 years or so. this trend will definately continue...(just look at what's occuring in midtown, for example). the new federal building/courthouse and the new university DT will definately make an impact as well. the lifting of height restrictions along front street and in portions of DT are allowing for the construction of at least one new mid-rise condo development and two new high-rise hotel franchises. more residential units will follow.

personally, i think the metro is growing leaps and bounds and it will only worsen as sprawl from Philly, Lancaster County, and northern MD/Baltimore areas creep further into our region. as for the city...it's definately a small city with a big city atmoshere. other cities like Allentown and Erie, which are more than twice Harrisburg's population, are really just glorified suburban municipalities with considerably small urban centers. Harrisburg is exactly the opposite. the city and region resemble areas much larger and the metro area acts like a magnet to Harrisburg...feeding off it's central business district, it's nightlife, and culture.

[wrightchr]

double post

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by wrightchr

^ it's not traditional sprawl Dave...in any sense of the word.

How do you figure that, Chris? Low-rise office buildings facing every which way with huge parking lots between them, a Ruby Tuesday's here, another restaurant there, a huge car lot...it's the epitome of sprawl in America. Have I seen worse? Absolutely, but I've seen MUCH better too.

I'm not knocking TecPort at all and it is a great thing, just calling it what it is.


In other news, it's nice to see that all of the corruption in that town is finally being exposed! But if this is true, it will be yet another black eye for the city. My theory is that once they start digging, they will find a few ties to the City Admin. and/or the Mayor; it's no coincidence to me that this is alleged during a time when the city was in financial crisis...


Sources: Police under probe

U.S. believed to focus on city moonlighting

Tuesday, February 06, 2007
BY TOM BOWMAN AND PETE SHELLEM
Of The Patriot-News

A federal grand jury is investigating whether Harrisburg police officers overbilled the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for providing security at a public housing complex, sources familiar with the investigation said yesterday.

At issue, one source said, is whether officers were double dipping, or billing the federal government for working at Harrisburg Park Apartments in the 1400 block of South 15th Street during hours when they worked for the police department.

Other officers are said to have requested pay for working at the apartment complex when they never showed up for work there, according to the sources.

Sources said FBI agents interviewed at least a half dozen officers in the past several weeks at police headquarters and issued grand jury subpoenas to some of them.

The officers were assigned to work at Harrisburg Park Apartments during off-duty hours, sources said. HUD pays for the officers' services, but the pay is distributed through the police department's payroll.

Police officers are routinely hired by HUD to patrol the federally subsidized rental units when they are not working for the city police department, a source said.

Harrisburg Police Chief Charles Kellar said he has not been served with any documents and did not know how many officers had been ordered to testify.

The chief said he did not know details about the investigation.

"That I don't know, because it's being run through the Department of Justice," Kellar said. "I'm cooperating with them, but I'm not allowed to speak, except to the grand jury."

It is unclear whether the grand jury is looking at police department practices or individual officers.

Kellar said he would ask his contact in the Department of Justice, Dan Ellis, to call reporters with information about the investigation. About 15 minutes later, Keller called back to say that Ellis is not allowed to talk about the probe.

The subpoenas came from the U.S. attorney's office in Harrisburg, a source said.

"I have no information on it," said attorney's office spokeswoman Heidi Havens. "And if it is anything that's under investigation, I can't comment on it."

Federal grand jury proceedings are secret. They usually indicate an investigation has progressed beyond an initial inquiry and are sometimes used to gain information from uncooperative witnesses.

Grand juries can issue indictments against people accused of violating the law.

Mayor Stephen R. Reed did not return calls and an e-mail seeking comment yesterday.

[danwxman]

Two Harrisburg proposals meet contrasting receptions
By John Luciew
Of The Patriot-News


One project would offer owners of its $300,000 to $500,000 residential units the option of having dinner delivered from an on-site gourmet restaurant.

