Weekend Roundup with Sara Bozich

July 29, 2021 | by Sara Bozich

Plan your weekend with my weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg and central PA! Scroll down or use the menu links to find ideas for your weekend.

What’s inside:

For your weekend planning:
Top Weekend Recs
- Thursday
- Friday
- Saturday
- Sunday
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Need something NEW to do? Catch an outdoor flick.

(Still) Worth noting: We revived our private Facebook group, Cheers Harrisburg. You can join the convo here.

Things on my agenda this weekend: Pool day with friends, puppy life.

Don’t forget to support your local brewery! Click here to find one near you.

For your weekend planning:

Try this easy cocktail
View our local Restaurant Directory
Local Brewery, Winery, & Cidery Directory
See what else you missed on the blog.

Below are options for your weekend.

Things to Do in Harrisburg + Central PA | Weekend Roundup | Sara Bozich

Top Weekend Recs

Buy tix to a summer concert
Catch an outdoor movie
Explore the best local markets
Pick up a new-to-you local 6-pack and stream ? episodes of Poured in PA: The Series

COVID-19 Disclaimer: Masking and social distancing policies may vary per business, venue, and event. Please be considerate, follow the rules, and be nice. And tip extra!

What are you doing this weekend around Harrisburg? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

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Virtual Burn: LCSWMA offers online tour of Harrisburg waste facility

July 28, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Screenshot from the Susquehanna Resource Management Facility virtual tour.

There’s a new way for Harrisburg residents to see and learn about where their trash goes when it leaves their homes.

The Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) has recently launched a virtual tour of the Susquehanna Resource Management Facility, formerly known as the Harrisburg incinerator.

“We have found that the best way for people to truly understand what we do as an organization is to take people through to tour it,” said Katie Sandoe, head of communications and public affairs at LCSWMA.

Through the online resource, people can explore a 360-degree view of various parts of the center, including the scalehouse, tipping floor and turbine generator. Additional videos, pictures and a virtual tour guide explain the process of turning waste into electricity.

Sandoe said that LCSWMA takes various groups through tours of the facility regularly, but started to rethink how they could do that during the pandemic.

“We reimagined how we can bring the immersive experience of touring the facility to people where they’re at,” she said. “It’s become a great way for us to amplify our outreach.”

LCSWMA has virtual tours for two of its other facilities, the Transfer Station Complex in Lancaster and Lancaster Waste-to-Energy Facility. They are currently working on creating one for their final location, the Frey Farm Landfill in Lancaster.

Whereas LCSWMA can typically only conduct around 2,000 tours across its facilities in a good year, Sandoe said, over 10,000 people have already completed the virtual tours.

Sandoe hopes that the virtual tours will increase accessibility for people who may not have been able to tour the site in person due to physical challenges or disabilities.

She also sees them as a tool for educators to use in the classroom, especially as part of a STEM curriculum.

Otherwise, it’s a great resource for community members who are simply interested in what the complex does. Many people have heard of the incinerator, but don’t really know what happens at the complex, Sandoe said.

“Typically it’s curiosity that leads people to us,” she said. “People are just interested in how something is made.”

To virtually tour LCSWMA’s Susquehanna Resource Management Facility, visit their website.

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Moran Logistics acquires sprawling industrial site in Harrisburg

July 27, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

Moran Industries has acquired land that once housed the Harrisburg Steel Corp.

A major logistics company has purchased a large swath of industrial land in Harrisburg, completing a years-long transaction.

Under the name Herr Street Investments, Watsontown, Pa.-based Moran Logistics last week bought a 21-acre site off of Cameron and Herr streets, once the heart of industrial Harrisburg.

CREDC, the nonprofit economic development arm of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber, sold the land for $505,000, following an environmental assessment of the property.

In a statement, John Moran Jr., owner of Herr Street Investments, thanked the Chamber and CREDC for their involvement, adding that, “this unused site is now positioned to provide many new opportunities for the City of Harrisburg.”

Moran did not specify how the company planned to use the site, though Moran Logistics already operates at the adjoining World Trade Center Harrisburg at the corner of Cameron and Herr streets. Statewide, the company operates over 5 million square feet of storage space in numerous locations.

Moran could not be reached immediately for additional comment.

Historically, the Harrisburg Steel Corp., which became the industrial giant Harsco, now based in Camp Hill, operated from the site, which has been largely unused for decades.

