Tag Archives: Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board

Recovery Zone? Daystar briefs neighborhood, prepares for zoning battle, with plan to move downtown.

April 26, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Daystar Center for Spiritual Recovery hopes to move into this building at 123 Forster St., Harrisburg.

An Allison Hill-based halfway house is hoping to locate to downtown Harrisburg, proposing to convert an historic mansion to a 40-bed facility for recovering substance abusers.

Daystar Center for Spiritual Recovery held a community meeting on Wednesday night to outline its plans for 123 Forster St., a facility that would house as many as 40 men taking part in its residential treatment program.

Executive Director Fern Wilcox addressed about 30 neighbors, attempting to ease anxiety over issues such as safety, trash and loitering.

“We do what we need to do to always be a positive force in the community,” she told the room of concerned residents.

Daystar, a faith-based recovery program of the United Methodist Church, currently runs a 25-bed residential treatment facility from three attached townhouses on the 100-block of N. 18^th Street. However, growing demand for its publicly funded services exceeds it ability to provide them from its current location, according to the organization.

“There’s enough of a need that there needs to be more beds, and Daystar is there to fit that need,” said Jeffrey McCombie, Daystar’s attorney.

The circa-1930 building was built as a private residence on Front Street, gaining some notoriety in the 1950s, when it was moved about 100 feet to its current location as Forster Street was widened. It now backs up to the parking lot of the East Shore YMCA.

Most recently, it housed Justice Works Youth Care, as well as offices for the Harrisburg-area YMCA, with an apartment on the top floor. The current owner, Pittsburgh-based HEIT Holdings, bought it in 2014 and now has it on the market for $675,000.

Daystar wishes to buy the 11,690-square-foot building and undertake a six-month renovation to turn it into a residential treatment center. However, the sale is contingent on zoning approval from the city.

To that point, Daystar and the city’s Planning Bureau currently disagree over the zoning status of the Forster Street building. Daystar believes it should be able to operate its facility there by right, with no additional zoning approval needed. Therefore, it’s appealing the bureau’s decision that requires it to obtain a variance in order to open.

At Wednesday’s meeting, residents did not question the need for Daystar’s services, given the opioid epidemic. But many expressed worry about the facility’s possible impact on the neighborhood. These concerns ranged from potential increases in crime to men congregating and smoking outside, especially since the building is fully exposed on three sides and has no yard space.

Daystar representatives attempted to ease these worries, saying that their clients are fully screened, closely supervised and choose to be in the program. Clients also must hold down jobs and demonstrate a desire to improve their lives, Daystar said.

“Our clients work in the community,” said Ronald Sloane, the program director for spiritual recovery. “We help clients integrate back into society after treatment.”

Nonetheless, several residents raised questions after Wilcox mentioned that the Allison Hill facility has had problems with drug dealers targeting clients.

“We are inundated on Allison Hill,” she said. “They cannot walk one block without being asked for drugs.”

Wilcox said that she hoped that the new facility would prove to be a safer environment, but some residents feared that the drug dealers might follow Daystar, exacerbating an existing problem downtown.

“I’m not supportive,” Jeremiah Chamberlin, who owns an apartment building and lives nearby, said following the meeting. “I don’t that believe that the neighborhood has the resources to deal with it.”

Wilcox told residents that there have been very few problems at the Allison Hill facility, and a check of police records seemed to bear that out. According to a city police source, there have been just a few calls to the facility over the past two years, “none serious.”

For many years, Marsha Banks has run her nonprofit, Amiracle4sure, directly across the street from Daystar’s Allison Hill facility. She said that she has experienced no major problems with Daystar, with the possible exception of men, including staff members, frequently gathering outside to smoke.

“Back in the day, they used to have better supervision,” she said. “But, for the most part, I feel they’ve had a good impression on the neighborhood.”

That said—she believes Daystar residents could be more active, and once were, in offering to help around the neighborhood.

“The old administration used to run a tighter ship,” she said.

In addition to a safer environment, Daystar wants to move downtown because of better proximity to public transportation, as residents don’t have cars, and, especially, to jobs, said staff members.

“They’re here because they want to change their lives,” Sloane said. “Our level of care offers them a chance to come here and develop life skills so they cannot be a burden on society.”

Daystar is scheduled to appear before the Harrisburg Planning Commission on May 2 and the Zoning Hearing Board on May 9, in city hall. Learn more about Daystar at www.daystarrecovery.com.

Disclosure: Lawrance Binda, TheBurg’s editor-in-chief and article author, lives near the proposed facility.

Harrisburg Zoning Board scrambles plan for chicken business.

April 16, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Julian Vasquez made his case for a live poultry operation at tonight’s meeting of the Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board.

There’s an old saying not to count your chickens before they hatch.

That adage was especially apt on Monday night for a Camp Hill couple who tried unsuccessfully to get the Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board to approve their plan to open a chicken-processing and retailing operation on Cameron Street.

Julian and Carmen Vasquez hoped to convince board members to grant them a special exception, which, they thought, would permit them to operate a live poultry business from a property at 436 S. Cameron St.

The board, however, told them that their application was not correct. A special exception, they said, would allow the couple to keep and process chickens–but not sell them.

“It seems to me that your application is to grant a retail butcher shop,” said board Solicitor James Cowden. “The City Council has determined that, within the industrial district, a retail shop isn’t permitted at all.”

Julian Vasquez told board members that he and his wife thought that a live poultry operation would be a good business, given the area’s rapidly growing Latino population. They planned to house as many as 200 birds on site, keeping them there for about a week before slaughtering them for sale.

Cowden informed the couple that they would need a variance, not a special exception, to operate a retail business in that zone. That’s a much higher burden to meet, requiring the applicant to demonstrate some type of “hardship” that the variance then would alleviate.

To help make his case before the board, Vasquez pointed to the wide variety of businesses along that stretch of Cameron Street, which already includes retailer Family Dollar.

Board Chairman Tom Leonard said that Vasquez had a fair point, but that the board had to follow the code as it’s currently written, which disallows new retail shops in the industrial zone. Thus, a zoning variance, not a special exception, was needed.

City Council President Wanda Williams attended the meeting, saying that some residents of South Allison Hill had complained to her about potential noise and smells from the establishment.

“I would ask you to go talk to the neighbors because I’ve heard that they’re concerned about a live poultry operation,” she said.