The other would afford some shelter to men, women and children as they wait in a soup line, rather than force them to stand in the elements as they do now.

Both projects — a $20 million luxury condo building for Harrisburg’s Front Street and a 20,000-square-foot expansion of the Bethesda Mission homeless shelter in midtown — were unveiled last night before the Harrisburg Planning Commission.

The response to the polar-opposite plans was a study in contrasts.

Commission members lauded the sketch plans and design concepts that Susquehanna Real Estate Inc. has developed to convert the Tracy Mansion at 1829 N Front Street into a restaurant and build a 38-unit, six-story condominium next to it.

Developer Jack Kay told of sculpture gardens, manicured landscapes and 2,000-square-foot residences replete with dens, gourmet kitchens, river views and balconies and decks.

“Our goal is to create a very distinctive residential location,” Kay said, adding that construction could be under way by fall. “It’s a lifestyle choice that is not on the [Harrisburg] market right now.”

And while the company’s plans were preliminary and the planning commission did not take a formal vote, several members weighed it with rave reviews.

“It’s a splendid concept,” said member Ronnie G. Shaffer. “We are anxious to see the formal plan.”

The board was much less eager when it came to Bethesda’s project.

The Christian-based homeless shelter at Sixth and Reily streets wants to expand to the east, having bought and demolished a former motel at Seventh and Reily.

The site would be home to a two-story dining, education and programming center, but it would not increase Bethesda’s 84-bed shelter capacity, mission officials said.

Bryan Yesilonis, Bethesda’s executive director, and David Balinski, a board member, told of cramped quarters at the current site. Men congregate on the 100-year-old facility’s porch and people wait outside in the soup line.

“It’s a major qualitative increase in our program,” Yesilonis said. “We’re not increasing the size of our program, in terms of numbers of people, but we are greatly enhancing our services. Right now, you see moms and kids line up along Reily Street in the soup line.”

Yesilonis said the plans for the new space include a larger dining room, an employment center to school the homeless on job application and interview techniques, as well as an education center where certified teachers would help them earn GEDs.

But noting that controversy greeted Bethesda’s past plans for expansion, planning commission members talked of formally capping the number of residents and directed mission officials to survey the growing neighborhoods on surrounding blocks for support.

“We have so many of these programs, it becomes a struggle for us,” said member Vern McKissick. “I haven’t heard about Camp Hill’s Bethesda Branch, or Penbrook’s Bethesda Branch.”

The board voted to continue Bethesda’s application until next month, and Yesilonis vowed to hold a community open house on the mission’s plans.

“We want our neighbors to be comfortable with us, so we’re going to invite them in,” he said.

[danwxman]

MIDTOWN RENAISSANCE?
Empty Police Athletic League building may be reborn as arts center
Thursday, February 08, 2007
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

Harrisburg's midtown could get an arts center that would combine paintings, plays and films with art shops, supplies, studios, and even a swimming pool and bathhouse.

The $1 million project, which also includes three town houses for sale, is planned for the former Police Athletic League building at 1110 N. Third St.

The three-story structure, vacant for 25 years, dates to the mid-1800s, when it was a private mansion. It also had been home to the Harrisburg YMHA and YWHA, and later the Jewish Community Center of Harrisburg.

The building's new incarnation as the Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center is the brainchild of the development firm Bartlett, Traynor and London.

John Traynor of New York City said he visited Harrisburg about 13 months ago on a whim and has been buying, restoring and reselling homes here since.

The centerpiece of the complex would be a 10,000-square-foot theater with an industrial kitchen that would serve as the new Harrisburg Playhouse as well as a banquet and meeting facility.

The facility also would be home to the new Harrisburg Film Office; a cafe; a gallery; studios; an antiques, art and artifact shop; an arts supply store; and a swimming pool with saunas, steam rooms and hot tubs.

"It will get Harrisburg a bigger spot on the cultural map," said Carrie Wissler-Thomas, president of the 800-member Art Association of Harrisburg, which plans to team with the new center for gallery events.

