Tag Archives: Danielle Bowers

Front Street apartment project able to break ground despite initial resistance from City Council

September 20, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Site of the proposed project on the 2700-block of N. Front Street

A project to construct an apartment building on N. Front Street in Harrisburg can now move forward.

A land development plan for the 2700-block of N. Front St. was automatically approved by Harrisburg City Council, after the deadline to vote on the apartment project expired on Sept. 15.

The project, proposed by New Jersey-based EI Realty, includes demolishing two office buildings on the property and constructing a 21-unit modern-style apartment building.

Council originally voted, 5-2, against the proposal in May, with several council members voicing concern with the project’s lack of affordable housing. However, a week later, council approved a motion to reconsider the proposal, which essentially erased their previous vote.

The building plan consists of two-bedroom and one-bedroom units located at 2709 and 2717 N. Front St., according to Adam Kerr, vice president of the Harrisburg-based architect EI Associates, an entity affiliated with the developer. The units will rent at market rate. At a previous council meeting, representatives for the project said that they would not be interested in offering affordable units, as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Council President Danielle Bowers told TheBurg that council decided to reconsider the proposal, based on the potential “legal ramifications” of denying the application, which conformed to city building code standards.

Following the reconsideration, the developer agreed to two extensions to the deadline for council’s re-vote. The latter has since expired, deeming the project approved, Bowers told TheBurg.

According to Bowers, council has not met with the developer since initially denying the application, and she does not believe that the proposal has changed to include affordable units.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

New Way to Play: Harrisburg cuts the ribbon on Chutes and Ladders Playground in Reservoir Park

June 20, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Chutes and Ladders Playground at Reservoir Park

Dozens of kids played, laughed and squealed with joy as Harrisburg cut the ribbon on its newest playground.

The city celebrated on Tuesday the grand opening of its Chutes and Ladders Playground at Reservoir Park, concluding a six-year-long project to upgrade a portion of the 87-acre park.

“The Chutes and Ladders Playground is unlike anything in or around the Harrisburg area,” Mayor Wanda Williams said. “This is innovation and creativity at its best.”

The new $1 million playground, near the Reservoir Park bandshell, is inspired by the children’s board game of the same name. The playground includes many different slides and rope ladders, as well as other play equipment.

Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams (left) and City Council President Danielle Bowers cut the ribbon on the new playground, along with other local officials and children.

Harrisburg broke ground on the project in April 2022.

The playground is one phase of the city’s Reservoir Park Master Plan, which aims to increase interest and traffic in the park. Later phases include creating a spray park, constructing a new pavilion, increasing parking, adding a “tot lot” playground for younger children, planting trees and increasing walkways in the park. Construction on the next phase will begin later in the year, according to the city.

During the Chutes and Ladders ribbon-cutting event, Mackenzie Boyd of Mechanicsburg watched her 3-year-old play on the new equipment.

“It’s pretty cool,” she said. “It’s bright and colorful and unique.”

Leah Fletcher came from Highspire to the park, where she often brings her kids.

“It’s nice to see it updated,” she said. “It’s great for the little ones.”

Her own “little one,” Alessandra, chimed in, saying, “I love everything about it.”

Kids play on the new Chutes and Ladders Playground in Reservoir Park

City officials said that upgrades at Reservoir Park are one of many recent initiatives to modernize and update Harrisburg parks.

In October, Harrisburg received a $13 million grant, which will support the renovation of 7th & Radnor Park, Wilson Playground, Gorgas Playground and Jackson Lick Pool. The money came from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s COVID relief funding.

“This is really just the beginning,” said Dave Baker, the city’s director of parks and recreation. “We really do expect to have some amazing things in the upcoming years.”

Reservoir Park is located at 100 Concert Dr., Harrisburg. For more information, visit Harrisburg’s website.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Harrisburg City Council sets date for American Rescue Plan vote, responds to mayor’s criticism

June 7, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

A past Harrisburg City Council meeting

Harrisburg is getting closer to deciding how it will use millions of dollars in federal COVID relief funding.

On Tuesday, Harrisburg City Council discussed using the bulk of its share of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for affordable housing, a spray park and home repair services for low-income and elderly residents, among other uses.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mayor Wanda Williams, at a press conference, called out council for not yet voting on her proposed spending plan.