In 2018, CREDC purchased the property for $505,000. It then used $133,670 to perform an environmental assessment of the long-time industrial site, three-quarters of which was funded with a PA Industrial Site Reuse Program grant, according to CREDC.

“Undertaking this project was a unique opportunity to use our expertise to bring a blighted industrial property one step closer to being ready for productive reuse,” said Ryan Unger, president of the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, in a statement. “Thanks to the guidance of our economic development lead Melissa Stone, the support of the state’s Industrial Sites Reuse Program, and the transfer of the property to John Moran and his team, we now look forward to the ongoing redevelopment and future opportunities that are now possible at this site.”

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What’s in Your Lunchbox? Upcoming art exhibit will feature stories of culture clash in the cafeteria

July 27, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

Amie Bantz and some her lunchboxes that will be part of her “Lunchbox Moments” exhibit.

The school lunchroom can be a stressful place for kids. Who do you sit with? Whose mom packed them a lunch? Who gets the free lunch?

It’s even more anxiety-inducing when your food doesn’t look like all the other kids’.

In Harrisburg artist Amie Bantz’s upcoming exhibit, she unboxes the shared story that many Asian Americans have had in the cafeteria when their peers react to their traditional Asian food.

“I have a story, my mom has a story, all of my friends have stories,” she said. “I feel like that creates a collective narrative and identity.”

Bantz and other Asian Americans from the community painted about 90 lunchboxes with phrases and short stories from their own experiences with food. The boxes, along with other selections of Bantz’s art, will hang in the Carlisle Arts Learning Center next month.

As a Korean American, Bantz remembers having these “lunchbox moments” as a kid. Some of those memories are a part of the exhibit—like the time she asked her mom, a South Korean immigrant, to make mac and cheese, and she melted a Kraft single on top of white rice. Or there was the time she got in line to get a box of milk at lunch because all of the other kids were doing it, even though she was lactose intolerant, which she said is common among people of Asian descent.

“I really wanted it to be a little bit of humor, a little bit of seriousness, but ultimately just showcasing the Asian American experience in America through this one lens,” Bantz said.

As much as the project was a cathartic experience for Bantz, it was impactful to those from the community who she included, as well. She hosted classes to allow people to share their lunchbox moments and paint them on a lunchbox to be included in the show. The stories, she said, are even more emotional and impactful than she imagined.

“A lot of the folks that came to the workshops, I don’t think they realized that other people had that same moment,” she said. “I want other Asian Americans to be able to walk into that gallery and see all of the lunchboxes and stories and be like ‘oh, these are my people, they get it.’”

Bantz’s show comes on the heels of many instances of Asian hate crimes in the United States during the pandemic. She hopes that her exhibit keeps the conversation around the issue going, while also allowing room for people to giggle and smile a bit.

“Initially, this whole idea was just because I needed to do something to cope—I needed an outlet,” Bantz said. “And then I realized that other people needed an outlet.”

The exhibit will also include an interactive piece for people to share their lunchbox moments, reactions to the exhibit and stories of not fitting in. She hopes that community members of all cultures and races will participate.

“The only way to reduce hate is if we find common ground,” Bantz said. “That’s the whole premise of the show.”

“Lunchbox Moments” will be on display at the Carlisle Arts Learning Center from Aug. 6 to Sept. 18 in their 2^nd floor gallery. For more information, visit Amie Bantz’s website.

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Meet Jeff: Homeless No More

July 27, 2021 | by Karen Hendricks

Editor’s Note: Our contributor Karen Hendricks kindly allowed us to reprint this column from her blog, which continues a story she originally reported for TheBurg.

I attended a memorial service for a homeless friend today. His death didn’t make headlines, or the footnotes for that matter, in any local newspapers. And that’s one reason I’m writing about him, as a tribute—not only to those who knew him, but those who did not. Sometimes as a society we ignore the homeless—and maybe it’s easy to do without a face or a name. I never asked permission to use his photo, but hopefully my description will conjure up an image in your mind. And whatever your perceptions about the homeless, I think his story will defy your assumptions. And I can definitely tell you his name.