"I think it's a great idea," she added. "I've said for years that the Harrisburg area is a wonderful center for the arts and artists. Every week, I have artists who come in looking for studio space. This would be a tremendous boon for the artists here."

The developer wants to have an October opening, but first plans will go to the city planning commission and the City Council for approval.

The project also involves the construction of three town houses at the corner of Susquehanna and Herr streets. Each would be 2,800 square feet, include a two-car garage, and sell for $240,000 to $250,000, according to Traynor.

"It advances the city and midtown as an arts and cultural center, further positioning North Third Street as an arts corridor," Mayor Stephen R. Reed said. "It represents the increasing national attention that Harrisburg's resurgence is gaining, as more and more persons recognize Harrisburg's true potential as a dynamic city for the 21st century."

The city, which acquired the building in the 1980s, is selling it to the developers for $153,000, the amount the city spent to install a new roof and spouting and to keep the structure from collapsing. The land for the three houses is being sold by the city for $20,000, Reed said.

JOHN LUCIEW: 255-8154 or jluciew@patriot-news.com

ALOT of great news for midtown recently...Also very interesting hearing about John Traynor who moved here from New York and fell in love with the place. This is happening more and more recently, it seems like Harrisburg is becoming more associated with New York rather then Philadelphia. Similar situation with Mary K (from Manhattan) who is planning the condos on Front Street. New Yawk accents are becoming fairly common around here, you'd be surprised how much you hear it in the grocery store, etc.

[EastSideHBG]

/\
Yeah, for some strange reason it seems as if Harrisburg is more connected with Baltimore/DC/VA and NY than it is with Philly. I knew a lot of people that moved to HBG from those areas, but very few from Philly (but I do know a lot of people from HBG that moved to Philly, though).

[danwxman]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

/\
Yeah, for some strange reason it seems as if Harrisburg is more connected with Baltimore/DC/VA and NY than it is with Philly. I knew a lot of people that moved to HBG from those areas, but very few from Philly (but I do know a lot of people from HBG that moved to Philly, though).

It probably has to do with the relative economic growth of the NY and DC metro as compared to Philadelphia. NY and DC are growing by leaps and bounds, so their influence is spreading out a lot more.

[EastSideHBG]

Is two years a long time for a 16-story bldg.? Eh, whatever, it's nice to see for sure!


HARRISBURG

Building of Harrisburg U to start

Friday, February 09, 2007
BY JOHN LUCIEW
Of The Patriot-News

Call it the price of progress.

Starting this weekend, sidewalks will be closed and traffic lanes will be restricted around Fourth and Market streets in Harrisburg as construction begins on a $73 million, 16-story academic center for Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

Concrete barriers will claim the northern lane of Market Street, reducing the one-way, eastbound street to two lanes around Strawberry Square and continuing to Fourth Street, according to the university's construction plans.

Fourth Street, which normally runs two ways, will be cut to one lane going south between Walnut and Market streets.

In addition, the sidewalks around the construction site will be closed, forcing pedestrians to the other side of the street.

In essence, Market Street's north-side sidewalk will end at Strawberry Square. The west-side sidewalk of Fourth Street will be shut from Market to Walnut.

"It's a growth phase, and not just for the university, but for the city," said university spokesman Steve Infanti. "It's a short-term inconvenience for some traffic for a long-term benefit to the city."

When it opens in January 2009, the academic center will be connected to Strawberry Square and feature street-level retail. City officials and business leaders said they hope that it can be the next Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts, Restaurant Row, Strawberry Square or Hilton Harrisburg in terms of its spinoff benefits.

The traffic restrictions and sidewalk closures are expected to remain in place through October 2008, the project's scheduled completion date. But university President Melvyn Schiavelli said the disruptions could have been worse.

The university and contractor Reynolds Construction were able to avoid total street closures in the construction zone by agreeing to stage materials on City Island, then transport them to the site on an as-needed basis.