Council President Danielle Bowers responded at last night’s council meeting, stating that Williams had mischaracterized, at the earlier press conference, how long it had been since council was given the proposal, as well as how many ARPA public meetings Williams and city administration held. At the press conference, Williams said she held seven public meetings, but Bowers said the city only held five.

“That is embarrassing, sharing incorrect information,” Bowers said. “Mayor Williams, we are wide awake and take our responsibility as elected officials in this city very seriously.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, council asked questions of the city administration and discussed a proposal to use $28.1 million of the city’s total $47 million from ARPA.

Council has already allocated $15.6 million for replacing the HVAC system in Harrisburg’s Public Safety Building, providing one-time bonuses to uniformed personnel in the Harrisburg Fire Bureau and Bureau of Police and to reimburse the city for lost revenue during COVID.

An additional, about $4 million has not yet been earmarked for allocation by the city.

Council is slated to vote on the ARPA allocations at its June 27 legislative session.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

“We are tired of waiting”: Harrisburg mayor urges City Council to vote on American Rescue Plan funding

June 6, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams at a press conference on Tuesday

Harrisburg has received millions in COVID relief funds, and now Mayor Wanda Williams said that she wants to see it allocated—and soon.

On Tuesday, Williams held a press conference to call out City Council, which has yet to vote on her proposed plan to spend the bulk of federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.

“We put a $42.7 million plan in front of council last May,” she said. “And I want to make sure that the residents understand that it’s been a year. All the people of Harrisburg have done is wait.”

Williams first announced her proposed plan in May 2022, which includes allocations for affordable housing, a spray park and home repair and tree removal services for low-income and elderly residents, among other items. She has proposed using $42.7 million of the city’s total $47 million share of funds.

In June 2022, council voted to use about $15.6 million of the ARPA funds to replace the HVAC system in Harrisburg’s Public Safety Building, to give one-time bonuses to uniformed personnel in the Harrisburg Fire Bureau and Bureau of Police and to reimburse the city for lost revenue during COVID.

In March, city officials presented a proposal to council to use another $28.1 for the affordable housing, spray park and other items. In April, council held three town hall meetings to hear from residents on the city’s proposed use of the funds.

“We are tired of waiting,” Williams said. “That’s why I’m calling on council president [Danielle] Bowers to put this American Rescue Plan money up for a vote the first chance she gets.”

Williams said that she receives calls from residents every day asking about the ARPA funds and how to apply for the various programs.

She also expressed concern over the amount of time left to spend the funds. Under ARPA guidelines, the city must allocate the money by the end of 2024 and spend the money by the end of 2026.

“When you consider the months-long process of contracting, consulting and public bidding, we are pushing up against a deadline we never thought we would have to consider,” Williams said.

Council has the ARPA plan on their work session agenda for discussion on Tuesday night. They will then need to add the proposal to a future legislative session for a vote.

For more information, visit Harrisburg’s website.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Harrisburg City Council to reconsider previously rejected Front Street apartment proposal

May 30, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg City Council session on Tuesday

Harrisburg City Council recently voted down a proposed apartment building, but that project now may get a second chance for approval.

On Tuesday, council voted to reconsider a land development plan for the 2700-block of N. Front St., a proposal that they voted against, 5-2, at last week’s meeting, after expressing concern that it would not include affordable units, as federally defined.

“We decided to reconsider because the legal ramifications would likely be great,” council President Danielle Bowers told TheBurg. “We hope to come to a level of compromise.”

Representatives for EI Realty, the developer of the proposed 21-unit apartment building, explained at previous council meetings that they were not interested in offering affordable housing as part of the project, saying that it wouldn’t be “financially viable.”

At last week’s meeting, council member Shamaine Daniels, who voted with council member Westburn Majors in favor of the proposal, shared her concern with members who rejected the project, saying that as long as developers “follow the rules, you have to approve the plans.”

The city’s affordable housing program is voluntary, meaning that developers are encouraged, but not required, to include lower-cost units in their projects.

While council voted against the project last week, they have now decided to meet with the developer to discuss possible solutions to their concerns and eventually re-vote.

