City Council
Housing Director Finally Approved
Harrisburg’s director of building and housing development will remain in her job, ending a lengthy legal and political controversy over the position.
In a 4-3 vote last month, City Council approved Gloria Martin-Roberts as director of the department. The vote occurred just after council filed a legal motion to hold Mayor Wanda Williams in contempt of court for not bringing Martin-Roberts to council for approval.
On March 6, council filed a motion accusing Williams of not adhering to a legal agreement that the two legislative bodies reached in February. The agreement seemingly closed a legal battle that began with a lawsuit by Williams alleging that council acted outside its power by defunding several top city positions as part of the 2026 budget.
Judge Jeffrey Engle sided with council earlier that month, but, shortly after, council and Williams agreed that council would re-fund several positions. Also in the stipulation, Williams agreed to get council approval for every department head hired in the city within 120 days of their appointment, a requirement that she and previous mayors had occasionally circumvented by giving directors “interim” titles.
Council also sought to eliminate that practice last month by voting to amend city code to take away directors’ salaries if they remain in a position without council’s approval past 120 days.
Council alleged that Williams had not held to the legal agreement by keeping Martin-Roberts on staff in an interim role since 2024 without council approval.
At last month’s legislative session, council finally voted on Martin-Roberts’ position, narrowly voting in her favor. Council President Danielle Hill, Vice President Lamont Jones and council member Jocelyn Rawls voted against confirming her appointment.
Council member Ausha Green told TheBurg that she voted to approve Martin-Roberts because she felt that the position becoming vacant would be a detriment to the city. She also said that council would be punishing the wrong person over their dissatisfaction with Williams for not bringing her up for a vote.
“No one said, ‘I’m voting against her because she can’t do the job,’” Green said. “I didn’t feel like it was fair to punish the employee because of what her supervisor did.”
William Penn, February 2026
William Penn Demo Discussed
Harrisburg school officials discussed demolition contractor search options for William Penn High School at a meeting last month, after voting to demolish the building in February.
The 250,000 square-foot, 100-year-old neoclassical building could be torn down as soon as this summer. It was last used as a technical school 15 years ago and has sat vacant, deteriorating, since.
Most board members voiced interest in hiring a demo contractor using a cooperative purchasing system, which would speed the process.
The other option, public bidding, would push the demolition back to late 2026.
Chief Operations Administrator John Reedy explained to the board that the cooperative purchasing program the district has used over the last few years, Keystone Purchasing Network (KPN), “saves a tremendous amount of time” and has produced “high-quality work at a reasonable cost.”
It also allows the district to maintain control over the contractors used, he said.
“Our expectation would be that they are a local company that could get the job done in a timely manner,” Reedy explained.
In an informal 6-2-1 straw poll vote, with board member Brian Carter voting for neither option, the board asked the district to pursue the cooperative purchasing path, over public bid.
Home Sales Hold Steady
The Harrisburg-area housing market held steady in February, as both home sales and prices were largely unchanged from a year ago.
For the three-county region, 389 houses changed hands, compared to 398 in February 2025, as the median sales price inched down to $278,000 from $279,750, according to the monthly report from the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR).
In Dauphin County, 187 houses sold in February, versus 195 in the year-ago period, as the median sales price rose to $268,000 from $260,000, the report stated.
Cumberland County had 170 home sales, a dip from 179 the prior February, as the median sales price fell to $300,000 from $315,000, reported GHAR.
In Perry County, 26 homes sold, an increase from 24 a year earlier, as the median sales price rose to $311,600 from $237,500, according to GHAR.
The pace of home sales slowed in February, as “average days on market” rose to 47 days versus 34 the prior February, GHAR stated.
Cody Goss, new executive director of Harrisburg Young Professionals
So Noted
Beth Siegfried last month was named executive director of Dauphin County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which provides advocates for children in foster care. In addition, Sarah Horton has assumed the role of board president, previously serving as vice president, according to CASA.
Cody Goss has been named the new executive director of Harrisburg Young Professionals (HYP). Goss, of Harrisburg, has served as the nonprofit’s part-time communications coordinator since 2024.
Downtown Harrisburg received funding last month for both its revitalization and safety efforts. The commonwealth gave $75,000 to the Downtown Improvement District to extend safety measures on weekends, while the Capital Region Economic Development Corp. (CREDC) received $350,000 to begin initial improvement projects.
Harrisburg International Airport officials last month announced a record year in 2025, as 814,718 passengers boarded flights through the facility, a 12% jump from the year prior. They added that the airport anticipates another record year for 2026.
Harrisburg Police Bureau has released crime statistics for 2025, with homicides falling to 14 versus 22 in 2024. In other categories, drunken driving, assaults and drug offenses all increased, while auto thefts and trespassing incidents declined.
Harrisburg School District officials last month stated that they had no interest in participating in the city’s LERTA tax abatement program for 2026. They added that the district asked the city in December about making changes to the program but received no response.