His name was Jeff. I met him nearly two years ago, and I’ve talked to him once or twice a month, ever since. We first met, as I was writing a magazine story about a local church group taking their ministry on the road, literally, to a truck stop experiencing a trend. An increasingly growing population of people, especially families, were parking there for the night. They were homeless, living out of their vehicles. A truck stop is one of the few places where they could park for the night, slipping into the darkness and hiding out of sight, until their growing numbers could no longer go unnoticed.

But let’s stop calling them homeless people and just call them people. Why was this a trend? I wanted to hear their stories and try to understand. I wanted to share their stories—to open people’s eyes so that they were no longer invisible.

I went twice—once to observe and meet the participants, around a huge family-style dinner table at a local Denny’s, and I returned a second time to interview those willing to talk and share their stories. Then I wrote up my story (I’ll link to it below) and thought that was the end.

Except it wasn’t. I felt compelled to go back. As journalists, we’re not supposed to be part of our stories. We’re not supposed to write in first person. We’re supposed to observe and not get involved. But as a human and as a Christian, I couldn’t “not” get involved, after hearing their stories. There was something so honest and real about many of the participants. And that included Jeff.

It might surprise you to learn that he was a former police officer. And a proud Vietnam vet. Some might say he walked with a limp or a gimp, but I would describe him as jaunty. That’s because he was a jokester, a prankster, who often had a giant smile on his well-weathered face. He was small, but wiry and scrappy, and that smile was his dominant feature. When he told me he was originally from New Mexico and Arizona, I could imagine him as a cowboy. But his profession, for the majority of his adult life, was that of a truck driver.

So how did he become homeless, living out of motels and truck stops, relying on ministries, for the last 10 or so years of his life?

Jeff was also a widower—that was one of the first things he told me. He talked about missing his wife Jean every day of his life. And that’s how he lost his life savings—pouring it into her care. I’m sorry I can’t remember the details, but I believe she had cancer. She died in the Harrisburg area, and I think that’s what kept him here. I got the feeling that he didn’t want to leave the area, because this is where she last was.

Jeff transitioned from taking care of his wife to taking care of others who had fallen on hard times. When he came to the church’s ministry nights, he never arrived alone. He always brought several others with him—people he was sheltering in his motel room or his motel-turned-home’s neighbors. Jeff created community. And he seemed to know everyone.

In some ways his police officer background never left him, because his chest swelled with pride when he told me he knew a lot of the area officers and EMTs. They apparently nicknamed Jeff “the sheriff.” Because he knew everything going down at the local truck stops, they knew they could count on him for information from time to time.

Even as he continued to take care of his fellow homeless friends, age and health caught up with Jeff this summer. It might sound crazy, but I would describe today’s service as beautiful. That’s because the memories and tributes to Jeff painted a picture of a man who, despite his situation in life, touched the lives of others. Isn’t that something for all of to strive for? To make an impact, to help others, to make a difference.

Godspeed, Jeff. I am happy that you’re homeless no more.

Karen’s original story, “When a Truck Becomes a Home: One church takes homeless ministry on the road—to the local truck stop,” was published in TheBurg in December 2019.

Photo credit: Photo by Caleb Ruiter on Unsplash

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Street parking rates to rise in much of Harrisburg starting next week

July 26, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda

A parking meter in Midtown Harrisburg

Street parking is about to get even more expensive in Harrisburg, as the system’s manager today announced significant increases for metered spaces.

Starting next Monday, hourly street parking will rise by 33% in the areas controlled by Park Harrisburg /SP+, according to the company.

In the central business district (CBD) zone, which includes much of downtown, street parking rates will increase from $3 to $4 per hour. In non-CBD areas, the rate will rise from $1.50 to $2 an hour.

“This is the first meter rate increase since Park Harrisburg assumed responsibility for specified metered parking spaces and garages from the City of Harrisburg and Harrisburg Parking Authority in 2013,” said John Gass, managing director with PK Harris Advisors, the asset management company for the parking system, in a statement.

Gass added that a rate increase had been under consideration “for some time to provide sufficient cash flow to maintain expenses associated with the system.”

Reached by text, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that he opposes the rate hikes and that the city was not consulted about the increases.

Under Harrisburg’s 2013 financial recovery plan, SP+ took over management of much of Harrisburg’s parking system under a 40-year lease. The $286 million deal helped the city shed much of its crippling debt accumulated under former Mayor Steve Reed, much of it tied to botched retrofits of the city incinerator.