According to City Solicitor Neil Grover, the vote to reconsider means that council’s previous vote is eliminated, and they must re-vote on the land development plan within 30 days, by June 30.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Harrisburg City Council votes down apartment project after developer declines to participate in affordable housing program

May 23, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg City Council at Tuesday’s legislative session

A Harrisburg development project will come to a halt for now after City Council voted it down on Tuesday.

At a legislative session, council voted against a land development plan to demolish existing office buildings on the 2700-block of N. Front St. and construct a 21-unit apartment building. Council voted 5-2 in opposition, with council members Shamaine Daniels and Westburn Majors voting in favor of the project.

Several council members explained that they decided to vote against the project because the developer was not interested in participating in the city’s affordable housing program.

“Our residents would be cost burdened by this property,” council President Danielle Bowers said.

At a previous council work session, representatives of the project, proposed by New Jersey-based EI Realty, said that, due to limitations on how large they could make the building, renting units at affordable rates, as defined by federal standards, would not be financially viable.

“We can’t have affordable units in every project that comes down the pike. It’s not realistic in the financial viability,” said attorney Ambrose Heinz of Stevens & Lee, representing the developer.

After voting against the proposal, council briefly recessed to discuss the vote with the city’s legal personnel. Daniels, who voted in favor of the proposal, expressed concern over the legal ramifications of voting the project down.

The city’s affordable housing program is voluntary and provides incentives to developers to incorporate lower-income units in their proposals. However, according to City Solicitor Neil Grover, this project is in a zoning district that would not qualify for the affordable housing incentives.

“If people follow the rules, you have to approve the plans,” Daniels told TheBurg. “If you want to make someone build affordable housing, you have to actually make them.”

Attorneys representing the project at Tuesday’s meeting declined to comment on the applicant’s next steps.

In other development news, council approved a land development plan for a project at 202 State St. The project’s developer, Harrisburg-based WCI Partners, will convert what is currently an office building into four apartment units.

Council also voted to appoint Jason Graves to the Susquehanna Regional Transportation Authority and to appoint JoAnn Gray to the Zoning Hearing Board.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

2 challengers win nominations to Harrisburg City Council; general election field takes shape for city, county

May 16, 2023 | by Lawrance Binda

Campaign signs on Tuesday outside of Harrisburg’s MLK Jr. City Government Center, which served as a polling place

Two newcomers and one incumbent won Democratic nominations on Tuesday for three seats on Harrisburg City Council.

With all precincts reporting and mail-in ballots counted, council President Danielle Bowers topped the eight-candidate primary field (2,192 votes), followed by challengers Crystal Davis (1,897 votes) and Lamont Jones (1,761 votes), according to the Dauphin County Election Bureau’s unofficial results.

Cole Goodman came in fourth place followed by Brad Barkdoll, current council member Robert Lawson, Leslie Franklin and Lori Beamer Saulisbury, according to the bureau.

The Democratic nominees are heavily favored to win the three, four-year council seats in the Nov. 7 general election, as no Republicans ran in the primary in the heavily Democratic city.

For city treasurer, incumbent Dan Miller ran unopposed for another four-year term. No Republicans ran in the primary.

The Harrisburg school board race had five seats at stake, but only four candidates ran—all Democrats and all incumbents. They are Ellis Roy, James Thompson, Doug Thompson Leader and Terricia Radcliff, so all will appear on the November ballot.

For magisterial district justice, Matthew Pianka won both the Democratic and Republican primaries for District 12-01-02, as he cross-filed, and was the sole candidate on the ballot in each primary. Autumn Fair ran as a write-in candidate after getting knocked off the Democratic ballot following a challenge to her nominating petitions, but all write-ins together garnered only about 32% of the vote in the primary, compared to 68% for Pianka.

For District 12-1-04, Democrat Mikaela Sloan won her primary as the sole candidate to run for that district judgeship.

In District 12-1-05, incumbent MDJ Hanif Johnson defeated two challengers, Claude Phipps and Lori Ann Jenkins, to win the Democratic nomination for the seat. He cross-filed in the primary and also won the Republican nomination.

In Dauphin County, no primary races were contested, but the results will set up several contests for the November general election.

For commissioner, Republican incumbents Mike Pries and Chad Saylor, Democratic incumbent George Hartwick and Democratic challenger Justin Douglas will vie for three, four-year seats on the board.