Vasquez said that they had held a meeting with neighbors at a Derry Street location, but that they would do so again. He also denied that noise and smells would be issues.

In the end, the board granted the couple a continuance, so that they could have time to decide if they wished to return to a future meeting to request a variance from the board.

The board granted a continuance for another project.

Across town, city developer and landlord David Peffley, Sr., asked the board for a variance so that he could convert an industrial building he purchased last year at 2327 N. 7^th St. into a multi-family dwelling with 19 one-bedroom, low-income units.

Again, zoning board members balked, stating that the Peffley hadn’t proved any “hardship” that would lead the board to allow a new residential use in an industrial zone. In fact, the property’s current tenant, Bulldog Motors, is an industrial business, meaning, Leonard said, that Peffley was asking the board to favor a non-conforming use over a conforming one.

“We’re always concerned with certain imperatives,” Leonard said. “One thing we’re always concerned about is setting bad precedent.”

In the end, Peffley accepted the continuance, leaving the fate of his project uncertain.

A Living Downtown: Harristown plans another residential conversion.

February 26, 2018 | by Lawrance Binda

Harristown hopes to convert this downtown office building to apartments.

More apartments appear headed for downtown Harrisburg, though it may be awhile before you’ll be able to move into one.

The city’s Zoning Hearing Board tonight approved a variance that would allow Harristown Enterprises to convert a circa-1952 office building to a 25-unit apartment building with commercial space on the first floor.

The building, at 124 Pine St., currently houses Keystone Human Services, which would seek new space following a sale, said Harristown CEO Brad Jones.

“We believe it is a good place for some very nice apartments,” Jones told the board. “It fits in with our goal to revitalize downtown Harrisburg.”

Keystone currently has the six-story, 30,000-square-foot building on the market for $1.5 million.

Over the past few years, Harristown has converted several downtown office buildings to higher-end apartments. In fact, the company just started work today on another project, the conversion of a small, empty office building at the corner of N. 2^nd and Cranberry streets into 12 apartment units. That building, Jones said, has been renamed “The Bogg on Cranberry.”

The Pine Street project, he said, would consist of 18 one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom units that would range from about 700 to 850 square feet in size. A variance was needed because current zoning code restricts new housing units to a size of at least 1,200 square feet.

Jones said that he expects rents to be about $1,095 to $1,395 a month. The project includes 19 off-street parking spaces, which would be rented separately.

Harristown still must get the approval of City Council before it can proceed with the project. If that happens, the company hopes to close on a building purchase in May. Jones, however, expects that Keystone will then lease the building back until it can find a new home, meaning that renovation work probably won’t begin until early 2019.

At tonight’s meeting, the Zoning Hearing Board also was slated to hear a variance application to establish a vehicle storage and repair business in a series of garages at 1408 Susquehanna St., as well as a commercial parking facility across the street in a small parking lot at 1418 Susquehanna St.

However, in a letter to the board, the company’s lawyers said they were withdrawing the application for the 1408 Susquehanna St. property. The board was unsure of the company’s intentions for 1418 Susquehanna St. Because the applicant did not attend the meeting, the board granted a continuance for that part of the application pending clarification.

November News Digest

November 30, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

City Election Marred by “Raffle”

Harrisburg’s uncontested mayoral election last month was supposed to be a sleepy affair, but it was upset by a raffle with apparent connections to a write-in candidate.

A Dauphin County judge issued an injunction on Election Day to stop the distribution of raffle tickets that may have encouraged people to vote a certain way in the race for Harrisburg mayor.

“The Court finds that the raffle ticket is also promoting of a particular race and suggestive of balloting,” according to the court order.

People at many city polling stations were found to be handing out raffle tickets, which promised prizes for voting. These included a new iPhone X (first prize), $500 in cash (second prize) and a $200 Best Buy gift card (third prize).

Dauphin County Sheriff Nicholas Chimienti later visited a downtown office owned by developer Jeremy Hunter, where Hunter stored both raffle tickets and flyers supporting write-in candidate Gloria Martin-Roberts.

Martin-Roberts, however, later denounced Hunter’s efforts, saying she never authorized the raffle or the flyers.

“I clearly told Jeremy, ‘do not distribute any of that information with my name on it,’” Martin-Roberts said. “He does not listen to anyone.”

Hunter also told TheBurg that he spent thousands of dollars in the primary and general elections in support of Martin-Roberts. At press time, those expenditures had not been reported to the Dauphin County elections bureau.

3rd Street Project Starts

Harrisburg officials last month broke ground on the long-awaited repaving of 3rd Street, though most of the work will not start until the spring.

Crews began on the Midtown portion with new curbing and ADA-compliant ramps at intersections. Work is expected to continue through December, depending on the weather, and will resume in March.

The entire project includes about a two-mile stretch of the main artery from Chestnut Street downtown to Seneca Street in Uptown Harrisburg.

Actual milling and paving of the street will hold off until next year, said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. The project is expected to continue throughout much of 2018, wrapping up in October.

Papenfuse stressed that the project is not just for motorists. He said the improvements will make it easier to walk and bike, as well as drive along the street.

“By the time we are done, this entire area will be returned to the residents of the city,” he said.

City Engineer Wayne Martin said that, when paving begins next year, he expects temporary road closures and detours lasting about three days at a time. He also said that some parking, about 10 spaces at a time, will be occupied by construction equipment.

As part of the project, Capital Region Water will install trees and other environmentally friendly infrastructure, including green “bump outs,” to reduce storm-water flow, said CRW board chairman J. Marc Kurowski.

He said the project is part of CRW’s City Beautiful H2O program, which is meant to replace outdated infrastructure and improve storm-water flow.

“We’ll have new trees and new ways to manage storm-water,” Papenfuse said. “This will become a showcase for design for the whole region.”

Harrisburg has contracted with Elizabethtown-based Doug Lamb Construction Inc. for the $5.5 million project, a cost split between the city and CRW. The city is paying an estimated $3.5 million, with CRW footing the remaining $2 million.

Most of the project is funded by a grant from Impact Harrisburg, a nonprofit set up as part of the city’s financial recovery.

City Incumbents Returned to Office

Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse sailed to an easy re-election victory last month, despite two candidates mounting late write-in bids.

With all 28 precincts reporting, Papenfuse garnered 3,788 votes. All write-in candidates together tallied 502.

Shortly before the election, two of Papenfuse’s defeated opponents in the Democratic primary, Gloria Martin-Roberts and Lewis Butts, declared that they would mount write-in campaigns in the general election.