While street parking rates have not increased since SP+ took over the system in 2013, parking garage rates have increased.

For more information about Harrisburg parking, visit the Park Harrisburg/SP+ website.

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Bob’s Art Blog: Justice League of Art & Pics 6 for Millworks V

July 26, 2021 | by Bob MacGinnes

Back in the ‘60s, way before Zack Snyder released his director’s cut of the “Justice League of America” (JLA), they were a unified force of superheroes brought together by DC Comics to repel and defeat the evil-doers in our universe. I was a pre-teen kid in those days loving comics, pure escapism fare.

In comic book form, the Justice League of America was created in March of 1960. During the dog days of summer, from the end of July into the beginning of August, when the days were too hot to do anything else but read, I imagined the possibilities of being one of the JLA. Hands down for me, the Flash was my favorite and still is today. Barry Allen, the fastest human being, was always racing around the earth, tying up loose ends and villains faster than you could say “The Flash!” As an original member of the Justice League of America, the Flash joined forces with the likes of Superman and Batman and, as for the rest, you can probably rattle them off in your head.

For this blog, I’ve started to assemble an elite group that I refer to as “The Justice League of Art”—a group content to operate behind the scenes, for the most part just under the radar, but who provide vital acts of artistic merit in making our Harrisburg world a better place and a more vibrant community. More often than not, it is the unsung among us that provide a knockout punch. And some even wear masks (beyond the expected norm due to mandates).

Grace Robinson painting

Back in March, a masked figure was revealed on Instagram dressed stealthily in camo gear who ended up being covered in all colors of paint. What started out as a photographic shoot by “it’s James,” aka James Kleppel, an artist of multidimensional talents who was none other than Grace Robinson. She operates under the nom de plume color.ur.soul, revealing her rhapsodic revelry as an artist covered in paint from head to toe. Follow the trail of the paint splatters, and they will lead you to this artist of kaleidoscopic color. Grace paints with wild abandon as well as creating items of self-defense with her usual flair of artistic elements adding to the functionality of her pieces. A recent endeavor is her “gnomes from home” art. A superhero indeed; she is Soul Siren. Look and listen for the Splat!

Larry Washington, Jr., aka Larry Lenzz, zeros in on the subject matter like an auteur creating his own mise-en-scene. Whatever catches Mr. Washington’s fancy becomes malleably photogenic under his aperture’s gaze. From cityscapes to the state Capitol building to towering church spires and painting-worthy photographs of the Susquehanna River, there’s nothing that Larry’s lens doesn’t capture to a “T.” Picture a broad-reaching wingspan. With his hawk eyes, he is able to scoop the “seen.” Often operating under the cover of night, Larry is known as Nighthawk. Whoosh!

Photograph by Larry Washington Jr.

Movie poster art by Keegan Beinhower

Keegan Beinhower, automobile modifier by day and artistic atom bomb by night, this next superhero already embodies his character’s name, aka “Atomic Keeg,” as his calling card on Instagram. He blows things up like pet’s heads to oversized proportions. No, he does not harm any animals in the process but enlarges their photos, their “headshots,” so to speak, in model parlance to take on film roles like a Star War’s galaxy photo with the pets wielding light sabers. If inspired to do so, share your pet’s photos with Atomic Keeg, and he will blow them up on a movie set piece of art for a one-of-a-kind treasure to hang on your wall. Another element in Atomic’s oeuvre is his latest creations, dinosaurs made from metal car parts. They are comprised of scrap steel left over from making dune buggies and sand rails. For example, the head of a stegosaurus was part of a tool, a hydraulic spreader. His prehistoric art and more can be viewed at the recently reopened Gallery@Second. Ka-boom!

Bethany Nicholle painting

Add another femme fatale to the roster of the Justice League of Art in the guise of Bethany Nicholle, author and artist. Bethany concocts a gallery of abstract paintings, displaying unexpected unions of color and texture that lead to a narrative purely of her own design. More often than not, she shrewdly markets them as accessories on a smaller scale, such as magnets and key fobs—just about anything she can dream up. A favorite choice is her tongue-in-chic wearable masks, perfect for the age we are living in. A published writer, Ms. Nicholle pursues poetry and writes short stories found in her works Amour Fou, The Endeared and the Damned and The Darkness Behind the Shadow. Always on the prowl for inspiration, this artist operates as Catwoman, an expert thief that is best known for stealing Batman’s heart. Meow.

