Tag Archives: autozone

Harrisburg Council overturns mayor’s veto following tense exchange over development strategy, policy

March 10, 2020 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council in session on Tuesday

Harrisburg City Council overturned a mayoral veto on Tuesday, though the two branches of government agreed to work towards a policy that could give the city more leverage over future development projects.

By a 5-2 vote, council rejected the action by Mayor Eric Papenfuse, who recently vetoed a resolution that would vacate several “paper” streets on a parcel of land where the new federal courthouse now is rising.

Before the meeting, Papenfuse said that he vetoed the resolution to make a point. He wants council members to create a policy that would require developers to conduct a “public benefit analysis” when requesting street vacations.

Such a policy, he said, would give the city leverage as developers continue to plan projects in Harrisburg. In exchange for the street vacation, the city could ask for certain benefits, such as offsetting city-borne costs, making streetscape improvements, utilizing local labor or including affordable housing.

“It could help us with affordable housing policy in the city,” he said. “In Seattle, and many cities, they require a public benefit proposal on the part of the developer.”

Last month, council approved a resolution that would vacate “various unnamed paper streets” on the 4.2-acre site at N. 6^th and Reily streets, where the federal government is building a 243,000-square-foot courthouse.

Usually, paper streets are narrow “baker’s” or “grocer’s” alleys that offer rear access to row houses. On the courthouse site, neither the houses nor the alleys exist any longer, but the public rights of way remain on paper.

On Tuesday, Papenfuse told council that, currently, the city holds little leverage over a developer outside of the normal planning and zoning process. Requiring an analysis for street vacations would give the city a tool to extract “public benefit” concessions for large projects, he said.

“It would be a power vested in City Council that is not granted through the land development process,” he said.

Papenfuse then summarized Seattle’s policy to council, using it as an example of an effective street vacation policy, saying that the process could be used to place leverage on developers to include affordable housing in their projects or to mandate the use of local labor.

“I know we have a lot of street vacations coming down the pike,” Papenfuse said. “I’m hopeful that we can develop a policy.”

Before casting her override vote, council President Wanda Williams criticized Papenfuse’s housing strategy, saying that he has supported past development proposals in the city that didn’t include an affordable housing element.

“I’m a little outraged by that veto,” she said. “I asked for an affordable housing component, and you sat there with your head down each and every time.”

Despite a lengthy, critical exchange with Papenfuse, Williams said that she would be interested in discussing a street vacation policy.

“I think we should work on this quickly,” agreed council member Dave Madsen, one of two votes, along with council member Westburn Majors, to uphold the veto.

Papenfuse admitted that his veto was unlikely to impact the federal courthouse project, which is well underway and slated for completion in spring 2022. But he said that he wanted to make a point that council should pass a street vacation policy.

“These are public streets,” he said. “Potentially, there are things that could be received in exchange, which goes well beyond the courthouse.”

This was Papenfuse’s second veto of a “street vacation” resolution. Early last year, he vetoed a street vacation resolution for the proposed site of an AutoZone store in Uptown Harrisburg, which council also overturned.

At that time, Papenfuse said he wanted to use the street vacation to pressure AutoZone to submit development plans that he considered to be more satisfactory. In fact, council just last month granted the AutoZone project two more street vacations, which should allow construction to begin soon on the project.

Members of the Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania (MILPA), along with Harrisburg City Council members, pose for a picture following the unanimous council vote to back legislation allowing all residents to secure driver’s licenses.

In other action on Tuesday, City Council:

Voted 6-1 to approve an agreement transferring the Strawberry Square Arcade to the Strawberry Square Condominium Association, with Williams voting no.
By a 5-2 vote, approved a resolution to hire Harrisburg-based Maverick Strategies to continue to provide consulting and lobbying for Harrisburg. The agreement for the $5,000 monthly retainer expires on Dec. 31.
Unanimously passed a resolution hiring Ecological Solutions to provide lake management services for Italian Lake at a cost of $9,125.
Unanimously passed a resolution backing state legislation that would allow Pennsylvania residents, regardless of immigration status, access to a valid driver’s license. Following the vote, about 40 members of the Movement of Immigrant Leaders in Pennsylvania (MILPA), who spearheaded the resolution and attended the meeting, cheered loudly, vocalizing their support for council’s action.

December News Digest

December 30, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

December 2019 News Digest

Harrisburg Approves 2020 Budget

Harrisburg last month passed a 2020 budget that spends more money on police salaries and debt reduction but does not raise taxes.

City Council approved Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s proposed spending plan with no changes.

“I think this is a sign that the government is working well together,” Papenfuse said.

Councilman Ben Allatt, chair of the council’s budget and finance committee, concurred that this year’s budget process was a smooth one.

“We had a lively discussion [during the budget hearings],” he said. “I think there’s general agreement about the budget priorities going forward.”

Council voted 6-1 to approve the budget, with a lone “no” vote by council member Shamaine Daniels.

The proposed 2020 budget, which contains no city property tax increase for a seventh straight year, totals $120 million, which includes a $74.3 million general fund, a $17.5 million neighborhood services fund and a $15.3 million debt service fund.

Papenfuse expects the city to run a 2019 surplus of about $1 million. He has attributed the surplus mostly to earned income and business taxes that exceeded expectations, which indicates a healthy jobs climate in the city.

Harrisburg will use much of that surplus to increase salaries for police officers, with the hope that a pay boost will help the Police Bureau, which has long struggled with retention, keep its young officers.

In fact, City Council last month also approved a new, six-year collective bargaining agreement with the police union to affirm the new pay schedule.

Under the agreement, the entry-level salary for a police officer will remain the same at almost $49,000 a year. However, an officer would be able to move up in pay quickly, so that officers, in year six, would be able to earn as much as $70,000—some $6,000 more than previously.

In all, the city hopes to add 10 to 15 officers to the force, bringing the personnel count to a budgeted 153 officers.

The police union contract didn’t expire for another year. However, the city opened it up early to create the new salary regimen.

“That will hopefully provide an improved retention for our police force,” Allatt said.

The budget also adds four firefighter positions, mostly paid for by reductions in overtime for existing staff. That would bring the Fire Bureau complement in 2020 to 86 total personnel, plus command staff.

Council also approved a resolution that will amend the city’s agreement with its bond insurer, Ambac Assurance Corp.

Under the agreement, the city will prepay $5 million in debt using its substantial reserve funds. With Harrisburg pre-paying, Ambac has agreed to a “multiplier” that would actually reduce city debt by $6.9 million, Papenfuse has said. He also said he would like to refinance existing general obligation debt that extends through 2022 at a lower interest rate.

The budget contained several other notable provisions.

First, the city and the school district have reached an agreement to split the cost of two school resource officers. The district’s SRO program expired in 2009 when funding dried up and was never renewed.

Papenfuse also is proposing renovating the first floor of the MLK City Government Center. Money for that work would come from federal Community Development Block Grant funds.

For 2020, the city is focusing on five capital improvement projects. These include:

Beginning the conversion of much of N. 2nd Street to two-way traffic.
A roundabout, improved crosswalks and a partially protected cycle track on N. 7th Street.
Road and curb improvements to the MulDer Square area.
Safety improvements to State Street on Allison Hill, pending cooperation and approval from PennDOT.
“East-West connector” project, which consists of improvements to the area around Walnut and Chestnut streets downtown, funded with a state grant.

These debt reduction and capital improvement measures will tap into the city’s budget reserve balance, which now sits at about $24 million, saved up over the last several years. At the end of 2020, the city expects to draw down the reserve to about $15.6 million, Allatt said.

AutoZone, Dispensary Plans Approved

Two contentious building projects are closer to breaking ground after Harrisburg City Council approved their development plans.

Council last month approved the land use plans for both a medical marijuana dispensary on Allison Hill and an AutoZone store in Uptown Harrisburg.

The dispensary generated the most criticism by council members, who passed the building plan by a slim 4-3 margin, with council members Ausha Green, Danielle Bowers and Shamaine Daniels voting against it.

Members who voted in favor stressed that they did so not because they support the dispensary at 137 S. 17th St., but because the building plan itself met all city requirements, which was the issue at stake.

“The project is in compliance with all the city laws and regulations,” said Councilman Dave Madsen.

A company called WH RE LLC plans to build a 3,000-square-foot medical marijuana retail store directly across the street from Hamilton Health Center on what now is an empty lot.

Over a year ago, the state Department of Health awarded a dispensary license to Local Dispensaries, a related company. City Council has no authority over licensing but had to approve the land use plan for the building.

Green said that she voted against the plan to “send a message” that she was unhappy with a process that, she believes, excluded neighborhood residents.

“I would like to see more community input even before the application gets to the state,” she said.