With his victory, Papenfuse will begin his second, four-year mayoral term in January.

Five Harrisburg City Council candidates also ran unopposed in their races. Council incumbents Wanda Williams, Shamaine Daniels and Ben Allatt each won four-year terms, as did newcomer Ausha Green. Councilman Dave Madsen earned a two-year seat.

Harrisburg Treasurer Dan Miller and Controller Charlie DeBrunner each ran unopposed and will serve four-year terms.

For school board, all the listed Democrats won four-year seats: Brian Carter, Carrie Fowler, Danielle Robinson and Judd Pittman. Incumbent James Thompson, who lost in the Democratic primary but cross-filed, lost on the Republican side.

Percel Eiland, running unopposed, took the two-year seat for school board.

One district justice seat was contested. In the race for district 12-01-05, Democrat Hanif Johnson defeated Claude Phipps, who was on the Republican ballot, by a vote of 954-347.

In Dauphin County, Republican Matthew Krupp defeated Democrat Diane Bowman in a close race for prothonotary. In the heated contest for three Court of Common Pleas judgeships, sitting Judge Lori Serratelli lost to challengers Ed Marsico, Royce Morris and John McNally.

HU Proposes Downtown High-Rise

A new high-rise may soon add to downtown Harrisburg’s skyline, as Harrisburg University of Science and Technology last month issued a request for proposals for a new, mixed-use building.

According to the RFP, the proposed building at Chestnut and S. 3rd streets would house the school’s emerging Health Science Education Center, from which it would offer degree programs in nursing, pharmaceutical sciences and other health programs.

The RFP is asking for bids of at least 200,000 square feet for educational space, plus housing for more than 300 students. The building, currently proposed to be 36 stories, may also contain amenities such as a boutique hotel, restaurant, executive conference center and/or fitness facility.

The school envisions the building as a high-rise on parcels that include 222 Chestnut St., currently a surface parking lot owned by Vartan Enterprises, and 24, 26 and 28 S. 3rd St., which contain small commercial buildings owned by Mechanicsburg-based Dauphin Land Co. Under the RFP, those low-rise, 19th-century commercial buildings would be demolished.

HU President Eric Darr said that the current property owners have agreed to sell their parcels to HU for the project. He added that the proposed location was perfectly situated between UPMC Pinnacle and the university’s main academic building on Market Street.

“Being a block away from Harrisburg Hospital makes all the sense in the world,” said Darr, who estimates the total cost of the project at $120 to $140 million.

HU has set Feb. 2 as the deadline for responses, with a proposal selection date of April 10. An evaluation committee comprised of members of the university’s executive staff, board of trustees and outside advisers will evaluate the proposals.

Darr said he hopes to break ground in 2019 and that construction should take about two years.

Overnight Shelter Opened

Following a change in policy at Harrisburg’s largest rescue mission, a downtown shelter will open an emergency overnight shelter for 30 homeless men.

Downtown Daily Bread, a soup kitchen and daytime shelter operated by Pine Street Presbyterian Church on N. 3rd Street, got approval from the city to operate a 30-bed men’s shelter from Dec. 1 to March 31 at its facility at 234 South St., according to Anne Guenin, director of Downtown Daily Bread.

Downtown Daily Bread currently runs a daily drop-in shelter where people can nap, shower, receive meals and pick up mail. It serves between 70 and 90 people on an average day, Guenin said.

The night shelter will be in the same facility as the daytime shelter, which operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The nighttime shelter will open at 7:30 p.m., giving crews time to clean and convert the gymnasium to a dormitory with cots, and will close at 6 a.m.

Guenin said that the shelter originated in response to an operational change at Bethesda Mission, which this year decided to focus its efforts on long-term recovery programs and open its emergency shelter only in extreme weather conditions.

Comp Plan Back on Track

Harrisburg’s long-delayed comprehensive plan appears to be back on track, as the city’s Planning Commission last month agreed on a draft plan and set forth a path for final approval.

The commission unanimously opted for a draft submitted by the Office for Planning and Architecture, a city-based firm headed by urban design consultant Bret Peters.

In May 2015, the city hired Peters for $200,000 to create a comprehensive plan, which cities use as frameworks to guide policy, ranging widely from land use to recreation. Plans typically have a shelf life of only 15 to 20 years, though Harrisburg’s had not been redrafted in some four decades.

Originally, the city expected its plan to be finished in about 10 months. However, a dispute with Peters over the editing process, communication and, especially, pay, led to a long delay.

At one point earlier this year, the city and Peters parted company after Peters wanted more money to complete the project.

That holdup ended with the commission’s decision to go with Peters’ draft, which is now public. A public hearing is slated for Jan. 10.

Following the hearing, the commission may make additional changes based on public input. It then must approve the final draft before submitting it to City Council for its approval.

More Apartments Approved

Harrisburg is poised for more apartment conversions, as the city’s Zoning Hearing Board last month gave the go-ahead to two projects.

The board voted unanimously to permit as many as 18 rental units in Tracy Mansion, which would complete the restoration of the historic Midtown building.

Owner Jack Kay of York-based Susquehanna Real Estate plans between 14 and 18 one-and two-bedroom units in the eastern portion of the century-old building at N. Front and Muench streets, space that has long sat empty.

“All of the existing architectural features will be restored and, if anything, enhanced,” Kay told board members.

Industrialist David Tracy built the 30-room mansion as a private residence in 1918. In 1951, it became an osteopathic hospital and eventually a mental health facility.

Kay bought the building in 2005 with plans to convert it to an office condominium, adding a new, seven-story building in the parking lot next door. He received zoning board approval two years later, but the project died after the recession hit in 2008.

In 2012, Kay sold the western part of the building to Char Magaro, who opened the restaurant, Char’s Tracy Mansion, there.

Kay said that he believes there now is a market in Harrisburg for upscale apartments, which motivated him to seek a special exception for that use. He said that his apartments will be “nice units” with such features as high-end finishes, river views and in-unit washers and dryers.

He said that he hopes to undertake the project next year, but that the timing depends upon securing financing, among other factors. He said that he had not yet determined rental rates, but that they would be competitive with recent projects by Harristown Enterprises and WCI Partners.

Last month, the zoning board also unanimously granted a variance to Harristown for the conversion of a downtown office building to residential space.