For now, this foursome of artists operates as inhabitants of a space and time continuum leading a dual life as superheroes imbued by powers beyond the norm. Although, at first glance, they appear just as you and I. Look for more Justice League of Art members to be showcased in the months ahead as Bob’s Art Blog may periodically reveal more secrets and superheroes of the Harrisburg art universe. It’s summertime, and the reading is easy. Let your imagination run wild and always look up. You never know who or what you may see.

Pics Six for Millworks V

If the title sounds confusing, think of this chapter of the Millworks artists as a new Pennsylvania Lottery game, “Pics Six.” Actually, Gus told me that there is something too similar already. This select group of a half-dozen freethinking artists is featured on the main lobby wall and in their respective studios that runs through Aug. 15.

Work by Rebecca Adey

In alphabetical order, the artists start with Rebecca Adey and her ModSew Designs. Ms. Adey creates her own Peaceable Kingdom with three-dimensional “paper cut portraits and plush mount sculptures,” works of critters and creatures both imagined and real with her lovable and adoptable animals. Remember when cartoon characters burst through the Looney Tunes logo before the reel started? Look for Rebecca and her ModSew Designs menagerie in Studio 215. Her delightful designs will bring a smile to your face as well with whimsy and wonder.

Oil painting by Amie Bantz

Diversely talented Amie Bantz is an artist constantly changing her approach to how she thinks about and presents her art to the public. Drawing on her professional expertise as an art instructor for the Carlisle School District, Amie consistently brings a new dimension and subject matter to the foreground. Switching from her Asian American heritage iconography for Millworks Spring Preview, just months later she now is exhibiting floating, torn-edged watercolor images with a nod to yesteryear in the vein of “postcard ephemera.” Her scenes of Montserrat and other ports of destination deliver serenity and sunshine in just the right dose. For more of Amie’s works, drop into Studio 322.

Reclaimed nature art by John Davis

As the full-time art and gallery educator and coordinator of visual arts at the Milton Hershey School, John Davis is skilled at wearing many artistic hats. Accustomed to working in many mediums, John applies his talents in ceramics, mosaics and found objects, as well as working in oils, acrylics and ink studies. He is the past president of the Hershey Art Association and has served on the board of directors of the Art Association of Harrisburg. He puts his personal stamp on reclaiming nature with his down-to-earth, of-the-earth shadow boxes for this Millworks show. Mr. Davis embodies his motto, “find…and live…your passion.” John can be found in Studio 321.

Assemblage art by Mary Kay Gelenser

Mary Gelenser of Studio 319 finds inspiration in the castoff treasures of old stuff, fabrics, papers and hardware. Mary Kay takes pieces of this and that and works her magic as an alchemist/artist, turning one-of-a-kind assemblages into gold. In the current show, she assembles locks and hasps that hold the key to the imagination. Assemblage art unifies found objects or items incorporated with specific intent to create a composition that can take on symbolic meaning. Mary Kay puts aside any notion of an arts and craft approach, demonstrating inordinate skills in attaining a deeper aesthetic within the context of the entire work.

Photographs by Paul Vasiliades

Paul Vasiliades, Harrisburg fine art photographer, enters the third dimension for the Millworks show by pioneering the vastness of technology in art. This is greatly evidenced in his series of expansive landscapes. Site-specific locations from World’s End to Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah Valley open the possibilities of future travels with their rich detail and natural beauty. He offers a sense of the surreal in his photographs of avian adventures with birds taking flight across a golden sky that surely would have inspired Hitchcock. In addition, Paul is an award-winning wedding photographer, and his portfolio can be viewed in Studio 211.

Mixed media by Ann Benton Yeager

Painter Ann Benton Yeager, found in Studio 103, employs bursts of boldness in her color-laden cold wax and oil paintings. Her depth of texture draws one into the narrative of dreams and details, vivid with dramatic pools from her palette full of emotion. A descendant of American artist, Thomas Hart Benton, this Millersville-born artist is fluid in all aspects of abstract art. Subscribing to a color wheel of favorites, Ann is a contemporary artist who specializes in mixed media works that incorporate hot wax or oil paintings. Benton Yeager is also a published author and art instructor.