With the approval, WH RE LLC hopes to break ground on the facility in spring and estimates a four-month-long construction process.

Council last month also approved the land development plan for AutoZone, a Memphis-based auto supply chain, to construct a new retail store at the corner of Maclay and N. 7th streets.

Some council members, as well as the city Planning Bureau, had objected to AutoZone’s original proposal for an access point off of N. 7th Street, saying it would create safety issues. AutoZone later agreed to eliminate that driveway, leaving two others—one on Maclay Street and the other on Peffer Street, Madsen said.

Before it can break ground, AutoZone needs to return to council to have several streets vacated on the four-parcel, 1.13-acre site.

AutoZone made its original proposal to locate on the property, now owned by the Vartan Group, about 16 months ago. It plans a $935,280 project consisting of a 6,816-square-foot store and 37 off-street parking spaces.

Development Plan for Bishop McDevitt

A former professional football player from Harrisburg is leading an ambitious effort to build eco-friendly, mixed-used developments in Harrisburg and beyond, with sights first set on the former Bishop McDevitt High School.

Former NFL lineman Garry Gilliam, a Harrisburg native, is heading up a four-person development team comprised of long-time friends who all attended the Milton Hershey School and Penn State.

“We’re going to build what I believe will help a lot of inner city people who don’t have the means or the resources or the education to do something like this for themselves,” said Gilliam, CEO of the company called The Bridge.

Gilliam spent five years in the NFL playing for the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, which released him earlier this year.

Gilliam’s concept for The Bridge is wide-ranging. In sum, he wants to take existing, aging urban structures, such as obsolete school buildings, and repurpose them for sustainable, 21st-century needs.

For instance, The Bridge first will create co-working, maker and event spaces within the former Bishop McDevitt, which is located at 2200 Market St. in Harrisburg. Gilliam said that he expects those projects to open in 2020.

Other elements of the proposed “Eco Village” project include sustainable, zero-energy housing, commercial areas and indoor urban agriculture. These pieces, which require more planning and engineering, are planned for future build-outs, Gilliam said.

The Bridge is leasing the Bishop McDevitt site from its owner, William Penn Holdings, which bought the sprawling, 115,000-square-foot building last March from the Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg. The building has been empty since 2013, when the diocese moved the school to a new campus in Lower Paxton Township.

Gilliam said that he also has a proposal before the Harrisburg school district to purchase the former William Penn High School, which includes 25 acres of property near Italian Lake.

He said that, over the years, he had thought up the various elements that he combined together for the overarching concept of The Bridge. Then, last year, he discussed the concept with his friend, Corey Dupree, who came on board as chief operations officer.

The pair then brought on two other friends: Dezwaan Dubois, who now serves as chief information officer, and Rob DeJarnett, who is now is chief financial officer. All attended Milton Hershey and Penn State together.

Gilliam said his funding comes from himself and other investors, mostly other “athletes and entertainers.”

The Bridge plans to engage the community before embarking on its plans, said Dupree.

“Having the community input for everything will be very important,” he said.

This is the second time this year that professional football players from Harrisburg have announced plans to develop in the city.

Over the summer, brothers LeSean and LeRon McCoy bought the former Curtis Funeral Home at the corner of N. 6^th and Boas streets and are renovating it into three market-rate apartments, with retail space on the first floor. The McCoy brothers have ambitious plans to build dozens of apartments on that block of N. 6^th Street and the adjoining 400-block of Herr Street.

The Bridge also has very ambitious plans. After starting in Harrisburg, the partners hope to expand to other cities. On its website, The Bridge lists such cities as Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston and Seattle as “pending areas.”

Renovations for Midtown Cinema

Harrisburg’s Midtown Cinema soon will embark on a major renovation that will make over the building’s façade, along with substantial changes to the interior.

Cinema owner Lift Development is expected to begin work in February following the theater’s annual Academy Awards celebration, with the project wrapping up in time for the Harrisburg Jewish Film Festival in May, said Stuart Landon, the cinema’s director of community engagement.

“Our owners are looking to see what ‘s next for us,” Landon said. “Six years ago, Lift made a big investment in the theater, moving us over to digital and improving the movie-going experience. This is the next step for us.”

The changes will feature a sleek, modern exterior look designed by Midtown resident Rich Gribble, an architect with Camp Hill-based ByDesign Consultants.

The façade will feature a mostly glass exterior topped by a new marquee and new fiber cement board panels. On the east side, a wood-and-metal trellis will extend the building’s footprint, with picnic tables underneath for outside seating.

The design, Landon said, gives a nod to the look of old-time movie film.

“It’s very subtle, nothing too heavy-handed,” he said.

Inside, the lobby and concession areas will be reimagined, improving the flow for patrons, and the three theaters will get new soundproofing and possibly new seating, said Landon. The restrooms may also be renovated, he said.

“It’ll be very different, but still warm, with the same feeling that people love now,” he said.

Midtown Cinema’s building dates back to 1940, when it debuted as the Acme Self-Service Market, one of the Harrisburg area’s first supermarkets. It replaced the Reily School building on the site at Reily and Susquehanna streets. The cinema opened in the building in 2001.

Landon said that the cinema will remain operating during the renovations, but with an “adjusted schedule,” since construction work may affect theater use and screening times.

“We’re really excited about this,” Landon said. “The building will better reflect the organization we are and what we want to be.”

New School Superintendent

The Harrisburg school district is making a change in its top leadership, as the acting superintendent is stepping down.

Dr. John George announced last month that he will leave his post on Jan. 1, replaced as acting superintendent by Chris Celmer, formerly the assistant acting superintendent.

“[Celmer] has been here, on site everyday,” said George, who will continue to act as an advisor to the district. “He has, for all practical purposes, already been serving as superintendent and I, more or less, have been serving as an advisor.”

The district receiver, Dr. Janet Samuels, affirmed that she approved Celmer’s promotion.

Celmer and George have worked together for about a decade, first at the Berks County Intermediate Unit and then at the Reading school district. George brought Celmer to Harrisburg as his second-in-command under Samuels, who was appointed school district receiver in June.

George said that he planned to serve full-time in his current post as executive director of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit until September, when he would retire from that job to lead the Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units.

George and Celmer both said that they’ve worked to stabilize the district’s finances, hire competent personnel, instill a solid governing structure and make academic reforms since they arrived in late June. Going forward, the district will focus particularly on academic achievement, they said.

“I’m excited about the opportunity, and I’m very confident that we’ll continue to make great strides in the Harrisburg school district,” Celmer said.

In his final public statement, George again took swipes at two entities that he’s criticized in the recent past: the former leadership of the district, which he described as having a “perverse self-interest,” and PA House Speaker Mike Turzai, who has proposed legislation to give Harrisburg students vouchers to attend private schools.

“Harrisburg school district will be devastated for generations if Speaker Turzai’s ill-conceived voucher bill becomes law,” George said. “On the other hand, with proper governance and leadership, and the support and patience of elected officials, community members, parents and faculty, I foresee much better days ahead for the Harrisburg school district.”

Home Sales Down, Prices Up

Home prices rose overall but lower inventory depressed sales activity in the Harrisburg area in November.

The Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors (GHAR) stated that the median price of a home rose 3.4 percent last month compared to November 2018. Sales volume, though, fell 4.9 percent as listing inventory dropped 15.5 percent.

In Dauphin County, the median sales price of a house increased to $165,000 from $156,000 in the year-ago period and sales also increased, totaling 271 units versus 259 the prior November.

Cumberland County last month saw sales drop to 235 units from 277 in November 2018, and the median sales price fell to $197,000 from $205,000 a year ago, GHAR said. In Perry County, sales inched up to 33 units versus 31 in November 2018, and the median price was $188,000, a decrease of $1,000.

In its press release, GHAR stated that, “the number of sales was restrained by the lack of inventory.”

So Noted

FLTBYS LLC has purchased a long-time restaurant building across the street from Midtown Cinema, with plans to turn it into a skate shop and recording studio. New York-based recording artist KOTA the Friend is behind the new concept for the building at 263 Reily St., Harrisburg.

Harrisburg will provide waste and recycling collection for Steelton through June 2024 under a new agreement that both municipalities approved last month. Harrisburg’s Public Works Department began providing sanitation services for the neighboring borough last July after Steelton did not renew its contract with the private hauler, Republic Services.

Janeen M. Latin was named last month as the new president/CEO of UCP Central PA, which provides programs and services for people with disabilities and special needs. Latin has been with the organization for nearly 25 years, most recently as COO. She replaces Judith McCowan, who resigned the post in early December.

LettUsKnow is slated to open early this month in the ground-floor retail space at the Bogg on Cranberry in downtown Harrisburg. This will be the second location for the York-based soup, salad and sandwich company, which specializes in healthier eating options.