Joseph Culos last month was named senior vice president of retail for Members 1st Federal Credit Union. In this position, Culos will lead and support retail and branch operations for the Enola-based financial institution, according to Members 1st.
Whitaker Center has opened a new exhibit entitled “Survival of the Slowest: Counterintuitive Adaptations” in its downtown Harrisburg facility. The exhibit, running through May 24, features 19 habitats that demonstrate how slow movements assist as a survival strategy.
Changing Hands
Bailey St., 1302: Global Supply Group LLC to UVI Real Estate LLC, $150,000
Berryhill St., 2340: R. Heilman to L. Weldegebriel, $145,000
Calder St., 111: C. Bailey to R. Hendrickson & H. Griffie, $250,000
Cumberland St., 211: L. Caruso to G. Kiteck, $205,000
Derry St., 2600: D. Laus to A. Rojas, $125,000
Emerald St., 518: Flip Vision LLC to JK Realty & Home Repair LLC, $145,000
Fulton St., 1705: R. Dickinson to M. DeCavalcante, $210,000
Green St., 801 & 1213 N. 2nd St., 901 N. 2nd St., 903 N. 2nd St.: WG PA Holdings LLC & B. Golper to Arm Real Estate LLC, $1,280,000
Green St., 1525: C. & S. Bikle to First Choice Home Buyers LLC, $85,000
Green St., 1623: B. Golper & J. Wu to Arm Realty Estate LLC, $320,000
Green St., 2224: A. Cooper to L. & R. Rivera and K. Castro, $177,550
Hamilton St., 338: T. & L. Sneidman to O. Fonseka, $140,000
Hoffman St., 3135: E. Phillips to R. Wittle & P. O’Brien, $169,000
Jefferson St., 2660: G&W Rentals LLC to F. Chan, $135,500
Kensington St., 2260: T. Brown to T. Jones, $136,000
Luce St., 2332: R. & B. Lomax to TBS PA LLC, $85,000
Melrose St., 1007: A. Mohamed to Rebuild the Capital LLC, $110,000
Miller St., 1716: M3 6 Realty LLC to Ardoise Investments LLC, $65,000
Miller St., 1718: M3 6 Realty LLC to Ardoise Investments LLC, $71,000
Nectarine St., 428: H. Ramirez to RKE Investments LLC, $55,000
Nectarine St., 430: H. Casado to RKE Investments LLC, $55,000
North St., 1947: C. Estrada to Rebuild the Capital LLC, $135,000
N. 2nd St., 2615: B. Clark to A. & R. Clark, $330,000
N. 3rd St., 1608: JMR Ventures LLC to J. Aguilera, $195,000
N. 3rd St., 3007: YR Holdings LLC to R. Lomax, $205,000
N. 6th St., 2639: D. Glick to M. Shafer, $145,000
N. 14th St., 1220: Jhon Leo Home Renovations LLC to A. & M. Perez, $263,000
N. 18th St., 803: Bridger Investments LLC to AR Enterprise Build Flip or Ride LLC, $52,000
N. 19th St., 1005: G. Graham to Knight Development & Management, $90,000
Norwood St., 914: S. Rucker to D. Torres, $150,000
Park St., 1625: M3 6 Realty LLC to M. Wijaya & I. Lim, $63,500
Penn St., 2145: T Wy Enterprise LLC to Capital Key Properties LLC, $118,000
Penn St., 2152: Z. Magid to S. Lapp, $105,000
Ross St., 622: Y. Morgan to Camino Property Management LLC, $100,000
Showers St., 606: T. Buehler to Anniemac Private Equity Cash2Keys, $251,500
S. 13th St., 1518: H. Adams to M. Bedon & J. Arnao, $105,000
S. 16th St., 525: M3 6 Realty LLC to T. Cisse, $65,000
S. 16th St., 534: T. Cisse to JCM Realty Investments LLC, $115,000
S. 16th St., 540: B. Ortega to J. & S. Hans, $95,000
S. 19th St., 1216: Medina & Croussett Realty Ventures LLC to C. Merritt, $198,000
S. 20th St., 214: J. Roxbury to JRH Realty LLC, $165,000
S. 20th St., 222: Future View Restoration Co. to SPG Capital LLC, $115,000
S. Front St., 591: T. Buehler to E. & L. Burkholder, $290,000
S. River St., 317: B. Snyder & Truist Bank to M. Cuervo & J. Mullin, $199,000
State St., 1332: A. Cunningham to R. Then, $120,000
State St., 1600: BCR 2 Properties LLC to R. Payano, $265,000
Swatara St., 1613: A. Ayard to J. Barrios & J. Avila, $85,000
Walnut St., 1908: H. Tejada to A. Flores & C. Linares, $175,000
Woodbine St., 622: K. Chow to E. Disla, $143,500
Zarker St., 1943: J. Torres to M. Rodriguez, $155,000
Harrisburg property sales, February 2026, greater than $50,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.
If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!