This sextet at Millworks weaves a spell that you will be glad to fall under for the next three weeks. This powerful show is one you won’t want to miss. And mark Aug. 7 on your calendars now as it denotes Millworks First Saturday, a time to visit and chat with the artists in their studios.

The Millworks is located at 340 Verbeke St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.millworksharrisburg.com.

Most photos by Jana MacGinnes

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

July 23, 2021 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Gittens

Animals at Speranza Animal Rescue.

There was plenty of news this week in the Harrisburg area. Whether you need advice on a weekend vacation spot, or want to know what possibly could’ve made this month’s zoning board meeting take over four hours, it’s all listed and linked, below.

The Atlas building development project will move forward with input from Camp Curtin neighbors and other community members, our online story reported. The Harrisburg Atlas Building Collective, a group of local businesses, entrepreneurs and community leaders, will partner with developer Adam Maust to conduct outreach.

Author Jeff Arch, a Harrisburg native, spoke with our writer about his book “Attachments.” Our magazine feature tells the story of how Arch persisted in the face of rejection and published a novel that he started three decades ago.

Berks County may be the perfect weekend getaway trip. In our magazine story, read about what the area has to offer, including art, food and history.

A proposed affordable housing development for seniors was the topic of concern among Harrisburg residents at a Zoning Hearing Board meeting this week, our reporting found. Many neighbors to the Bethel Village project, at N. 6^th and Herr streets, were dissatisfied with the number of parking spaces included in the plan.

Harrisburg University will celebrate innovation and community with its upcoming “Tech ‘n Town Week,” our online story reported. The festival will feature concerts, a crypto-currency conference and the return of the university-sponsored e-sports tournament, HUE Invitational.

A pair of local churches developed a bond during the pandemic, despite denominational differences. Our magazine article tells the story of how the Old Catholic Church, Parish of Saint Joseph, and Metropolitan Community Church of the Spirit came together when they started sharing a building.

The Popcorn Hat Players presents “Thumbelina,” the story of a tiny, yet fierce heroine who is kidnapped and then begins an epic adventure homeward to her mother. Our theater reviewer will let you know what to expect from this silly show, playing now through mid-August.

Speranza Animal Hospital runs a no-kill shelter that houses 50 dogs on site (with another 81 in foster homes), 80 farm animals and a collection of barn cats. It’s no easy feat, but Janine Guido makes it all work, providing a second chance to the most abused animals and those who others deem a lost cause. Read more in our magazine story.

Sprocket Mural Works has plans for two large murals in Allison Hill, our online story reported. The nonprofit is seeking community input to help guide the projects.

“Summertime” is a film that plays like a musical, but, instead of breaking into song, the cast members break into spoken word poetry, opening up about their love lives, insecurities and desire to belong. Read more about the movie, playing at Midtown Cinema, here.

An upcoming documentary will honor the lives of Harrisburg young men lost to gun violence, our magazine story reported. In the film, “Our Boys,” by Harrisburg resident Lawrence Greene, mothers and family members of the boys will tell their stories.

Vacant lots are up for grabs in Harrisburg, as residents can lease them for just $1/year, our online story reported. Harrisburg officials said that they can be used for recreation, gardening or open green space.

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Developer teams with Camp Curtin group to decide direction of Atlas building project

July 22, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

The Hudson Building will become the Atlas 1923

As a historic Camp Curtin building is restored, the developer behind it is bringing a group of neighbors together to help decide its future.

The owner of the Atlas building on N. 6^th and Maclay streets has announced a partnership with the newly formed Harrisburg Atlas Building Collective (HABC), a group of local businesses, entrepreneurs and community leaders.

“Working with local leaders and businesses has always been a priority,” said building owner Adam Maust. “The vision we are working together on will create a lasting and significant footprint that will impact all of Harrisburg for decades to come.”

The local group will work with Maust to fill 40,000 square feet of space on the lower level and first floor of the renovated Atlas building with retail, food vendors and market space, among other vendors. Maust envisions the space looking like Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, possibly being open seven days a week.

HABC will go door-to-door this summer, speaking with Camp Curtin residents and holding events to hear from the community on what businesses they want to see in the Atlas.

“This is an unprecedented partnership and we’re looking forward to facilitating the much-needed access to goods and services of local residents as well as business owners,” said Tami Dykes, Camp Curtin Neighborhoods United vice president and one of the leaders of HABC.