Harristown plans to develop 12 one- and two-bedroom apartments from a worn-out, long-empty office building at the corner of N. 2nd and Cranberry streets. It currently has the building under contract with the seller, Camp Hill-based CJ2 Group.

With Planning Commission and zoning board approvals, Harristown now must have its land use plan approved by Harrisburg City Council before it can begin the project.

Water, Sewer Rates Rise

Water and sewer rates in Harrisburg are set to increase more than 7 percent next year, as Capital Region Water passed its 2018 budget last month.

The CRW board unanimously approved the spending plan, which will raise drinking water rates 7.5 percent for all city and suburban customers. Sewer rates will go up by 7.1 percent for city customers and vary for suburban customers, depending on their location.

The 2018 full-service rates for water and sewer service are $9.46 and $6.99 per 1,000 gallons, respectively. Under the new rates, an average customer who uses 4,500 gallons of water per month will pay an additional $5.56.

A few months ago, the board was faced with even higher rate increases, in excess of 10 percent, said board Chairman J. Marc Kurowski. However, CRW was able to scale those back to more reasonable levels, he said.

“Nobody’s excited with having to have rate increases, but we’ve kept them manageable,” Kurowski said.

CRW has raised rates for several years running. For 2017, the utility increased drinking water rates by 11.6 percent and sewer rates by 7.9 percent.

David Nowotarski, CRW’s chief financial officer, said the rate increases were needed, in part, to pay for ongoing capital upgrades to water and sewer infrastructure.

For 2018, CRW expects to spend about $8.9 million for water system upgrades and about $33 million for sewer projects. CRW has several major initiatives in place to repair and upgrade the city’s aged water and sewer infrastructure.

So Noted

Brighter Living held its grand opening last month at its facility at 979 E. Park Dr., Harrisburg. Brighter Living offers daily activities for seniors such as crafting, cooking, watching movies and gardening, as well as therapeutic activities.

Merit Marketing last month acquired Portland, Ore.-based communications firm, LT Public Relations. Harrisburg-based Merit stated that the acquisition strengthens its West Coast presence and gives it a team of senior advisors in media relations, executive training and crisis communications management.

UPMC Pinnacle opened its new medical office, Strawberry Square FamilyCare, last month in downtown Harrisburg. The office features six exam rooms, a laboratory, conference room and waiting area. It is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., located on the first floor, atrium-level of Strawberry Square, adjacent to Rite Aid.

Changing Hands

Balm St., 119: K. & R. Thames to T. McNair, $55,000

Berryhill St., 2216: M. & N. Haile to PA Deals LLC, $31,000

Berryhill St., 2334: W. J. & J. Morrow to X. Rios & L. Vega, $52,000

Berryhill St., 2338: PA Deals LLC to L. Myers, $59,500

Briarcliff Rd., 2311: W. & E. Warren to S. & A. Cornick, $220,000

Briggs St., 2035: L. McArthur to C. & M. Bruner, $64,000

Calder St., 321: C. Steinbacher to R. & F. Armetta, $40,000

Chestnut St., 1200, 1202, 1204, 1206, & 1208: San Pef Inc. to Round Rock Investments LLC, $369,000

Derry St., 2612: J. Beal to T. Dunmyre, $68,900

Evergreen St., 26 & 28: San Pef Inc. to Round Rock Investments LLC, $95,000

Fulton St., 1418: PA Deals LLC to E. Shenk, $109,500

Girard St., 740: I. Naranjo & D. Benitez to O. Caban, $64,000

Green St., 1327: S. O’Neal to B. & S. Cincotta, $118,000

Greenwood St., 2237: J. Erb to A. & S. Rankin, $50,000

Herr St., 1614: T. Lawson to E. Andrades, $52,000

Holly St., 1914: J. Kaffaya to D. Berhe, $43,000

Hudson St., 1215: PI Capital LLC to V. Jackson, $97,000

Hummel St., 342 & 1508 Hunter St.: Equity Trust Co. Custodian Terry Casey IRA to E&K Homes, $34,000