Changing Hands

Bartine St., 923: St. Webb to Wyco Investments LLC, $80,000

Bellevue Rd., 2028: K. Feucht to D. Bencosme, $51,000

Berryhill St., 2032: B. Clemente to D. Mann, $40,000

Boas St., 255 & 1831 Park St.: A. & A. McBarnett to Three Bridges Holdings LLC, $156,000

Boas St., 1947: W. & F. Thompson to T. Smith, $74,500

Brookwood St., 1929: C. Frank Properties to Inoma Properties East Shore LLC, $44,729

Catherine St., 1525: W. & P. Hinnant to D. McKeon, $54,900

Chestnut St., 1810: J. Phillips & B. Rice to CR Property Group LLC, $33,600

Division St., 503: D. Grossman to M. Grossman, $88,000

Fulton St., 1629: W. Snader to A. Drake, $124,000

Graham St., 500: K. Mussomeli to R. Goad, $129,900

Holly St., 1840: Capital Properties LLC to G. Brown, $39,900

Holly St., 1915: E. & C. Smith to A. Ramsey, $70,000

Jefferson St., 2355: R. & P. Porter to Da Xing Cheng Inc., $32,900

Jefferson St., 2613: Wilmington Trust NA Trustee to R. Garced, $45,000

Kensington St., 2314: W. Sieruk to J. Regalado, $40,000

Kensington St., 2435: BSR Rental Trust to A. & M. Padua, $64,000

Kensington St., 2335: End Properties to J. Collier, $54,000

Lexington St., 2735: R. Guzman & J. Castillo to Invicta Investments LLC, $55,000

Market St., 2015: L. Baer to T. Evans, $300,000

N. 2nd St., 1319: A Black to S. Musser, $116,000

N. 2nd St., 1327 & 1329: St. Kermes to E. Telfer, $127,000

N. 2nd St., 2001: J. Benson & F. Felbaum to Capozzi & Ehring Realty LLC, $155,000

N. 2nd St., 2243: CPenn Properties Old Uptown to D. Olmsted, $160,000

N. 2nd St., 2245: CPenn Properties Old Uptown to D. Olmsted, $173,900

N. 2nd St., 3016: D. Marcheski & L. Boykin to P. Bernd, $190,000

N. 3rd St., 1618: J. King Jr. to B. Kurama & J. Jobarteh, $98,000

N. 5th St., 2455: Integrity Investors LLC to J. & J. Jones, $44,000

N. 5th St., 3131: PA Deals LLC & PDL Properties LLC to Wylie & Wylie Enterprise LLC, $72,900

N. 6th St., 2013: Condor Ventures to L. Christopher, $58,500

N. 16th St., 1300: B. Potter to R. Grullon, $66,000

N. 17th St., 77: J. Menjivar to A. & C. Munoz, $50,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 606: J. & A. Scarnati to K. & S. Kramer, $112,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 607: J. Rensch to M. & D. Mahoney, $114,000

N. Front St., 2837, Unit 301: D. Soybell & S. Kelleher to M. Mull, $258,000

N. Front St., 2837: Unit 302: D. Soybell & S. Kelleher to S. MacDonald & M. Warner, $130,000

Penn St., 1610: L. Long to K. Bueti, $165,275

Penn St., 1826: S. Jenakavich to A. Virant, $147,250

Penn St., 2218: G. Neff to B. Henderson, $50,900

Reily St., 263: Cool2Zap Properties LLC to FLTBYS LLC, $194,500

Rudy Rd., 2460: N. Kim to DPM Development LLC, $57,000

Rumson Dr., 2828: A. Ott to C. Hinman, $76,000

Schuylkill St., 636: R. & T. Speece to Breaking the Chainz Inc., $33,000

S. 19th St., 16: F. & E. Badman to J. Monegro & Residential Mortgage Services, $50,000

S. 24th St., 704: Valley Real Estate Holdings LLC to C. Allen, $33,000

S. 27th St., 802: H. Earhart to J. & P. Calla, $41,500

S. Cameron St., 400: Brittany Capital to Yellowstone Investment Partners LLC, $760,000

State St., 1302: A. Chambers Jr. to TKO Rental Properties LLC, $36,000

Swatara St., 1627: J. Rodriguez to T. Pickren, $58,000

Swatara St., 2331: D. & J. Soulier to J. Dennis, $134,900

Wyatt Rd., 308: A. & M. Johnston to K. Peterson, $96,000

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

December 20, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Three partners of The Bridge discuss their development plans with our reporter.

Christmas is knocking and the year is winding down, which often means a last-minute rush of to-do items around Harrisburg.

That made this week especially hectic, as the city passed a 2020 budget, the school district made a big change and new players on the city’s redevelopment scene introduced themselves. As we do each week, we have all our local stories tied up in a nice package in case you missed any of our coverage.

Christmas for Italian-American families traditionally has included a meal called “The Feast of the Seven Fishes.” Our food writer Rosemary offers a twist on that tradition in her monthly column and recipe.

Clear toy candy is a traditional way to celebrate Christmas in central PA. The craft may have gone out of style, but there are still a few Harrisburg-area candy-makers who are keeping the tradition alive. Read our feature story from the December issue.

Forster Street in Harrisburg is a menace to pedestrians, necessitating immediate action by PennDOT. So says TheBurg’s editor in an editorial that urges PennDOT to understand its obligation to both pedestrians and motorists. Read his plea here.

Harrisburg passed a balanced budget that does not raise taxes but will result in higher pay for police and faster debt relief for the city. The budget process lacked the drama of many past years as the administration and City Council agreed on budget priorities. Click here to read the details.

Harrisburg school district is making a change at the top, as the acting superintendent is stepping down, but not without taking a parting shot at the former administration and a key state legislator. Find out why he’s leaving and who’s replacing him in our online news story.

A medical marijuana dispensary can proceed with construction on Allison Hill after a split City Council approved its development plan. Council also OK’d the building plan for an AutoZone store in Uptown Harrisburg. Read the details here.

Open Stage has undergone a complete transformation with a recent renovation of its downtown Harrisburg theater. Read our feature story then go pay them a visit to see a great holiday show.

Sara Bozich has your list of fun events for any free time you may have between last-minute holiday shopping trips this weekend. There are still many holiday options, as well as monthly favorites like 3^rd in the Burg.

State Museum of Pennsylvania has opened an exhibit on muralist Violet Oakley’s preparatory sketches for some of her work inside the state Capitol. Our fine arts blogger wrote about his recent visit.

The Bridge offered TheBurg a tour of the old Bishop McDevitt High School, where the development partners plan to begin building out work, community and living space. Check out our photo gallery to see what the building looks like before its pending transformation.

Whitaker Center recently opened up two newly reconstructed spaces: KidsPlace and the STEM Design Studios. Find out why these improvements were made to the 20-year-old downtown Harrisburg arts center in our feature story.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events delivered right to your inbox? If not, subscribe here!

Harrisburg Council approves building plans for dispensary, auto parts store

December 17, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Rendering of the current vacant lot (left) and the medical marijuana dispensary (right).

Two contentious building projects are closer to breaking ground after their development plans were approved on Tuesday night by Harrisburg City Council.

City Council approved the land use plans for both a medical marijuana dispensary on Allison Hill and an AutoZone store in Uptown Harrisburg.

Members who voted in favor stressed they did so not because they support the dispensary at 137 S. 17th St., but because the building plan itself met all city requirements, which was the issue at stake.

“The project is in compliance with all the city laws and regulations,” said Councilman Dave Madsen.

A company called WH RE LLC plans to build a 3,000-square-foot medical marijuana retail store directly across the street from Hamilton Health Center on what now is an empty lot.

About a year ago, the state Department of Health awarded a dispensary license to Local Dispensaries, a related company. City Council has no authority over licensing but had to approve the land use plan for the building.

Following the meeting, Green said that she voted against the plan to “send a message” that she was unhappy with a process that, she said, didn’t include neighborhood residents or take their concerns into account.

“I would like to see more community input even before the application gets to the state,” she said.

With the approval, WH RE LLC hopes to break ground on the facility in spring and estimates a four-month-long construction process, opening next autumn.

“I’m hoping the company will be good neighbors to the residents in the Allison Hill area,” said Bowers.

On Tuesday, council also approved the land development plan for AutoZone, a Memphis-based auto parts chain, to construct a new retail store at the corner of Maclay and N. 7th streets.

Some council members, as well as the city Planning Bureau, had objected to AutoZone’s original proposal for an access point off of N. 7th Street, saying it would create safety issues.