For clerk of courts, Republican John McDonald will face Democrat Bridget Whitley. For recorder of deeds, Democrat Tami Dykes will challenge incumbent Republican Jim Zugay. And, for county treasurer, Republican Nick DiFrancesco and Democrat Fred Faylona will compete for the position.

In other county races, incumbent District Attorney Fran Chardo, Sheriff Nick Chimienti, Controller Mary Bateman and Register of Wills Jean Marfizo King all ran unopposed in the Republican primary. No Democrats appeared on the ballot in these races.

This story was based on unofficial results from the Dauphin County Elections Bureau. We will update the story if warranted. To view all results for the municipal primary in Dauphin County, visit the election bureau website.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Harrisburg City Council candidates answer questions, share stance on city issues at debate

May 12, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg City Council candidates address a crowd at Open Stage.

On Thursday, seven local candidates for public office shared their stances on issues like safety, housing and infrastructure.

Harrisburg City Council candidates addressed a crowd at Open Stage theater for a debate-style forum, hosted by Friends of Midtown, Midtown Action Council and Who’s Running for Office? Harrisburg, PA.

Seven of the eight Democratic candidates were present, each attempting to persuade voters that they deserve one of the three seats up for grabs on city council. Candidates Brad Barkdoll, Danielle Bowers, Crystal Davis, Leslie Franklin, Cole Goodman, Lamont Jones and Rob Lawson attended.

Affordable housing was the most discussed issue of the night, with all candidates agreeing that Harrisburg has a shortage of homes, especially for the city’s low- and moderate-income renters and homeowners.

“The issue with affordable housing is because there’s a lack of housing stock, and we can’t solve that unless we create more stock,” said Lawson, who was appointed to council in January and now is seeking election.

Goodman said he would hold developers accountable to build affordable units, and Barkdoll suggested using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to build and renovate housing.

Another question dealt with safety in the city and improving infrastructure to support multimodal transportation.

Harrisburg City Council candidates

Bowers, currently the president of city council seeking re-election, said that she would like to see better signage to alert drivers to the presence of cyclists and pedestrians on the roads. Jones said he would like to see infrastructure improvements and outreach to gather residents’ input. Davis suggested better street lighting.

Goodman took the time to specifically point out the construction project on State Street in Harrisburg, which has been on hold for about a year after the city decided to halt and re-work the proposal.

“I think that it is criminal that the improvements on State Street were halted, and we need to deal with that,” Goodman said.

To address a question about reducing gun violence in the city, Franklin, who works in the Harrisburg School District, advocated for violence prevention education for youth and for a strengthened relationship between residents and police.

Jones, who runs a re-entry program for residents returning home from prison, said that he wants to build up workforce development in the city, which could help target the root of the violence issue.

“We have to get jobs into these communities; we have to get trades back into our schools,” he said. “A lot of the time crimes exist because there is a lack of resources in those communities.”

Harrisburg resident Leeland Nelson attended the debate and said that, as a business owner himself, he was happy to hear of candidates’ plans to prioritize workforce development.

“We need to upscale our workforce,” he said.

Another resident, Tim Ward, attended the debate with an idea of who he was planning to vote for come election day. However, after hearing from candidates, he said he changed his mind.

“From my perspective, it was very helpful,” he said. “Two of the three that I was going to vote for changed. I guess it’s good news for the two people that got the switch and not for the people that walked in with my vote and are not walking out with it.”

To watch the Harrisburg City Council candidate debate, click here.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Checking In: Harrisburg officials re-open discussion on how to regulate Airbnb

March 30, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg City Council special session on Wednesday.

It’s been over six years since Airbnb rentals started popping up in Harrisburg, but city officials are still pondering what to do with them.

At a special session on Wednesday night, City Council weighed possible options for regulating, registering and taxing short-term rentals, such as Airbnb.

According to Michael Hughes, Harrisburg’s tax and enforcement administrator, this type of rental currently falls in a “gray, unregulated area” within city code. Because of that, not all rentals pay hotel taxes, sales and mercantile taxes or are officially registered within the city, all standard practices for traditional B&Bs.

The city has hopes to address concerns from residents about certain short-term rentals causing noise complaints, parking and traffic issues and building code violations.