Kensington St., 2335: PA Deals LLC to End Properties LLC, $69,500

Kensington St., 2343: PA Deals LLC to L. Myers, $59,500

Lenox St., 2032: J. & J. Belfonti to S. Ash, $43,000

Linden St., 128: Hal Don Properties LLC to A. Elkanouni, $56,500

Maclay St., 1037: J. & S. Pagliaro to P2N2, $65,000

Mercer St., 2440: T. Carey to D. Chen & M. Brinkman, $55,000

Mulberry St., 2000: L. & R. Moore to P. Robinson, $50,000

N. 2^nd St., 912: S. Meyers to J. Radabaugh, $185,000

N. 2^nd St., 1215: R. Shultz to R. & G. Armetta, $137,700

N. 2^nd St., 2401: R. Buxton to M. Rathfon & S. Ewing, $162,000

N. 2^nd St., 3301: D. & C. Gilkey to K. & K. Eshenaur, $197,900

N. 3^rd St., 1914: J. Hobbs to J. Vega Jr., $90,000

N. 3^rd St., 2016: WCI Partners LP to K. Reed, $212,000

N. 3^rd St., 3301: N. Johnson to E. Verbos, $135,000

N. 4^th St., 1336: M. Reed to R. & F. Armetta, $80,000

N. 4^th St., 1620: Keech Equity Investments LLC to Acharya Rentals LLC, $60,000

N. 4^th St., 3116: L. Deatrick to G. & J. Desgres, $90,000

N. 6^th St., 930 & 932: K. & N. Galoyan to R. & F. Armetta, $170,000

N. 5^th St., 3024: J. Olan to C. Geis, $95,000

N. 6^th St., 3020: S. McCutcheon to L. Harris, $70,300

N. 7^th St., 2301 & 2327: Sam Hill Properties LLC to DF7 LP, $410,000

N. 17^th St., 28: V. Rivas to I. Mirambeaux, $35,000

N. Cameron St., 1301: J. & J. Salinger to R. Chatue & H. Tambo, $295,000

Oakwood Rd., 2301: PI Capitol LLC to J. Swetlick, $280,00

Penn St., 1721: PA Deals LLC to L. Myers, $129,000

Pennwood Rd., 3120: S. McCoy to J. Mohler & J. Suter, $38,000

Pennwood Rd., 3143: F. Travitz to T. Marhon, $85,500

Rolleston St., 1033: V. Clyde to L. Le, $35,500

Rudy Rd., 1959: E. Ripka to J. & M. Weaver, $66,500

Rumson Dr., 2627: G. & G. Chacon to L. & M. Holston, $81,000

Rumson Dr., 2956: A. & M. Berra to R. Gonzalez & M. Cabrera, $68,000

S. 14^th St., 1407: R. Williams to City of Harrisburg, $51,000

S. 14^th St., 1417: J. Vogelsong to City of Harrisburg, $49,000

S. 14^th St., 1421: S. Mosley to City of Harrisburg, $57,000

S. 14^th St., 1425: J. Coleman & A. Dannar to City of Harrisburg, $48,500

S. 14^th St., 1430: L. & C. Matter to City of Harrisburg, $51,000

S. 14^th St., 1438: A. & M. Reuveni to City of Harrisburg, $51,000

S. 14^th St., 1444: Atlantic North Star Properties to City of Harrisburg, $55,000

S. 14^th St., 1447: C. & F. Randolph to City of Harrisburg, $46,000

S. 14^th St., 1451: C. Colon to City of Harrisburg, $57,000

S. 14^th St., 1454: J. McFarland to City of Harrisburg, $52,000

S. 25^th St., 736: M. Anderson to L. Crowder, $44,500

S. Cameron St., 130: Goldman Sachs Mortgage Co. & Ocwen Loan Servicing LLC to D&F 130 Cam LLC, $161,500

State St., 1326: Arthur A. Kusic Real Estate Investments to C. & T. Semancik, $100,000

Susquehanna St., 1635: R. Drakeford to S. & D. Williams, $99,900

Susquehanna St., 1932: St. Glecos to J. Gallant, $82,450

Swatara St., 1518: Tri County HDC Ltd to D. Kiser, $68,000

Sycamore St., 1625: T. Price to K. Fields, $79,042

Verbeke St., 208: M. Barrette to C. Malloy & K. Sica, $89,999

Wayne St., 1517: R. Palmer to J. Alvarado, $40,000

Harrisburg property sales for October 2017, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

More Residential: HBG Zoning Board OKs apartments for Tracy Mansion, downtown.

November 20, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Harrisburg’s zoning board tonight approved apartment conversions for this building downtown and at Tracy Mansion in Midtown.

Harrisburg is poised for more apartment conversions, as the city’s Zoning Hearing Board tonight gave the go-ahead to two projects.

The board voted unanimously to permit as many as 18 rental units in Tracy Mansion, which would complete the restoration of the historic Midtown building.

“All of the existing architectural features will be restored and, if anything, enhanced,” Kay told board members.

Industrialist David Tracy built the 30-room mansion as a private residence in 1918. In 1951, it became an osteopathic hospital and eventually a mental health facility.

In 2012, Kay sold the western part of the building to Char Magaro, who opened the restaurant, Char’s Tracy Mansion, there.

Tonight, the zoning board also unanimously granted a variance to Harristown for the conversion of a downtown office building to residential space.

Harristown plans to develop 12 one- and two-bedroom apartments from a worn-out, long-empty office building at the corner of N. 2^nd and Cranberry streets. It currently has the building under contract with the seller, Camp Hill-based CJ2 Group.

With Planning Commission and zoning board approvals, Harristown now must have its land use plan approved by Harrisburg City Council before it can begin the project.

Lastly, the zoning board tonight gave Downtown Daily Bread permission to open an emergency shelter over the winter. Starting Dec. 1, the facility on South Street, which operates as a soup kitchen and drop-in shelter, will take in as many as 30 men a night. The shelter will operate through March 31, opening at 7:30 p.m. and closing at 6 a.m.

October News Digest

October 31, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda and Lizzy Hardison

Eastern Deal Rejected

Harrisburg City Council last month voted 4-2 to reject a proposed lease agreement with Eastern University, a Christian college that wished to renovate and rent space in the city government center.

Council’s objection to the agreement, in which Eastern offered to spend $600,000 renovating city hall’s dilapidated basement, centered on the university’s religious affiliation and its requirement that its employees sign a doctrinal faith statement.

In remarks before the vote, Councilman Ben Allatt said he was deeply conflicted about the prospect of ceding public space to a private, religiously affiliated institution.

“The university would not hire someone like me,” said Allatt, who is gay. “I recognize they can do what they want, but they want to come into our city hall, which is a building of the people.”

Council previously pressed Eastern representatives on their commitment to the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance, which outlaws employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. Eastern embraced the non-discrimination policy in a letter to council.

In the same letter, however, Eastern affirmed its right to hire faculty who “fully embrace” the school’s religious mission. Members of council feared that exercising that right would translate into discrimination against LGBT applicants.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse lobbied in favor of Eastern during the meeting, saying that the deal would save the city “real, significant money” by paying for necessary renovations. After the vote, he blasted council’s decision and accused them of squandering a one-of-a-kind opportunity.

“We’re going to have to take taxpayer dollars and devote it to fixing a building instead of fixing a pothole or fixing a park,” Papenfuse said. “To me, it was a no-brainer to move forward in a partnership with Eastern.”

Green to Take Council Seat

Ausha Green will be Harrisburg’s next councilwoman, as City Council plans to appoint her to an open seat.

Council President Wanda Williams announced last month that council will name Green to the seven-member body, forgoing a competitive process that has marked recent council vacancies.

Williams said that council reached a consensus to appoint Green, who had served on the Harrisburg school board.

The seat became vacant after the resignation of former Councilwoman Destini Hodges, who left Harrisburg to take a job out of state.

Come January, Green would have assumed a council seat anyway, as she won the Democratic nomination for council in May, along with incumbents Wanda Williams, Shamaine Daniels and Ben Allatt. There is no Republican opposition for the four, four-year seats.

A two-year council seat also will be on the ballot this month following the resignation in August of former Councilman Jeffrey Baltimore. Councilman Dave Madsen, appointed a month ago by council, is running unopposed for that seat.

Bike Share Launched

A local nonprofit and community sponsors officially launched Harrisburg Bike Share last month, putting 55 communal bicycles on Harrisburg’s streets.

The program is modeled after bike share systems that have sprouted up in recent years in cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Paying members use a smart phone app or text messages to unlock a bicycle from a docking station and then ride and return it to any docking station in the city.

A $25 annual membership gives riders free access to bikes for periods shorter than two hours and then charges $2 for each hour after that. “Pay as You Go” members will be charged $2 for each hour they use a bike.

