The East Shore YMCA
Big changes may be coming to the East Shore YMCA as the organization is taking a step forward in the planning process.
The Y on Thursday issued a Request for Expressions of Interest in hopes of finding a developer partner to play a role in the proposed renovation of its N. Front Street facility.
A year ago, Y officials told TheBurg that they were in the preliminary stages of a plan to upgrade and possibly expand on the aging, historic building. According to Harrisburg Area YMCA President and CEO David Ozmore, the East Shore Y has faced significant financial challenges due to the pandemic and the age of the building, which was built in the 1930s, and its antiquated utilities.
“It’s a costly infrastructure,” Ozmore said. “Our facility needs to be modern.”
While most of the exterior of the building can’t be changed, due to guidelines for historic properties, the Y is interested in possibly remodeling inside its building, the wellness center and its adjacent administrative office building.
In total, the Y owns 2.16 acres of land that could be utilized for the project.
Through the request for interest, the Y hopes to find developers that are interested in partnering with them to help design, fund and execute the project, Ozmore said. A developer could also potentially help connect the Y with other organizations interested in operating in the Y’s renovated facility.
“We’d love to collaborate and work with other nonprofits under one roof and share costs and share expenses. That would be a much more efficient way to operate,” he said. “So the master site plan and a developer could produce a vision in which we are working in tandem with other organizations.”
That could include clinics, mental health providers, nonprofits, social service providers and retailers sharing space inside the new Y building.
However, if the Y doesn’t receive interest from developers, the organization would move forward with taking on the project by itself, which Ozmore said would likely be more costly, up to an estimated $30 million, for the Y.
The Y will solicit interest from developers for the next several months, with a goal to conduct interviews with developers and deliberate at the end of the summer. Ozmore said that he hopes to have a site plan ready by next year.
The total project construction is slated to take around five years to complete.
The Y is currently working with national firm Gro Development, which provides services to nonprofits, especially YMCAs around the country.
Throughout the planning process, Ozmore said that the Y will prioritize minimizing disruption to its services, parking and its 86 onsite transitional housing units.
There will also be a task force made up of Y board members and community members to provide input and forums for residents to comment on the project.
“We want to make sure we are listening to the community throughout the master site planning process,” he said.
For more information on the East Shore YMCA, visit their website.
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