Since a hearing on the project two weeks ago, AutoZone had agreed to eliminate that driveway, leaving two others—one off of Maclay Street and the other from Peffer Street, Madsen said.

“We had multiple discussions regarding this resolution with the applicant,” he said.

Before it can break ground, AutoZone needs to return to council to have several streets vacated on the four-parcel, 1.13-acre site.

AutoZone made its original proposal to locate on the property, now owned by the Vartan Group, about 16 months ago. It is proposing a $935,280 project consisting of a 6,816-square-foot store and 37 off-street parking spaces.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

December 6, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda and Maddie Conley

The future location of LettUsKnow

The Christmas season began in earnest this past week, and even our coverage had holiday spirit to it. But there was also city government news, as well as music and business stories. In case you missed anything, we’ve wrapped it all up with a bow in our weekly news digest

Allison Hill has a new police substation, which is set to open soon. What will that mean for the police and the community? A story from our December issue addresses these questions.

AutoZone made a plea to City Council to have its land development planned approved for a proposed Uptown retail store. Council members expressed some concerns about safety during the lengthy presentation. We were there to cover what happened.

Christmas music may be synonymous with December, but the month holds many other delights for the ears, says our music columnist. Check out what’s hot this month in and around Harrisburg.

Churches, schools and many other institutional properties in Harrisburg are seeking new owners and uses. Why are there so many on the market and what can be done to adapt them to a rapidly changing city? Our feature story addresses these important issues.

HACC’s president wants residents to know that the school plans to remain in Midtown Harrisburg, despite the return of some classes to the main campus. In particular, HACC’s Midtown 1 building remains a beehive of activity, with no plans to move the workforce training programs. Read Ski’s “community comment” here.

Harrisburg City Council is delaying a decision on a proposed medical marijuana facility until it can clear up some additional issues. Council needs to approve the building plan before work can start on the Allison Hill store. Click here for the details.

Harrisburg University announced that two popular bands soon will come to the city for show dates. As part of the HU music series, MisterWives will play XL Live in February followed by Young the Giant, which will rock the Forum in early April.

Salads, sandwiches and soups will be on the menu at LettUsKnow, a new carryout that will open next month in downtown Harrisburg. It will be the second location for the York-based eatery, which specializes in healthier options. Click here for the details.

Sara Bozich has no end of holiday options for this December weekend. But there are plenty of other things to occupy your time, as indicated by her lengthy list of events around Harrisburg.

TheBurg’s editor was surprised by the higher-than-expected turnout during last month’s general election. In his monthly column, he breaks down why that may have happened and what it may portend for the 2020 race.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events emailed right to your inbox? If not, subscribe here!

Harrisburg, AutoZone continue long disagreement over proposed retail store

December 3, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday evening.

Harrisburg city and a national auto parts chain continued a long deadlock on Tuesday night over a plan to build a retail store on an empty patch of land in Uptown Harrisburg.

Attorney David Tshudy asked City Council to drop several conditions imposed by the city on AutoZone’s development plan for a lot at N. 7^th and Maclay streets, property currently owned by the Vartan Group.

Tshudy said that Memphis-based AutoZone disagreed with Planning Commission conditions to change the project design that would reorient the 6,816-square-foot building to bring it closer to Maclay Street.

“The building is within the building envelope as required,” he said. “It is perfectly legal and should be allowed to remain there.”

A second condition, which would remove a proposed access point off of busy N. 7^th Street, dominated much of the discussion.

Tshudy repeated what he told Planning Commission members previously. He said that AutoZone and the city met in April to iron out differences and that he left that meeting thinking that the city had agreed to a 7^th Street driveway, but only for right-in, right-out access.

By a 3-1 vote, the commission approved the land development plan in July, but without permitting the 7^th Street access.

On Tuesday, several council members asserted that entry and exit from 7^th Street would create safety issues.

“We’ve had several major accidents there,” said council President Wanda Williams.

Williams added that, with more development planned for the area, safety concerns would only grow over time.

“You have continuous construction in that area,” she said. “You have a new commonwealth building on 7^th St. It’s going to be very congested. I wish you would reconsider coming in from the 7^th Street corridor.”

Council member Shamaine Daniels took issue with what she perceived to be AutoZone’s reluctance to change their plan to meet community concerns.

“You guys didn’t even consider some of these alternatives because you didn’t have to,” she said. “You’re moving into a residential area.”

Several council members said that they welcomed economic development projects like the AutoZone store, but that they also had to take into account community concerns.

“I’d like to see the development of an AutoZone there, but I also would like it to be safe,” Williams said.

Council member Dave Madsen said that the discussion would continue at council’s next legislative session on Dec. 17, followed by a possible vote on the land use plan. AutoZone needs an affirmative council vote before it can break ground on the project, which was first proposed about 16 months ago.

July News Digest

July 31, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

2-Way 2nd Street Designs Unveiled

Do you prefer a bike lane or a center lane?

That was the big decision last month for Harrisburg residents, who attended the final community meeting for the planned conversion of N. 2nd Street to two-way traffic.

At the meeting, the city unveiled its two final design concepts for the street.

The first design features a left-hand-turn lane, along with partial median strips, along the two-mile stretch of N. 2nd from Forster to Division streets. The second includes a dedicated, “parking protected” bike lane, meaning it would be protected from traffic.

“That’s the main difference,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “Do you want a center lane with medians, or do you want a bike lane? We can’t accommodate both.”

A 40-minute presentation kicked off the meeting. Afterwards, attendees broke off into groups to study the concepts in detail, block by block, and offer input.

Both designs include roundabouts at certain busy intersections, such as at N. 2nd and Verbeke streets and N. 2nd and Reily streets.

Notably, most traffic signals would be removed under both concepts and, like with the current construction along the 3rd Street corridor, intersections would be improved to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Signals would remain at the busy intersections at Forster, Maclay and Division streets.

Papenfuse expects construction to begin next year, wrapping up at the end of 2021. The cost of the $5.6 million project is being split between the city, the state Department of Transportation and Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit set up in the wake of the city’s financial crisis.

Both concepts reduce the total amount of parking along 2nd Street, mostly because of the ADA-mandated intersection improvements.

Currently, there are 620 street parking spaces on N. 2nd from Forster to Division streets. Concept 1, which includes the turning lanes, would reduce parking to 550 spaces, while concept 2, which includes the bike lane, would reduce street parking to 537 spaces.

“It is genuine to say that I see the benefits of both,” Papenfuse said. “We could go with either and be very pleased as a city. They’re both transformative and safer and better for the neighborhood.”

AutoZone Passes Hurdle

The Harrisburg Planning Commission last month approved the land development plan for an Uptown auto parts store, despite a continuing disagreement over the design of the project.

By a 3-1 vote, the commission gave its OK to an AutoZone store on long-vacant land at the corner of Maclay and N. 7th streets, but the approval requires the company to tweak its design to address several city concerns.

Commission members agreed with the city’s planning bureau that AutoZone needed to make modifications to its plan—namely, reorienting the 6,816-square-foot building to bring it closer to Maclay Street and eliminating access from busy N. 7th Street.

“I don’t want to have people coming into the city greeted by a parking lot and a set-back building, just like you see in the surrounding suburbs,” said commissioner Zac Monnier.

City officials have long complained that the proposed AutoZone design was too generic and better suited for a suburban strip mall, not a city block. They have especially disliked that AutoZone’s original proposal set the store back from Maclay Street, with parking in the front.

David Tshudy of Pepper Hamilton, the law firm representing AutoZone, repeatedly pushed back on the requested changes to the company’s design, saying that city planners have no role in design decisions based on Harrisburg’s current land use ordinances.

“There’s nothing in the ordinance that requires the building to be situated any differently than what is shown on the plan,” Tshudy said. “The building is best where it is shown on the plan.”

The two sides also had a heated disagreement about AutoZone’s desire for a driveway to the site from N. 7th Street.

In April, the two sides held a meeting to iron out their differences. Tshudy said that he left that meeting believing they had agreed to retain the access point, but only for right turns in and out. City officials disagreed.

“At no time did we indicate that this was a design that the planning bureau would support or thought was a good design for this particular site,” said Geoffrey Knight, director of the city’s planning department.

Now that it’s passed the Planning Commission, the land development plan must be approved by City Council.

City Changes CDBG Process

Harrisburg plans to shake up the yearly process of doling out federal housing dollars under its “Annual Action Plan” unveiled last month.

Franchon Dickinson, director of the city’s Department of Building and Housing, told City Council that the administration wants to tighten requirements for Harrisburg-based social service agencies seeking funding under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

“If we want to effectuate change, we’re going to need to change the way we do business,” she said.