The program is spearheaded by Communities in Schools Pennsylvania (CIS), a dropout prevention organization, and sponsored by organizations including Highmark insurance and the Dauphin County commissioners. CIS outsources bike share management to Zagster, which operates more than 100 city bike shares across the country.

The bike share includes 11 docking stations in the city’s Uptown, Midtown and downtown neighborhoods and on City Island.

Riley hopes to add more docking locations in the future, but said that user trends will dictate how the program grows. Bike share sponsors will watch ridership data to see who is using the bicycles and for what purposes.

“We need to know if this will be a leisure [service] or if we have people who want to use these bikes to get to employment areas,” Riley said. “We need to see success to know where to expand.”

In conjunction with the launch, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that the city will establish two bike boulevards in the spring on low-speed, low-traffic streets. A boulevard on Aberdeen Street will connect the Capitol Complex and the Harrisburg Transportation Center, and another on North Street will extend from the Capitol to Riverfront Park.

The city will paint both roads with “sharrows,” road signs indicating a shared lane for cyclists and motorists. The signals do not designate the roads as bike-only lanes.

City Buys Sinkhole-Ravaged Homes

More than 3½ years after a sinkhole erupted on the 1400-block of S. 14th Street, Harrisburg has started to relieve homeowners of their worthless properties, though some residents say that they still have nowhere to move.

Harrisburg last month bought the first of 52 homes on the block, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said, adding that the city is on track to purchase all 52 affected properties by Dec. 31.

“It’s been a very complicated and drawn-out process,” he said.

Papenfuse reported that the purchasing program is the first of its kind in the nation, since sinkhole events are not usually covered by natural disaster relief dollars.

A few years ago, the situation along S. 14th Street seemed dire. However, the city was able to secure about $4.7 million in federal and state disaster relief funding to purchase all the homes at their pre-sinkhole market value.

Despite the announcement, some residents said that they weren’t prepared to move by year-end.

“I’m not ready to move,” said resident Ronald Cook. “We’ve got nowhere to go.”

Papenfuse and Jackie Parker, director of the city’s Department of Community Economic Development, said that the city has been in continual contact with S. 14th Street residents ever since the sinkhole opened in 2014.

Parker also said that the Dec. 31 closing deadline was negotiable, since each property sale is highly individualized. The grants funding the home purchases technically expire on Dec. 31, but Parker said that homeowners do have the opportunity to extend.

“Nobody has to move by any particular time,” Parker said. “Every property owner has a unique situation and unique closing opportunity and paperwork. No two are the same.”

Off-Leash Dogs at Issue

Citations for off-leash dogs are on the rise in Harrisburg, but some residents want the city to do more to enforce leash laws in the city.

As of last month, animal control officers working for the Harrisburg Police Bureau had cited 22 dog owners in 2017 for letting their animals run off-leash. That figure is up from 14 in 2016, 15 in 2015 and zero in 2014, according to data from the Harrisburg Police Bureau.

But many dog owners say that off-leash dogs remain a problem in certain neighborhoods of the city, particularly Italian Lake and the former William Penn High School. Dogs must be restrained on a leash in all public places, including parks, according to ordinance.

The issue surfaced at a City Council meeting last month. One resident said her service dog was attacked by unrestrained dogs at the State Hospital grounds in Susquehanna Township, where she started going to avoid off-leash dogs in Harrisburg.

“I don’t think this problem is being taken seriously,” she said, adding that an attack like the one her service dog suffered could ruin its training.

City Councilman Cornelius Johnson said that one possible solution is increased cooperation between animal enforcement officers and the city park rangers, who are responsible for patrolling Harrisburg’s 26 parks.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said that the city hopes to budget for another park ranger in 2018, bringing the total rank to three.

Park rangers cannot write tickets, but they make ticket referrals to the police or report stray dogs, Papenfuse said. Animal enforcement officers are also responsible for collecting stray animals and have picked up 78 this year.

Above all, Johnson said, communication is key. He asks residents to report off-leash dog violations when they see them.

“The best thing a resident can do when they come across an issue is call it in,” Johnson said on Thursday. “When we get calls, there’s accountability.”

New Business Administrator

Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced last month that Harrisburg has hired a new business administrator, concluding a two-year search to fill the grant-funded position.

Marc Woolley, an attorney who has worked as general counsel at the Hershey Trust and the Pennsylvania Housing Authority, will direct the city’s Department of Administration and help the mayor manage the city’s budget and finances.

One of Woolley’s major responsibilities will be helping the city determine its next steps in the Act 47 process, a state program for financially distressed municipalities.

His $115,000 salary is funded for three years by an Act 47 grant from the state.

Papenfuse said that he had been performing most of the duties of business administrator himself. He hopes that filling the position will allow him to focus more on strategic planning and community outreach.

More Apartments Downtown

More residences are slated for downtown Harrisburg, as Harristown Enterprises is eyeing another worn-out office building for redevelopment.

Harristown has under contract a vacant, 11,000-square-foot office building at N. 2nd and Cranberry streets currently owned by Camp Hill-based CJ2 Group, which has it on the market for $399,000. Harristown wants to convert the space to 12 one- and two-bedroom apartments, with additional first-floor retail.

Most of the building has long been empty, though a restaurant, Arepa City, occupied the ground-floor retail space until fairly recently.

“Upscale apartments in the downtown are in high demand,” said Brad Jones, president and CEO of Harristown. “We want to bring more exciting unique and desirable apartments to the market to grow the number of downtown residents and to support retail and restaurant activity along this corridor.”

Harristown now must shepherd its plan through Harrisburg’s land development process. To undertake the project, Harristown will need a variance from the city’s Zoning Hearing Board, as the building is not zoned for this use.

Several years ago, Harristown dipped its toe into office-to-residential projects by converting a part of Strawberry Square into apartments. Since then, it’s undertaken several other conversions along S. 3rd Street, adding a total of 60 new apartments downtown.

Harristown also recently began to raze a building on the first block of S. 2nd Street. It expects to build a new office building in that space, pending an anchor tenant.

Home Sales, Prices Up

Harrisburg-area home sales continued their recent upward trend, with both purchases and prices on the rise.

In September, sales increased 3.3 percent and the median price rose 3.2 percent from the year-ago period, according to the Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors.

In Dauphin County, 268 units sold versus 256 in September 2016, while the median price increased to $159,950 compared to $155,000. In Cumberland County, sales fell to 289 units from 314 a year ago, though the median price went up to $195,000 versus $179,250 in September 2016, GHAR said.

