Lancaster City Seeks $5 Million Mayor’s Challenge Grant

Faced with a decaying neighborhood, Lancaster city officials have few options.

The city can add new trash receptacles, erect streetlights, replace park benches and make other investments in public spaces.

For private property, the city can cite the owners under the property maintenance code.

But for wholesale change, it usually must wait for a property to be so blighted that it can be condemned and seized.

Such actions usually are isolated and limited by funding constraints.

But now Lancaster is considering an approach that is both comprehensive and intensely focused.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/767506_City-seeks–5M-Mayor-s-Challenge-Grant-.html#ixzz2AndTJGBp

Lancaster City Zoners OK Variance, Exception For Wash House

The large commercial building at 420 W. Grant St. has been reinvented in the past two years as the Wash House after the closure of EMJAY Display, a maker of point-of-purchase store displays.

The 14,000-square-foot building has become an incubator of small start-up businesses, including a construction company, two woodworkers and a ballroom dance studio.

Yet one thing was missing in the building’s renewal: city zoning approval.

On Monday, Mitchell Jureckson received a variance of required parking spaces and a special exception for a fitness studio from the Lancaster city Zoning Hearing Board for the Wash House.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/672153_Lancaster-city-zoners-OK-variance–exception-for-Wash-House.html#ixzz1yHLQAJJ7

Rail Yard Rezoning Before Lancaster City Council

More than six years ago Lancaster City Council gave its enthusiastic blessing to a plan to build a “meds & eds” campus on the former Armstrong World Industries site.

Council members voted to rezone 57 acres of the former flooring plant to allow the creation of athletic fields for Franklin & Marshall College and educational facilities for Lancaster General Hospital.

Now they being asked to rezone a long, narrow area that separates two sections of the college and completes the expanded tract for the $46 million project.

On Monday, Lancaster General Hospital formally asked council members to change the zoning designation for 28 acres of Norfolk Southern‘s Dillerville rail yard from “central manufacturing” to “mixed use.”

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/643821_Rail-yard-rezoning-before-Lancaster-City-Council.html#ixzz1uKNeTHe0

The Three Statistics That Every Downtown Should Live By

Editor’s note:  This is phenomenal advice for all downtown shopping districts and their umbrella organizations.

Lancaster and its James Street Improvement District are prime examples of living by these three simple rules!  I suggest a field trip for any struggling downtown merchants or downtown organizations who want to see what is possible!

I call this the 7-8-7 rule because of the three most important statistics that make a downtown a successful and vibrant destination. Think of your favorite destination downtowns. Are they beautiful? Do they feel safe? Are there things to do after 6:00 pm?

Read more: http://www.rogerbrooks.org/2012/04/30/the-three-downtown-statistics/

Lancaster Laboratories May Expand

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lancaster Laboratories is considering a multimillion-dollar expansion here that could create hundreds of jobs.

The company has submitted plans to Upper Leacock Township for a four-story, 77,000-square-foot addition.

The building would be constructed on the south campus of its 2425 New Holland Pike complex, at the corner of Geist Road.

Some 400 new parking spaces would be added, too, according to the Lancaster Labs plans.

Lancaster Labs won four variances for the project from the township Zoning Hearing Board on Monday all by 3-0 votes.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/618182_Lancaster-Laboratories-may-expand.html#ixzz1r8I08y2e

Lancaster City Council Approves Rezoning Of Former YMCA Site

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lancaster City Council members Tuesday approved the rezoning of the former Lancaster Family YMCA site to allow for the construction of a new medical office building and parking garage.

Council members also began consideration of a bill that would take a portion of a parking lot by eminent domain as part of plans to expand City Hall.

The rezoning changes the former YMCA site at North Queen, East Frederick and North Prince streets from a residential designation to “hospital campus.”

Lancaster General Health, whose parking garage lies just across North Queen Street from the site, plans to construct a five-story, 175,000-square-foot administrative office building. Some 550 employees now working in rented space in Burle Business Park on New Holland Avenue would be shifted to the new building, hospital officials said.

A six-level, 632-space parking garage would be built adjacent to the office building, at Prince and Frederick streets, to serve the employees.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/608802_Lancaster-City-Council-approves-rezoning-of-former-YMCA-site.html#ixzz1pmnTHJM2

Apartments Planned For Former Lancaster City Warehouse

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Landis Communities and a Pittsburgh developer will convert a city warehouse into 36 loft apartments for active adults age 55 and older.

The project, announced Monday, will redevelop the former Radel & Stauffer location at 118 N. Water St., on the corner of West Marion Street.

Costing $8.9 million, Steeple View Lofts is scheduled to open in spring 2013.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/598852_Apartments-planned-for-former-Lancaster-city-warehouse.html#ixzz1oZC0iH3x

Mystery Business To Bring 300 – 400 Jobs To Oregon Pike Spot

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An unidentified out-of-town firm will move into the former Windstream building near Schaum’s Corner, creating 300 to 400 white-collar jobs.

The mystery firm has agreed to lease the 4139 Oregon Pike building from a local real estate firm, Oak Tree Development.

Oak Tree, which bought the building in December for $5.9 million, intends to expand the 80,000-square-foot facility and add parking for the tenant.

Mike O’Brien, Oak Tree president, confirmed the lease Friday but declined to name the tenant, its type of business or its current location.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/597726_Mystery-business-to-bring-300-400-jobs-to-Oregon-Pike-spot.html#ixzz1oBi2Tz47

Man Hopes To Establish Miscrodistillery In Lancaster City

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Andrew H. Martin has seen the rise in microbreweries in recent years.

Now he hopes to be a part of the next big wave: microspirits.

Martin, of East Orange Street, plans to convert a former three-story tobacco warehouse into the county’s first distillery since Prohibition.

And, within a year, he hopes to be reintroducing consumers to a product unseen here in nearly a century: locally made rye whiskey.

“It’s something I’ve been interested in for a while. I’ve been reading about it for a while,” said Martin, 34.

“Lancaster seems like a great place. The history of distilling is strong. It was destroyed with Prohibition, but I think it would come back.”

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/594488_Man-hopes-to-establish-microdistillery-in-Lancaster-city.html#ixzz1nbTR1vED

Lancaster Mixed-Use Project In Former Armstrong Buildings

First proposed as a light industrial/heavy commercial project, Liberty North has since been transformed into a mixed-use endeavor, with 35 upscale rentals either finished or in the design stage.

Comprised of two buildings at the former Armstrong World Industries site in Lancaster city, Liberty North also features almost 25,000 square feet of commercial space as well.

One of those buildings — a 52,000-square-foot, two-story edifice at 1060 N. Charlotte St. — includes the luxury apartments.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/550877_Upscale-apartments-appeal-to–rightsizers-.html#ixzz1gqoRyyAw