In recent years, council has doled out relatively small amounts of CDBG money to a dozen or so specific service agencies. HUD, however, recently has questioned the way Harrisburg has distributed some of those funds, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. Therefore, the city needs to make certain it strictly follows HUD guidelines, he said.

Specifically, agencies must show that a service is new or must demonstrate a “quantifiable increase in the level of service in the last 12 months,” said Dickinson. In addition, she said that HUD prefers to fund “senior enrichment programs or special needs populations.”

Moreover, the administration wants to change the funding structure for CDBG, which, this year, will total nearly $1.94 million, down from last year’s $2 million.

Under the current proposal, just $100,000 will be set aside for social service programming, down from about $240,000 last year. However, for facilities projects, agencies will be able to apply for money from a second bucket, one reserved for “public improvement/public facilities,” which totals $407,261, Dickinson said.

Papenfuse said that HUD didn’t like that, in the past, Harrisburg permitted facility improvements with money meant for “public service activities,” funds that were supposed be reserved for programming and other service activities.

The application process also is changing.

This year, the city will not determine recipients before submitting its action plan to HUD in mid-August. Specific recipients will be determined later through a request for proposals (RFP) process, which will be issued in late August, and applications will be scored to make sure they meet HUD guidelines, Papenfuse said.

“It’s a change in procedure, but it’s a good one,” he said. “It makes sure that every dollar we spend will be spent wisely.”

Other proposed CDBG allotments include:

$593,423 for debt service, as the city continues to pay down a federal loan it guaranteed under former Mayor Steve Reed for the disastrous Capitol View Commerce Center project
$387,670 for grant administration
$250,000 for homeowner rehabilitation
$200,000 for emergency demolition

In addition to the CDBG ordinance, council introduced ordinances for the HUD Emergency Solutions Grant Program for $166,243, which mostly goes to the Capital Area Coalition on Homelessness to fund emergency shelter and rehousing, and another for HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program for $432,187, which funds affordable housing solutions.

Council is expected to take a final vote on the ordinances on Aug. 13.

City Buys Back MarketPlace Lots

A stalled building project may have a new lease on life, as the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority has bought back dozens of undeveloped lots in the city’s MarketPlace Townhomes neighborhood.

In late June, the authority purchased 58 lots from S&A Homes, re-acquiring the Midtown properties it had given to the State College-based developer almost 14 years before.

“The Redevelopment Authority had to take back the properties because S&A was not going to develop them,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “The Redevelopment Authority is now looking for a [development] partner for those lots.”

In the 1970s, the authority began acquiring parcels just south of N. 6th and Reily streets, which eventually included the Zommit Cleaners site, an industrial property that required soil decontamination.

By 1998, 38 single-family homes had been built in the MarketPlace neighborhood, named for its proximity to the Broad Street Market. In late 2005, the authority sold most of its remaining inventory—71 lots—to S&A for $1 apiece in an area bounded by N. 6th, James, Reily and Sayford streets.

Over the next three years, S&A built 13 houses, but stopped when the financial crisis hit in 2008. No homes have been constructed since, leaving numerous grassy, overgrown lots.

Papenfuse said that he regards the re-acquisition as a first step in getting the project back on track. The authority is eager to receive proposals from qualified developers, he said.

“By taking them back, HRA can find a new development partner,” he said.

School Audit Called “Clear Indictment”

The state’s recently released financial audit of the Harrisburg school district is a “clear indictment” of the practices of the former school administration, according to the district’s receiver.

Receiver Janet Samuels released a statement last month declining comment on specific audit findings, but that acknowledged the report’s findings.

“In my capacity as the court appointed Receiver, I acknowledge receipt of the audit which is a clear indictment of the accounting and Human Resources practices of the former school district administration,” she said.

In March, the state Department of Education hired Johnstown-based Wessel & Co. to perform the audit following a series of costly errors by the district, including continuing to pay health benefits to former employees.

The report, released in early July, looked at a year-three period, July 2015 to June 2018, and discovered more than $3.8 million in unsupported and questionable costs, more than 100 ex-employees who continued to receive healthcare benefits and huge deficits in cafeteria operations that had to be covered by the general fund. Other shortcomings included personnel records rife with errors, a lack of financial oversight and controls and a profoundly unqualified business manager.

“I am not going to comment on any of the specifics of the audit findings other than the fact that the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit plans to fully analyze all of the issues raised in the audit and establish best practices for the school district. These audit findings further justify the necessity of my June 27, 2019 action partnering with the MCIU to operate the district and my personnel actions taken on that date,” Samuels concluded.

At the urging of the state Department of Education, a Dauphin County judge appointed Samuels as the district’s receiver on June. 17. She then dismissed most of the district’s leadership and contracted with MCIU to help lead the district for the next three years.

Churches Put on Market

If you’ve ever been in the market for an old, stately church in the Harrisburg area, your time has arrived.

The Susquehanna United Methodist Conference has listed six of its churches for sale, part of a plan to cut costs and consolidate congregations. The churches cover numerous neighborhoods around Harrisburg and range in price from $169,000 to $325,000.

“I’ve shown all of these churches a number of times already,” said realtor Bill Gladstone of the Bill Gladstone Group, part of Wormleysburg-based NAI CIR, which is listing the properties. “The demand for these churches has been very high.”

Late last year, the conference, facing dwindling membership in the immediate Harrisburg area, decided to dispose of 10 of its buildings, several dating back a century or more.

Since then, one of the churches, historic Grace United Methodist Church on State Street, voted to maintain its congregation, said Shawn Gilgore, the conference’s director of communications. Another church, Rockville UMC, has become affiliated with Linglestown UMC, with both buildings in use, he said.

Six of the remaining churches currently are for sale:

Camp Curtin Memorial Mitchell UMC, 2221 N. 6^th St.: $195,000
First United Methodist, 269 Boas St.: $169,000
Riverside Methodist Church, 3200 N. 3^rd St.: $325,000
St. Mark’s UMC, 3985 N. 2^nd St (Susquehanna Township): $325,000
Trinity Penbrook Church, 5 N. 25^th St.: $255,000
Grace Penbrook Church, 25 S. 28^th St.: $265,000

Another church, Derry Street UMC on Allison Hill in Harrisburg, soon will be listed for sale, Gladstone said.

The final church in the group, Twenty Ninth Street UMC in Harrisburg, is the new home of The Journey Church, a combined congregation of Twenty Ninth Street UMC and the former Riverside Methodist Church.

Exchange Student Families Needed

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE) is looking for local families to host boys and girls between the ages of 15 to 18 from a variety of countries, including Norway, Denmark, Spain, Italy and Japan.

Students are eager to practice their English and experience American culture, as well as share their own culture and language.

ASSE students are academically selected into the program, and host families can choose their student from a wide variety of backgrounds, countries and personal interests. ASSE students have full health, accident and liability insurance, as well as pocket money for personal expenses.

To become a host family or to find out how to become involved with ASSE in your community, call the ASSE Eastern Regional Office at 1-800-677-2773 or visit www.host.asse.com.

So Noted

Camp Curtin Community Preschool has relocated to Trinity Church in Midtown and changed its name to Trinity Preschool: Part of the Camp Curtin Learning Community. The preschool had to relocate following the closing of Camp Curtin Mitchell Memorial UMC, according to the school.

FireHouse Restaurant closed abruptly last month, and the property was later put on the market for $1.2 million, including the real estate, business and liquor license. The FireHouse, located in the historic Hope Fire Station building in downtown Harrisburg, was most recently co-owned by Dave Guy, who bought it from founder Donny Brown almost six years ago.

Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra last month named Gloria Giambalvo as its new director of sales and marketing. She most recently served as HSO’s director of annual and corporate giving.

Harrisburg University last month promoted Duane Maun to chief operating officer. Maun will continue to hold his previous title, chief financial officer, as well, according to the university.

Harrisburg University last month broke ground on its new, 17-story mixed-use building at S. 3rd and Chestnut streets in downtown Harrisburg. The $135 million building will house academic space, a 197-room hotel and a restaurant. Construction is expected to take two years.

Home Slice Pizza will open at the Crossroads at Walden in September, according to developer Charter Homes & Neighborhoods. Home Slice, which replaces K. Marie & Co., is a venture by Matt Flinchbaugh, the owner of the longstanding Flinchy’s restaurant in Lower Allen Township.

Jump Street announced last month that it would cease operations after 40 years of operating as an arts-based nonprofit. Over the years, Jump Street organized many popular programs and fundraisers, including Derby Day and Artsfest. It originally formed in 1978 as the People’s Place before changing its name to Metro Arts and then Jump Street.

Orrstown Bank has named Thomas Brugger as its executive vice president and chief financial officer, according to the Swatara Township-based company. In this role, he will be responsible for Orrstown’s financial plans, policies and financial compliance. He last served as CFO of Sun National Bank.