Perry County had 40 home sales, a decrease of 10 units. However, the median price rose to $166,450 versus $146,950 a year ago.

GHAR covers all of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties and parts of York, Lebanon and Juniata counties.

So Noted

Brittney Parker has been elected to the board of directors of the Commonwealth Foundation, a Harrisburg-based think tank. Parker is a manager of donor relations for the State Policy Network and, prior to that, served on the staff of the Commonwealth Foundation and the LIBRE Initiative.

Capitol Express Grille opened last month at the corner of N. 2nd and North streets in Harrisburg, offering a variety of sandwich and entrée options, with a focus on Middle Eastern dishes. The storefront last housed Aleco’s, which moved up the block to N. 3rd and Briggs streets.

Eight Oaks Craft Distillers began pouring samples last month in the Broad Street Market’s brick building. The stand sells products such as vodka, rum, gin, applejack and whiskey from the Lehigh County-based spirits company.

Changing Hands

Boas St., 209: V. Padilla to W. Lee, $116,500

Cameron Terr., 1513: Clover Court Investments LLC to M. Lewis, $43,000

Cumberland St., 1725: T. McGarrity to PA Double Dels LLC, $34,500

Emerald St., 218: H. Buda & N. Brown to K. Page, $90,000

Fillmore St., 620: L. Kent to C. Austin, $57,000

Green St., 1008: J. Peirson to J. Iole, $120,000

Green St., 1913: WCI Partners LP to B. & K. Cavanaugh, $129,900

Green St., 2026: A. Brett to Fratelli Property Investments LLC, $119,000

Green St., 2102: J. & N. Fodor to C. Watson, $39,900

Green St., 2104: B. & S. Woodard to 2104 Green Street HBG LLC, $44,000

Hamilton St., 226: J. Shoop to J. Rosado, $159,900

Herr St., 1507: Mussani & Co. LP to P. Akhter, $66,000

Lewis St., 237: M. Horgan & Innovative Devices Inc. to N. Reist, $135,000

Market St., 1918: JPM Property Holdings LLC to Round Rock Investments LLC, $70,000

N. 2^nd St., 909: R. & D. Miller to C. Simmons, $55,000

N. 2^nd St., 1009: Bricker Boys Partnership to J. Kok, $148,000

N. 2^nd St., 1509: Vortex Properties LLC to R. Joseph, $109,000

N. 2^nd St., 1616: D. McCord to M. Smith & D. Root, $190,000

N. 6^th St., 2352: E. Waters to E. Wright, $50,000

N. 15^th St., 1429: K. & R. Thames to J. Ewell & G. Jones, $41,900

N. 16^th St., 907: A. Graves to A. Pollard, $110,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 505: L. Bublin to G. & C. Francis, $177,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 608: R. Murray Jr. to W. Nugent, $182,500

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 609: N. Borreli to C. Yastishock, $161,500

N. Front St., 2301: J. & V. Zarkin to 2301 North Front Street LLC, $362,500

Penn St., 1524: A. Olives to J. Recordon, $122,500

Regina St., 1434 & 1438: M. Naranjo to J. Gutierrez, $30,000

Revere St., 1615: A. Navarro to S. Wolfe, $74,900

Showers St., 584: W. Jenkins to J. Chacko, $67,500

S. 13^th St., 914: D. & N. Martin to Archie Group LLC, $635,000

S. 16^th St., 434: T. Hong to N. Newman, $36,500

S. 17^th St., 1033: Mortgage Equity Conversion Asset Trust 2011-1 to D&F Realty Holdings LP, $40,900

S. 27^th St., 806: PA Deals LLC to M. Cole, $85,000

S. Cameron St., 830: Cameron Street Associates & Select Capital Corp. to Statewide Enterprises LLC, $100,000

S. River St., 309, 311, 318 & 326: Historical Society of Dauphin County to Allilin LLC, $130,000

State St., 231, Unit 402: LUX 1 LP to LUX Rentals LLC, $124,900

State St., 231, Unit 604: LUX 1 LP to LUX Rentals LLC, $154,900

Susquehanna St., 1712: J. Pittman to W. Sweet, $127,000

Swatara St., 2140: G. & J. Trump to Equity Trust Company, $43,000

Swatara St., 2324: SWM Properties LLC to W. & L. Smith, $125,000

Swatara St., 2413: PI Capital LLC to T. Cooper & R. Stern, $138,900

Tuscarora St., 117: W. Morgan & M. Ford to K. Yesilonis, $157,000

Vineyard Rd., 218: S. & J. Clark to J. Pittman & T. Dierolf, $195,000

Wayne St., 1720: M. Kurtz to Round Rock Investments LLC, $34,000

Harrisburg property sales for September 2017, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

Downtown Digs: Another residential conversion planned in Harrisburg.

October 17, 2017 | by Lawrance Binda

Harristown Enterprises has this downtown building under contract with plans to turn it into an apartment building.

More residential space is slated for downtown Harrisburg, as Harristown Enterprises is eyeing another worn-out office building for redevelopment.

Most of the building has long been empty, though a restaurant, Arepa City, occupied the ground-floor retail space until fairly recently.

Several years ago, Harristown dipped its toe into office-to-residential projects by converting a part of Strawberry Square into apartments. Since then, it’s undertaken several other conversions along S. 3^rd Street, adding a total of 60 new apartments downtown.

Harristown also recently began to raze a building on the first block of S. 2nd Street. It expects to build a new office building in that space, pending an anchor tenant.

October News Digest

October 30, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Funding Dispute Hits SAM

A battle over state funds has pitted a bank against a local construction firm and put in question the future of the newly opened Susquehanna Art Museum.

Last month, the Dauphin County Industrial Development Authority asked the Commonwealth Court to intervene in a dispute between the Harrisburg-based JEM Group and Fulton Bank, which both are laying claim to $1.2 million of a state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant.

JEM, the project’s general contractor, states that it is owed the money as part of its construction fee and cannot pay its subcontractors without it. Fulton put a claim on the money after SAM failed in March to repay half of a $3 million loan.

At press time, negotiations between the parties had opened, but no resolution had been reached.

SAM opened its new, 20,000-square-foot facility in Midtown Harrisburg last January to great fanfare. However, museum officials since have said they have not been able to meet ambitious fundraising goals.