Maust purchased the 60,000-square-foot Atlas building, formerly known as the Hudson building, in 2020. Since then, his team has been renovating and restoring the building with plans to possibly incorporate retail, grocery and food vendors, as well as office space and apartment units.

“I am trying to do this the right way and bring the community’s voice into this,” Maust said.

HABC will work to bring local business owners into the Atlas and provide services that the Camp Curtin neighborhood values.

“This is an opportunity to change the dynamic of development to be focused on the community and provide new ways to ownership,” said Basir Vincent, co-founder of the Young Professionals of Color-Greater Harrisburg. “The goal will be for the local community to have a major stake in a cornerstone being rebuilt in our community.”

For more information on the Atlas Building, visit their website.

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Parking Problems: Neighbors object to proposed senior housing development on N. 6th Street

July 20, 2021 | by Maddie Gittens

The proposed site of Bethel Village at Herr and N. 6th streets.

At a packed Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board Meeting on Monday night, residents’ hands shot up, one-by-one, to express their opposition to a proposed affordable housing project for seniors.

Local development group RB Development, along with several partners, presented their plans for Bethel Village, an affordable housing community for senior citizens at N. 6^th and Herr streets.

The proposed development was discussed at a community meeting a few weeks ago with little opposition from residents, most comments coming from supporters of the project. However, at Monday’s meeting, many residents waited nearly four hours to get the chance to voice their concerns.

“I’ve spoken to many of the neighbors, and no one objects to affordable housing,” said Ted Hanson, a long-time resident of Boas Street.

However, Hanson presented board members with a petition signed by 60 neighborhood residents. Their main concern: parking.

The Bethel Village project proposes a 49-unit building for qualifying low-income seniors on land that once housed, in part, the historic Bethel AME Church, which burned down in 1995. Last week, Bethel Village purchased the land from Bethel AME, a partner in the project.

Bethel Village is proposing four parking spots for their building, 15 fewer than the required number under the zoning code, explained Esche McCombie, an attorney with McNees, Wallace & Nurick, the law firm representing Bethel.

However, Bethel Village developers do not see this as a problem, explained Ava Goldman of Gardner Capital, another partner in the project. Based on her experience working in affordable housing development, she expects that a large majority of their seniors will not own cars.

But residents who spoke at Monday’s meeting painted a picture of a congested neighborhood with little room for the vehicles of people who already live there, let alone those for as many as 50 newcomers.

“There are nights when I come home at midnight from the hospital, and I cannot find a parking spot,” said resident Allison Deturk-Malia, a nurse. “You mean to tell me that four parking spots are going to be OK for our neighborhood? I don’t think so.”

McCombie reiterated that they don’t expect most residents to have cars, and for visitors and family members, they referenced new on-street parking recently added to 6^th Street. They also plan to incorporate bike racks on their property.

Some residents brought up concerns with the facade of the building, saying it wouldn’t fit in with the historic neighborhood. Others commented on traffic in the neighborhood, explaining that it can already be unsafe for pedestrians with cars turning off of 6^th onto Boas at high speeds. They suggested that the development would make the situation even worse.

“We want to work with the neighbors,” said Blane Stoddart of RB Development. “We would not do anything to put you in danger or to put your kids in danger.”

Despite the neighborhood concerns, Stoddart emphasized that they fully plan to move forward with the $15 million project, saying that they have already received low-income tax credit money from the state. Financially, Bethel developers said that they cannot provide more parking.

“This is a project that is going to happen,” he said. “Seventy-one percent of Harrisburg residents qualify, income-wise, to live in this project.”

Zoning board members voted to continue the Bethel Village discussion in a special hearing on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m.

Also on the long agenda for Monday night were several other projects that received continuances.

At June’s zoning meeting, Harrisburg-based D&F Realty Holdings presented its plans to convert a 16,500-square-foot building at 423 Division St. into an apartment building. The building previously housed Congregation Chisuk Emuna before it was damaged in a 2009 fire. In recent years the building has remained blighted.

D&F’s proposal included no on-site parking spots, but developers said they spoke with the Scottish Rite Cathedral about utilizing their lot, a few blocks away.

Zoning board Chair Thomas Leonard said that he needed to see a formal agreement with the cathedral and continued the project to the Aug. 16 meeting.

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