Pavone Marketing Group last month announced that it had acquired two companies: Philadelphia-based Netplus and Mechanicsburg-based Phalanx Digital. Harrisburg-based Pavone said the acquisitions would help it expand its digital marketing capabilities.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2237: D. Rickard to M. Wise & C. Bowling, $68,500

Bellevue Rd., 1933: Federal National Mortgage Association to R. Grullon, $32,000

Berryhill St., 2038: O. Brown to Najia Bouslama Property LLC, $32,500

Briggs St., 219: D. Skerpon to P. Earl Jr. & S. Banks, $185,000

Buckthorn St., 319: W. Martin to KGD Holdings LLC, $30,000

Chestnut St., 2025: L. Profitt to L. Profitt, $63,000

Croyden Rd., 2981: Leonard J Dobson Family Limited Partnership to S. Washington, $99,900

Dauphin St., 646: H. Dobson to D. & S. White, $42,000

Derry St., 1200: R. Andrews to D. Mota & L. Rodriguez, $32,000

Derry St., 2129 & 2118 Shellis St.: D. Murphy to B. Smith, $34,000

Derry St., 2457: Lakeview Loan Servicing LLC to PA Deals LLC, $41,800

Derry St., 2532 & 2534: D. & L. Lentz to K. & R. Gupta, $135,000

Emerald St., 229: Federal National Mortgage Association to M. Temba, $71,500

Fulton St., 1710: W. Fletcher to R. Peacock, $130,000

Green St., 909: TKP Schoolhouse Associates LLC to Schoolhouse 1 Holdings LLC, $3,000,000

Green St., 1006: D. Theoifanis to C. Wehrman, $119,000

Green St., 1019: K. & J. Lowe to S. & S. Schalles, $209,900

Green St., 1532: M. Frater to C. Bashore, $120,000

Green St., 1834: WCI Partners LP to C. DeColongon & A. Batista, $120,000

Green St., 1924: G. O Loughlin to J. & C. Claybaugh, $225,000

Green St., 2034: D. & L. Riley to P. & P. Gellerman, $202,400

Harris St., 232: J. & M. Slaboda to K. & J. Gazsi, $171,500

Hamilton St., 214: M. & L. Zieger to S. McMinn & J. Emery, $173,500

Herr St., 317: R. & B. Gillette to S. Robinson & A. Berg, $159,500

Herr St., 1737: Lehman Investments LLC to CBS Property Holdings Company,
$121,000

Hoffman St., 3229: B. Foor to D & F Realty Holdings LP, $59,000

Holly St., 1823: D. & S. Fenton & Harrisburg Property MGMT Group to S. Cain, $43,000

Hunter St., 1537: P. & F. Kehler to D. Porter, $44,800

Jefferson St., 2922 & 2940: Richard Lutz Trust to 2940 Jefferson Street Associates LLC, $290,000

Kensington St., 2131: N. Clory to Y. Salifu, $67,000

Muench St., 238: WCI Partners LP to A. Fortune, $143,625

Muench St., 307: KDR Investments LLP to K. Boatman, $45,000

Muench St., 626: Sheaffer & Sheaffer Properties LLC to Buonarroti Trust, $35,000

N. 2nd St., 3217: N. & L. Swett to J. O Berry, $110,000

N. 3rd St., 910: Mussani and Company LP to Balfour Street Investments LLC, $150,000

N. 3rd St., 925: 921 Home LLC to WCI Partners LP, $1,025,000

N. 3rd St., 2311: T. & C. Rine to 1 Step at a Time Support Services, $124,900

N. 3rd St., 3113: J. & L. Kincaid to L. Ravenel, $135,000

N. 5th St., 1715: Kirsch & Burns LLC to M. Fuentes & R. Irizarry, $102,000

N. 5th St., 2424: A. Obrien to J. & P. Williams, $30,000

N. 5th St., 3141: Federal National Mortgage Association to R. & R. Villarreal, $83,000

N. 7th St., 2300: McNelis Gutter Cleaning Inc. to D & F Realty Holdings LP, $135,000

N. 17th St., 1206: J. & D. Wallace to Three Bridges Holdings LLC, $30,000

N. 18th St., 910: Members 1^st Federal Credit Union to Fowler Investments LLC, $60,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 214: A. Jain to M. Cheatum, $96,500

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 307: K. Russell to P. Gitnik & G. Svrcek, $115,000

N. Front St., 1601: North Front Associates LLC to BBHQ LLC, $420,000

N. Front St., 2405: Pennsylvania Association of Community Bankers to A. Hartzler, $198,860

Paxton St., 1718: T. & L. Stuckley to Y. Bouchanyata, $33,100

Paxton St., 1728: S. Brown to F. Yanez, $45,000

Penn St., 1920: C. Clabaugh to T., M. & T. Sneidman, $174,900

Rolleston St., 1246: Bigfoot Properties LLC to M. Foreman, $36,900

S. 14th St., 1432: J. Tonsel to City of Harrisburg, $52,000

S. 18th St., 1213: L. Stewart to L. Whittaker, $113,000

S. 23rd St., 627: L. Vansickle & E. Klitch to E. Klitch, $30,000

S 24th St., 516: R. Carazas & H. Gonzalez to Y. Griffin, $80,000

S 27th St., 669: R. & T. Borne & E. Hower to D. Williams, $149,900

S. 27th St., 728: H. Alcantara to J. Martinez, $77,000

S. 27th St., 734: Seneca Leandro View LLC to B. McCann, $85,000

S. Front St., 625: Redheads Helping Property LLC to J. Chumley, $132,000

S. Front St., 707: A. Patton to C. & J. Pierre, $210,100

Swatara St., 2237: E & T Enterprises LLC to K. & A. Sawyers, $67,500

Sycamore St., 1831: C. Spickler to J. Spickler, $90,000

Verbeke St., 221: K. & J. Gazsi to A. Smoot & C. Hogue, $132,000

Walnut St., 1504: MKTK Properties to MA Ambashakti LLC, $30,000

Wayne St., 1413 & 1415 & 1410 Sycamore St.: H. Papandrea to R. & A. Ortiz, $65,000

Wayne St., 1516: V. White to H. Hargrove, $119,900

Woodbine St., 240: Summit & Vickroy Inc. to T. Evans, $38,500

Harrisburg property sales for June 2019, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

July 12, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg City Council on Tuesday

The recent torrid pace of local news slowed down a bit this past week, but there still was plenty to write about. If you missed some of our coverage, you can find a summary right here.

AutoZone’s proposed store cleared the Harrisburg Planning Commission this week as its development plan was approved, though not exactly to the company’s liking. The matter now will head to City Council. Click here for the details.

Central PA Jazz Festival takes place this weekend, with performances and special events throughout the region. Discover the details here.

En Plein Air Lancaster takes to the city’s streets this weekend, so that visitors can watch artists paint outdoors and spend time in the city’s thriving gallery district. Click here for the details.

Harrisburg introduced its annual ordinances for the disbursal of federal housing funds. However, the city is changing its system of awarding funding significantly. Click here for the details.

Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority bought back 58 lots in the MarketPlace Townhome community from would-be developer S&A Homes. In 2005, the authority gave S&A 71 lots for $1 piece, but the company had developed only 13 of them. Click here for all the details.

Mecum Auto Auctions will return to the PA Farm Show complex in a few weeks, with thousands of cars and automobile-related items for sale. Find out what’s new at this year’s auction.

Novelist Catherine Chung will visit Midtown Scholar Bookstore on Friday to read from her sophomore work, “The Tenth Muse,” and sign books. Find out the details about her book and visit.

PennyFix is a movement among area animal-lovers to convince pet food manufacturers to tack on a penny to every can sold, a plan that would help solve the pet over-population problem. Read our feature story here.

Puppies may not be the best choice for a new family pet, as shelters overflow with adult dog rescues. But, if your heart is set on a puppy, you must take care to avoid the many pitfalls. Click here for our feature story.

Sara Bozich may be on vacation, but she’s left us with her weekly rundown of events around the Harrisburg area for this weekend. You’ll never be bored with this long list of things to do.

Small business in Harrisburg continues to thrive. In the current issue, we catch up with several food businesses that recently have expanded or made significant changes. Click here for our story.

“Stogies & Stories” is our feature about five old guys, one radio show and a thousand stories, some of which may be true. Read our story here.

Do you receive TheBurg Daily, our daily digest of news and events? If not, subscribe here!

AutoZone project creeps forward, despite continuing disputes over design, traffic

July 11, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda

The proposed AutoZone site at 645 Maclay St. in Harrisburg.