After the barriers go up this weekend, the first signs of work at the site will be deep drilling as the underpinnings of the high-rise are set. Plans call for 48 holes to be drilled 25 feet deep, then filled with concrete and rebar to anchor the steel, concrete and glass tower.

Schiavelli said university officials will make personal visits to the adjacent offices in Strawberry Square, alerting workers to the possibility of vibrations and noise.

"We want to be sure we are good neighbors," Schiavelli said.

By June, a 240-foot crane will be in place, and it will begin lifting and swinging the steel into place for the building's superstructure. Then the crane will lay on the building's skin -- hundreds of precast concrete pieces that will be fitted into place.

The private university is taking steps to help minority and woman-owned firms get a share of the work and to ensure minority employees will be well-represented on the job site, officials said.

Harrisburg University is paying an independent firm to oversee minority participation, and it has arranged and paid for a $600,000 insurance policy to make sure the firms are adequately bonded, often a barrier to minority participation.

"That hurdle is now taken out of the way," Schiavelli said. "It's a big project, and we definitely want companies to participate."

In fact, when the last of the subcontracts are awarded, university officials estimated that there could be 100 to 150 firms with roles in building the tower.

The 2-year-old university and its 177 students are housed at Harrisburg's SciTech High building at 215 Market St.

When completed, the tower is to include classroom space for up to 1,600 students, capacity to carry the university through the next decade. It is to include a library, a 125-seat auditorium, a student services center, laboratories, and first-floor retail and restaurant space.

[danwxman]

Messiah College expanding city presence
Messiah College will expand its presence of the Harrisburg Institute to a historic downtown building at 28 Dewberry St. Mayor Stephen R. Reed and officials of Messiah College and Harristown Development Corp. unveiled plans for a $2.5 million renovation and upgrade of the vacant building.

Harrisburg Institute for Community Research and Collaborative Partnerships will move into the 10,000-square-foot facility that will house residential units for at least 25 full-time students, and will also include classrooms and office space.

Since the renovated facilities will be owned by Dewberry LLC, an affiliate of Harristown Development Corp., will remain on the tax rolls because it is leased by the college.

The additional college facilities will expand the International House neighborhood around Third and Chestnut streets to add to Harrisburg's continually growing role as a center for higher eduation, Reed said in a release.

— From staff reports

[klingy04]

Here's CPBJ's take on the Messiah expansion in Harrisburg. I thought the bolded quote was interesting.

Messiah College expanding in Harrisburg
Eric Veronikis
Central Penn Business Journal Staff
2/9/2007

This fall, the Harrisburg Institute of Messiah College is moving into a 10,000-square-foot vacant building at the corner of Dewberry and Chestnut streets in downtown Harrisburg.
Mayor Stephen R. Reed joined representatives from Messiah, Harristown Development Corp. and R.S. Mowery & Sons to announce the $2.5 million investment today.

The facility is owned by Dewberry, an affiliate of Harrisburg-based Harristown Development Corp. Mechanicsburg-based Mowery is the general contractor for the renovation and will provide construction management at the site. Mowery is also an equity investor in the project, Reed said. Construction is set to begin immediately and the facility will open for the fall semester. Messiah will lease the building.

The Harrisburg Institute was established in 2002 and is made up by educational and developmental programs, service projects and community collaborations designed to connect Messiah students and faculty to experiences and opportunities in an urban environment, Messiah Dean Joseph Jones said.

Since its inception, the institute operated out of Grace United Methodist Church in Harrisburg and leased apartments and office space at the corner of North and Liberty streets, Jones said. The facility will provide housing for 25 students also. This development is phase one of a three-phase initiative Messiah is pursuing to expand its reach in Harrisburg, Reed said.

The building to be renovated is about 100 years old. It is in a southern portion of downtown that is filled with historic structures dating back to the 19th Century, Reed said. Until August, McCreath Laboratories occupied the building for the past 50 years.