Residents spoke during public comment at Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
At a meeting on Tuesday night, Harrisburg City Council approved new apartment projects and heard concerns from residents about ICE.
The double-header meeting—a legislative session followed by a work session—began with over an hour of public comment during which residents said they wanted the city to develop a policy against working with federal ICE agents.
A group of a few dozen protestors also gathered outside city hall at the start of the council meeting with signs that read “ICE out of Harrisburg” among other messages.
“The community gathered outside this building is frustrated; some are scared; many are ready to defend their neighbors,” said resident Brian Kiesling, of the Harrisburg Palestine Coalition, during public comment.
Protestors outside city hall on Tuesday evening.
Kiesling and others said that they were upset by Police Commissioner Tom Carter’s remarks about ICE at a previous council meeting, when he said that residents confronted by ICE should comply with the officers.
“We all felt him dismiss the gravity of the situation,” Kiesling said. “We are talking about basic safety and the responsibility of the city to protect its residents, whoever they are, from any threat, even if that threat comes from the government.”
Police Deputy Chief Kenny Young previously told TheBurg that the bureau does not collaborate with ICE and is not alerted when they’re in town. The only points of contact, he noted, would be when police are called to the scene of an incident involving federal agents. The police are also required to report to ICE if they come across someone who has an immigration warrant against them.
Council member Jocelyn Rawls said that council is in the process of drafting legislation that would limit the police bureau’s ability to work with ICE.
“If this bill is passed, I want assurance that the mayor, our police chief and our district attorney will support the provisions proposed in this bill,” said another resident during public comment.
Also on Tuesday, council unanimously approved the second phase of a project to adaptively remake the former Polyclinic Hospital building, at 2601 N. 3rd St., into apartments and commercial space.
Former Polyclinic Hospital, the site of Pennmark’s adaptive reuse building. Phase two targets the large building on the far right.
The entire project includes renovating all three buildings on the property and constructing over 250 market-rate apartments. Council in November approved the first phase, which outlines renovations to the former nurses’ quarters, the northernmost building.
The second phase targets the largest building on the property and includes creating 130 units with studio, one-, two- and, possibly, three-bedroom configurations. There will also be commercial space. Developer Pennmark Harrisburg Holdings, an affiliate of Montgomery County-based Pennmark Management Company, is in talks with a local grocer who is interested in occupying one of the spaces.
Rent will likely start around $900 for studio units and cost closer to $1,400 for one-beds and $1,600 for two-beds.
Council members said they were impressed with Pennmark’s extensive community outreach on the project. The developer has hosted several meetings with neighbors and has made tweaks to the project based on feedback. Some neighbors even attended council meetings to speak in support of the project.
“It’s refreshing,” council member Ralph Rodriguez said at council’s previous work session. “A lot of times, we ask for this feedback. We ask for, you know, ‘have you done the outreach?’ You’ve come with a whole table and shown how it goes on. It’s very appreciated.”
Another adaptive reuse project also received the green light from council to renovate a former funeral home at 1332 N. 2nd St. into apartments. The project will add eight units to the existing five that already exist on upper-level floors.
Developer Breneman Properties plans to construct one-bedroom units with one studio and one two-bed. Prices will range from around $1,000 to $1,800, a representative for the developer said.
Construction is slated to begin in March and last about eight months.
Council voted 6-1 to approve the project, with President Danielle Hill voting against it, citing a lack of affordable units.
Additionally, council approved the submission of a grant application to the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) for $19,500 to fund design services for renovating Vernon Street Park, at 15th and Vernon streets.
During a work session following council’s legislative session on Tuesday, council also discussed a grant application submission to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for $3 million to fund design services for road safety projects. Work would include sections of Division, N. 6th, Market and S. 17th Street.
City Engineer Joel Seiders explained that the improvements to the corridors would look similar to safety upgrades made to N. 2nd Street in recent years. Grant funding would support the planning stage, while construction, he said, is still several years away.
Seiders also highlighted a need for council to ratify a $387,380 grant application that the city submitted to the DOT for safety upgrades to Market and 17th Street in Allison Hill. The project would focus on retiming traffic signals and improving pedestrian infrastructure.
Council is slated to vote on the grant applications at its next legislative session.
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