The Harrisburg Planning Commission last night approved the land development plan for an Uptown auto parts store, despite a continuing disagreement over the design of the project.

By a 3-1 vote, the commission gave its OK to an AutoZone store on long-vacant land at the corner of Maclay and N. 7^th streets, but the approval requires the company to tweak its design to address several city concerns.

“Having a building set back with a parking lot with two different ways in and out for cars, and creating more issues for people walking on the sidewalk, it’s just not a plan I can really agree with,” said commissioner Zac Monnier. “It’s not the right plan for the city.”

“I don’t want to have people coming into the city greeted by a parking lot and a set-back building, just like you see in the surrounding suburbs,” Monnier said.

The two sides also had a heated disagreement about AutoZone’s desire for a driveway to the site from N. 7^th Street.

Tshudy said that an AutoZone traffic study confirmed the safety of the design for vehicles and pedestrians, but city Engineer Wayne Martin criticized the traffic impact study as insufficient.

Martin said that the study only analyzed a small area, while the city required a broader impact study of a half-mile radius around the site. He also said that AutoZone purposely selected an intersection for the study that was known to have few problems, while the nearby intersection of Maclay and N. 6^th Street has high rate of accidents—26 crashes and 29 injuries from 2013 to 2017.

“So, not only did they ignore safety, they intentionally ignored safety,” Martin said. “What they’re trying to do is shove a dangerous design down our throats without even considering the safety of our neighborhoods.”

Once more, Tshudy insisted the AutoZone followed all the city’s ordinances and would be reluctant to make any changes because, he said, they’re not mandated to do so by law.

“Again, there is nothing in the ordinance that would prohibit the 7^th Street access,” he said. “In fact, the 7^th Street access was originally designed to be a full-service access. A traffic study supported that that would be safe, a traffic study prepared on behalf of AutoZone. In order to extend an olive branch, we offered to have right-in, right-out only.”

In the end, the planning commission voted to approve the land development plan with the city-mandated changes, with Monnier dissenting.

Before it can break ground, AutoZone now needs City Council to approve its land development plan, assuming that the company decides to press forward considering the approved plan’s inclusion of conditions it doesn’t like.

“This is a difficult project,” Tshudy said, following the vote. “We clearly understand your concerns, and we’ll try to work as best we can with the city staff to address the concerns that are embodied in the conditions.”

January News Digest

January 31, 2019 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

AutoZone Veto Overturned

Harrisburg City Council last month rejected the wishes of the city’s mayor, unanimously overturning a veto that will allow an auto parts store to proceed with plans to locate in Harrisburg.

By a vote of 7-0, council affirmed its December vote to let AutoZone, a Memphis-based car parts store, advance in the city planning process as it seeks to build a store at N. 7th and Maclay streets.

Their vote vacated several unused “paper streets” on the lot owned by Susquehanna Township-based Vartan Group, which wants to sell the property to AutoZone.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse vetoed the measure, arguing that the city could use its discretion in approving street vacations to ask developers to abide by community standards, including the creation of affordable housing and job opportunities for minority and women laborers.

For example, council could withhold approval for a street vacation until a developer agrees to set aside affordable units in a housing project or employ local laborers—particularly minorities—on job sites.

“I think there is an opportunity for City Council to establish a review criteria for street vacations linked to the land development process that will help the city achieve some of its goals with regard to contracting and affordable housing,” Papenfuse said.

Council members, though, bristled at what they said was a new rationale for controlling a development project.

“The mayor has not sent down any legislation to address affordable housing or [minority business] participation,” Councilwoman Shamaine Daniels said. “So, I really I find this administration’s position just to be really artifice and not anything of much substance.”

Budget Dispute Resolved

Harrisburg City Council and the administration agreed to resolve a 2019 budget dispute without changing the original spending plan.

The approved, $70.8 million municipal budget contained flat spending compared to the prior year and no tax increases.

After a one-week delay, council members did not amend the mayor’s proposed budget, but they did attach two conditions to their approval. First, the mayor must provide written justification for awarding salary increases greater than 5 percent, and, secondly, must provide council with quarterly reports of unused salary funds.

Council also amended the 2019 budget to re-institute the director of community and economic development position, a role that was omitted from the city’s organizational chart as part of Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s proposed reorganization of city departments.

The amendment does not carry any new funding, so the city’s 2019 spending plan is unchanged. Councilman Ben Allatt said that the council will seek grants in the new year to pay the salary for a new director.

As always, the city’s largest operating expenditure in 2019 — $32.7 million — will be for personnel. Debt service and healthcare will eat up $9.8 million and $11 million from the operating budget, respectively. The budget also allocates $6.8 million in capital improvement spending.

Even though personnel expenses increased by $500,000 from 2018, Papenfuse said a priority for the 2019 budget is to maintain Harrisburg’s current staff capacity, which his administration has rebuilt after years of austerity.

Rather than add new personnel in 2019, the mayor proposed reorganizing the city’s departments to more closely align with the city council committee structure.

The city’s new organizational chart creates seven city departments to correspond with the seven council committees. The chart dissolves the Department of Community of Economic Development and replaces it with the Department of Engineering and Development.

Body Camera RFP Issued

The Harrisburg Police Bureau is eyeing a late spring launch for its department-wide body camera program, according to city hall documents.

The police bureau last month issued a request for proposals (RFP) to potential vendors, inviting them to submit cost estimates and specifications for 100 body-worn police cameras and a video storage system.

Bidders must provide detailed descriptions of their camera equipment and IT services, as well as a budget narrative that includes a unit price for cameras and accessories, a price for cloud-based video storage, and a fixed yearly rate for maintenance and support.

The RFP does not state a budget for the new program. The bureau was given $150,000 in Harrisburg’s 2019 budget to purchase body camera equipment, a figure that included $80,000 in unspent funds from 2018.

City officials announced in September 2017 that they would equip the city’s uniformed patrol officers with body cameras the following year.

The program was delayed, however, as police officials tried to determine which specifications they needed in recording and video storage equipment.

Kline Plaza Sells

Harrisburg’s Kline Plaza has sold to a New York-based realty company, which hopes to bring new life to the aging shopping center.

Nassimi Realty LLC, based in Manhattan, bought the mid-20th century, low-slung retail and office complex for $8.7 million on Dec. 24, according to Dauphin County property records.

Kevin Nassimi, vice president of leasing, said that the family-run company was interested in the property because “this is what we do.”

“The agent for the seller brought us the opportunity, and it made sense for us,” he said.

The company specializes in multi-unit retail and currently owns 25 million square feet of shopping center space in the eastern United States, including four other properties in Pennsylvania, Nassimi said.

Kline Village, located near the city line with Penbrook, is anchored by Giant Food, which recently signed a 10-year lease extension, and includes a Fine Wine and Good Spirits store, a Rent-a-Center and a Family Dollar, in addition to several other stores, a gas station and a state Department of Health walk-in location.

Nassimi purchased the property for about half the price of the last sale. According to Dauphin County, KOP Kline Plaza LLC, another New York-based realty investment group, bought the complex for $17.3 million in 2004.

Kevin Nassimi attributed the much lower sales price to 10 current vacancies in the 240,000-square-foot complex, including two office tenants that recently left.

“That’s a big hit financially,” he said. “That’s a tall task.”

Commissioners Seek Re-Election

Long-time incumbents Jeff Haste, Mike Pries and George Hartwick last month announced their intention to run for re-election for four-year terms as Dauphin County commissioners.

Republicans Haste and Pries have served on the three-member board since 2002 and 2010, respectively. Hartwick, a Democrat, was first elected in 2003.

In their re-election announcements, all three incumbents cited 14 years without a county property tax increase as a significant accomplishment.

Diane Bowman, a former Susquehanna Township commissioner, will join Hartwick as his running mate on the Democratic side.

This year, the primary election is slated for May 21, with the general election on Nov. 5.

So Noted

Barley Snyder last month announced that attorney Sarah C. Yerger had joined its Harrisburg office as part of the law firm’s employment practice group. Yerger worked for more than 13 years in the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office, moving to the private sector in 2013.

Elementary Coffee Co. announced last month plans to open a new roastery and coffee shop at 256 North St., Harrisburg. Owner Andrea Grove said that she expects to open this spring inside the newly renovated building, but will retain her stand in the Broad Street Market.

Harrisburg Regional Chamber and CREDC boards of directors last month named Barb Bowker of PSECU as chair of the chamber and Jeannine Peterson of Hamilton Health Center as chair of CREDC for 2019. Other Chamber officers for 2019 include Tom Sposito of S&T Bank, Merone Yemane of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Greg Gunn of Gunn-Mowery, Karen Gunnison of Capital Blue Cross and Zachary Khuri of First National Bank. Other CREDC officers for 2019 include Ben Dunlap of Nauman Smith, Mayur Patel of Laughner Patel Developers, Mike Funck of Wohlsen Construction, Casey Khuri of NAI CIR and Wade Becker of RKL.