In 2017, Harrisburg held its first meeting on the topic, attracting a full house of local residents who voiced support for and against Airbnbs. However, no new legislation has since come forth.

Now, officials are again considering how to move forward.

“The most important thing to start with is for the council and the mayor to have a clear objective of what they’re trying to accomplish,” said Neil Grover, city solicitor. “Because there are lots of ways to do this.”

As the city weighs this decision, short-term rentals in Harrisburg have only continued to increase.

Currently, there are about 256 short-term rental units operating in the city. That number grew by 33% from last year’s number and is expected to continue to tick up at the same rate, according to research done by Granicus, a software company serving as a consultant to the city.

During the meeting, officials brainstormed options like limiting Airbnbs to certain city zones or geographic locations or requiring that they be owner-occupied. Other options, such as requiring registration with the city, charging permitting fees or mandating yearly inspections, also were discussed.

Unlike the last meeting on short-term rental six years ago, only a handful of residents attended to comment on the topic. Several residents of Harrisburg’s Shipoke neighborhood expressed frustration with the rising number of Airbnbs in their community and the impact on parking, noise and other quality of life issues.

Another resident, Grant Elledge, explained how he recently brought before the Zoning Hearing Board a proposal to establish a short-term rental in his residence.

“As someone who’s hoping to use my space for this, I want to follow all the rules. I want to pay taxes on it,” he said.

However, the proposal was denied because the board could not find any language around the rentals in the zoning code.

Grover believes that means that Elledge can establish his Airbnb, because there’s no code that restricts it.

“These issues are going to keep coming,” he said. “I do think there’s a will between the mayor’s office and council to move forward with something that is functional.”

Council President Danielle Bowers said that the next step will be to establish a task force to develop a plan moving forward.

“We can all come together collectively to ensure that we are drafting an ordinance that really meets the city’s needs,” she said.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

Harrisburg celebrates debt payoff, closing chapter on city’s crippling financial crisis

March 16, 2023 | by Maddie Gittens

Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams announced the city’s debt payment at a press conference on Thursday.

Harrisburg officials celebrated a historic day on Thursday, as the city made final payments on a once staggering debt load.

The city officially paid off the last $8.3 million in general obligation bond debt dating back more than a decade to its municipal financial crisis.

“This is a historic moment in our city,” said Mayor Wanda Williams at a press conference. “Harrisburg’s best days are ahead.”

The forbearance liability debt is money that the city owed to bond insurer Ambac Assurance after it defaulted on its Series D&F bond payments in 2011. The original D&F bonds were issued in 1997, under former Mayor Steve Reed. Harrisburg paid off those bonds in September 2022.

Late last year, Harrisburg City Council approved the payoff of $12 million of what was $20 million in remaining in debt, at the time. While city administration officials had originally proposed paying off the total $20 million at once, council members were hesitant to spend down such a large amount of the city’s fund balance.

Last week, council approved the final $8.3 million payment.

“I’m glad we were in a position to finish the task,” said council President Danielle Bowers.

Before the Williams administration made the two large payments, the city, for years, mainly made smaller, routine annual payments, with the exception of a $6 million payment under former Mayor Linda Thompson in 2013 and a $7.2 million payment under former Mayor Eric Papenfuse in 2021.

Harrisburg’s Deputy Controller Bill Leinberger explained the history of the city’s payments on its forbearance liability debt.

Before this week’s payment, Harrisburg’s fund balance, or savings, sat at around $25 million. With this final bond payment, it now is about $17 million, according to Brian McCutcheon, accounting manager for the city.

Officials pointed out that the total debt payoff also saves the city from continuing to accrue interest on the debt. Most recently, the city’s interest rate was set at 5% after a refinancing deal made with Ambac in 2021. That rate would have jumped back up to 6.75% in November 2024.

“This has been a particularly annoying and costly debt,” said City Treasurer Dan Miller. “They [Ambac] have been making a killing off Harrisburg.”

With the freed-up money, Williams said that the city plans to put it towards resident services, possibly street repaving, purchasing public works vehicles and blighted building demolition.

As the city moves closer to being debt free, it also may be closer to exiting Act 47, the state’s program for financially distressed cities, according to Williams.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” she said.

If you like what we do, please support our work. Become a Friend of TheBurg!

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

You May Also Like