PSECU last month named George Rudolph as its new president. Rudolph will join PSECU in April to succeed the retiring Greg Smith, who has served as PSECU’s president for the past 28 years.

S&T Bank last month promoted Jordan Space to executive vice president, market president for the central Pennsylvania region. Space, who joined S&T in 2015, also was recently appointed to the Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s board of trustees. In addition, he is a member of the Lancaster City Alliance executive leadership team.

UPMC Pinnacle plans to add several floors to its West Shore Hospital in Hampden Township to accommodate the growing needs of area residents. Plans call for adding floors above the emergency department to provide 58 more beds. The Ortenzio Cancer Center at UPMC Pinnacle is also expanding its cancer programs to include infusion treatment for thoracic, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, head and neck and other cancers.

Urban Churn announced last month that it would open an ice cream production and retail space at 1004 N. 3rd St. in Harrisburg. Owner Adam Brackbill expects the craft creamery and scoop shop to open in early spring. Urban Churn also has a stand inside the Broad Street Market, which Brackbill plans to retain.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2245: S. Nolan to A. Kusery, $69,000

Adrian St., 2253: D. Rivera to E. Rivera Jr., $70,000

Antoine St., 500: L. Benzie to R. & P. Kotz, $165,000

Benton St., 620: PA Deals LLC to E. Shenk, $65,900

Benton St., 632: LMK Properties LLC to R. & B. Lomax, $30,000

Berryhill St., 2419: D. Seng to PT Capital Properties LLC, $55,000

Boas St., 414: A. Antoun to Berlin Group LLC, $75,000

Boas St., 420: M. Cohen to PA Deals LLC, $55,000

Calder St., 209: D. Weaver to M. Packard & C. DeAngelis, $143,500

Cumberland St., 121: J. & K. Bowser to J. Gurreri, $124,900

Delaware St., 263: Secretary of Veterans Affairs to R. & C. Steele, $67,000

Delaware St., 267: J. Renue to H. St. Phard, $127,500

Duke St., 2441: T. Nguyen & D. Thu to A. & R. Clark, $60,000

Fillmore St., 622: KAB Rental Properties LLC to S. Pierce, $68,500

Forster St., 2007: J. Claiborn to S. & M. Simpson, $55,000

Green St., 1319: K. Umbenhauer to V. Bajpai & J. Pierce, $109,900

Green St., 1712: S. Heredia to S. Jusufovic, $35,000

Green St., 1904: S. Watkins to R. & A. Gonsar, $195,000

Greenwood St., 2031: M. & M. Kochenour to S. Thomas, $82,000

Hillside Rd., 210: P. & M. Walsh to C. Rockwell, $107,000

Hoffman St., 3102: J. & A. Edwards to E. Mishler, $129,900

Holly St., 2002: Skye Holdings LLC to J. Elias Holdings LLC, $32,000

Hunter St., 1535: S. Costa to Delmax Properties LLC, $35,000

Kensington St., 1918 & 1920: Rohrer Rentals and B., C. & K. Rohrer to J. Willingham, $45,500

Lewis St., 320: B. Williams to Wyco Investments LLC, $53,500

Magnolia Dr., 2402: J. Hamburg to R. Gatling, $170,900

Manada St., 1918: 2013 Central PA Real Estate LLC to 1918 Manada Street LLC, $64,900

Market St., 1152, 1152½ & 1154: S. Peart to 1152 1154 Market St. LLC, $135,000

Market St., 1842: Adonis Real Estate LLC to A. & R. Clark, $92,000

Market St., 1916: C. Centeno to J. Alvarado, $41,500

Muench St., 607: N. Clouser to Buonarroti Trust, $35,000

North St., 1842: SRJ Realty to Sunshine ABQ Real Estate Investment LLC, $34,250

N. 2^nd St., 110, 112 & 115; 211 Locust St.; 206 Walnut St.: Sandton Fund II Holdings LLC & NAI CIR to Second & Locust Investors LLC, $1,850,000

N. 2^nd St., 515: Candlelight Properties Inc. to E. & H. Harbilas, $525,000

N. 2^nd St., 1001: Tang & Perkins LLC to AON LLC, $212,000

N. 2^nd St., 1319: A. Pruett to A. Black, $95,000

N. 2^nd St., 1909: S. Jusufovic to S. Catanese, $167,000

N. 2^nd St., 2432: M. & R. England to B. Eisner, $60,501

N. 2^nd St., 2443: M. Myers to M. & R. Row, $112,500

N. 2^nd St., 2735: K. & H. Thornton to B. Eisner, $123,201

N. 2^nd St., 2841: W. & W. Miller to Michael Barrett Market Street LLC, $200,000

N. 2^nd St., 2846: G. Harke & B. Voss to C. Souchek, $126,500

N. 3^rd St., 1211: T. & E. Chance to C. & L. Eby, $145,000

N. 3^rd St., 2211: D. Chen to J. & A. Sanderson & B. Sheaffer, $92,500

N. 3^rd St., 3020: PA Deals LLC to D. & K. Borelli, $99,900

N. 4^th St., 1630: Leahy Family Trust to J. Parfitt, $91,500

N. 5^th St., 1619: RMAC Trust & Rushmore Loan Management Services LLC to R. Par, $67,500

N. 5^th St., 3009: N. Acharya to T. Fenderson, $119,900

N. 5^th St., 3108: J. Charlton to P. Stawski, $74,000

N. 6^th St., 2526: G. Neff to L. & N. Perry, $34,000

N. 10^th St., 23 & 27: Equity Trust Co. FBO Robert Clay IRA to 812 Market Inc. & Property Management Inc., $100,000

N. 10^th St., 31: R. & B. Clay to 812 Market Inc. Property Management, $250,000

N. 19^th St., 26: A. & S. Ali to D. Paulino, $70,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 307: PA Housing Finance Agency & U.S. Bank National Association Trustee to K. Russell, $85,900

N. Front St., 1605: M. Sibrava to AON LLC, $595,000

Paxton St., 1638: CNC Realty Group LLC & C. Brown Sr. to AUM Investments LP, $36,000

Paxton St., 1726: Kirsch & Burns LLC to L. Dinh & T. Truong, $48,000

Peffer St., 232: E. Horn to S. Leister, $119,900

Regina St., 1813: Atlantic North Star Properties LLC to Sunshine ABQ Real Estate Investment LLC, $30,000

Reily St., 309: L. Fickes & J. Heath to M. & A. Manning, $95,275

Rumson Dr., 2639: J. & C. Renninger to R. Asplen, $87,500

Rumson Dr., 2856: Zelda Marilyn Rosenbaum Trust to S. Aiken, $76,000

Sassafras St., 203: R. Sohmer to W. & E. Branter, $85,000

Seneca St., 217: D. & V. Fry to M. Hoffman, $140,000

Seneca St., 239: A. Manderino to J. Payne, $72,000

Seneca St., 323: A. Otwell to M. & R. Khan, $35,000

Showers St., 577: C. Mulkey to M. Koerner & A. Koch, $104,900

Showers St., 607: C. & R. Haigh to E. Moffet, $143,000

Showers St., 716: N. & R. Godfrey to L. Kraynak, $134,000

S. 13^th St., 1531: J. Beebe to Fruition Holdings LLC, $61,500

S. 15^th St., 351: M. Gray to R. Levasseur & R. Similien, $30,000

S. 18^th St., 916: Crist Holdings LLC to 916 S. 18^th LLC, $325,000

S. 19^th St., 232: S. & K. Sanderson to B. Dessalegn, $30,000

S. 25^th St., 101 & 101 Rear S. 25^th St.: KOP Kline Plaza LLC & Ryan LLC Tax Compliance to Kline Plaza LLC & Nassimi Realty LLC, $8,700,000

S. Front St., 315: S. Eicher to K. Campbell, $144,000

State St., 231, Unit 101: LUX 1 LP to Commonwealth Entrepreneurs LLC, $362,500

State St.,. 1720: Vista Properties LLC to J. Virbitsky, $82,300

State St., 1812: R. Burnett to R. Burnett Sr., $55,000

State St., 1934: D. Schneider to Wilton Hampshire LLC, $85,000

Swatara St., 1914: P. Miller Sr. to A. Padua, $31,000

Swatara St., 2144: D. Selvey to K. & F. Pichardo, $94,000

Woodbine St., 420: T. Griese to J. Cheatham, $51,500
Harrisburg property sales for December 2018, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

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