Leaf Collection Changed

Harrisburg is changing its leaf-collecting procedure this year, asking residents to use compostable paper bags for leaf collecting and disposal.

Moreover, the city is urging residents not to rake leaves into the street, which has been a common practice for many years.

“We are asking Harrisburg residents to cooperate with our Public Works employees this fall to help the city efficiently manage leaf collections,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “We strongly encourage residents not to blow leaves into the street, but to put them in brown paper bags that workers can take to the Swatara Township composting site.”

The administration said that the city has a “limited number” of large brown bags available to residents for free. They can be picked up at the Public Works Center at 1820 Paxton St. during regular work hours from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Otherwise, residents will need to buy the bags, which can be purchased at many stores, including hardware and home improvement stores.

After collecting the leaves, residents should leave the bags on curbs for collection during street cleaning days. Plastic bags will be not accepted.

Bridge Rehab Work Approved

The Harrisburg City Council last month agreed to enter into an agreement with a civil engineering company to provide pre-construction services for two city bridges.

Council unanimously agreed to hire Herbert, Rowland & Grubic at a cost not to exceed $77,700 for design, engineering, permitting and other services for the bridge that carries Market Street over Paxton Creek and the bridge that carries Sycamore Street over the railroad tracks.

According to the city, inspections have revealed “deteriorating conditions” on both bridges.

City Engineer Wayne Martin said that the administration had not yet agreed on a funding source for the actual construction work, but may use a portion of the state liquid fuels tax, which is provided to municipalities for roadway maintenance and construction.

PHFA Expansion Weighed

The Harrisburg City Council last month began consideration of a proposal to add about 35,800 square feet of office space to the riverfront headquarters of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA).

PHFA’s plan includes construction of a 120-foot tall office tower in a surface parking lot at the rear of the agency’s current, eight-story building at 211 N. Front St.

The project also would raze a mid-20^th century addition to the historic Hickok Mansion, located at the corner of Locust and Front streets and also owned by PHFA.

The plan previously had been approved by both the city Planning Commission and the Zoning Hearing Board.

PHFA has been trying to expand its decade-old headquarters for the past several years.

To do so, it first proposed razing the Hickok Mansion, and, after that met with public opposition, proposed knocking down two 19^th-century houses on Locust Street. The final plan preserves both the original mansion and the two houses.

Donor Names Sought

An attorney in a legal battle with Harrisburg over its gun laws plans to appeal a ruling in the city’s favor over the privacy of donors to a legal defense fund, according to court filings.

Joshua Prince, of the Berks County-based Prince Law Offices, requested court transcripts for an appeal after Dauphin County Judge Andrew Dowling ruled the donors’ names could be kept private.

Prince is representing a gun-rights membership organization in a separate lawsuit against Harrisburg over its firearms ordinances. He sought documents, including donors’ names and addresses, in an open records request last February.

The city provided a list with the names and addresses redacted. Prince appealed to the state open records office, which ordered the city to release the full record.
Dowling, however, agreed with the city on appeal that the identity of donors is exempt under state open records law. He also sided with the city in finding it had provided records sufficient to meet other parts of Prince’s request.

Harrisburg set up its legal defense fund earlier this year after two groups sued the city over its ordinances regulating the use and ownership of firearms.

So Noted

Char’s Tracy Mansion is up for sale as owner Char Magaro last month announced her intention to retire and sell her Front Street restaurant. Magaro said that she had hired Lancaster-based Strategic Endeavors to manage the sale of the fine-dining restaurant, which she opened about three years ago after closing her original bistro in Shipoke. Magaro said she wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren and in her role as vice chair of the environmental group, Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future.

Mulligan’s Pub has a new name and look after a redesign of the downtown Harrisburg bar. The interior of the renamed Mulligan’s Café and Courtyard has been divided in two, with the front area dominated by a large bar and the back area featuring an interior courtyard, which primarily serves as a restaurant. Mulligan’s, located at 17 N. 2^nd St., is one of four Harrisburg establishments owned by Kamionka Entertainment Group.

Danielle Bowers has been named to the Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board. The City Council last month unanimously made the appointment, with a term that expires in July 2018. Bowers is a research analyst for the Tourism and Recreational Development Committee of the state House of Representatives and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Penn State.

Changing Hands

Adrian St., 2433: Harrisburg Rentals LLC to C. Austin, $64,000

Calder St., 102: C. McCormack to K. Goodling & K. Shepherd, $149,900

Croyden Rd., 2871: J. Staniszewski to G. Dennis & S. Campbell, $60,000

Derry St., 2060: KSAG LLC to S. & M. Mejia, $140,000

Duke St., 2610: Residential Mortgage Loan Trust 2013 TT2 to M. & M. Kaif, $67,500

Graham St., 610: W. Taylor & S. London to Cment Enterprises LLC, $33,000

Green St., 802: K. Sheets to P. Rosen, $199,900

Green St., 1525: Mid Penn Bank to C. & S. Bikle, $35,000

Green St., 1704: L. Stevens to B. & C. Hansen, $199,900

Green St., 2006: Becodi Associates to B. Colucci, $129,900

Green St., 2915: J. & S. Kelly to K. Manderino, $211,000

Green St., 2932: J.A. Hartzler to B. & A. Smith, $330,900

Herr St., 403: S. Hankins to C. Kotlarski, $104,900

Herr St., 850 & 900: Acquired Capital I LP to Cameron Street Investments, $281,000

Kensington St., 2232: Harrisburg Rentals LLC to C. Austin, $62,000

Market St., 1849: Acquired Capital I LP to Nish Properties LLC, $40,000

Market St., 1927: J. Santiago to K. & E. High, $88,000

Midland Rd., 2408: H. McFarland to J. Jaxheimer, $40,000

N. 2^nd St., 306: G. Dobrinoff to NJR Group LLC, $120,000

N. 2^nd St., 1509: Flores Prado Real Estate Inc. to J. Tang, $42,000

N. 2^nd St., 1517: W. Oliver to N. Shamatutu & K. Kelly, $203,550

N. 2^nd St., 1605: NR Group LLC to T. Wylie, $269,000

N. 2^nd St., 2531: M. & H. Hope to S. Mirza & F. Jabari, $60,000

N. 3^rd St., 916, 918, 920 & 922: EFA Co. LLC & Mosaica Education to Third Street Partners LLC, $900,000

N. 3^rd St., 1312: 1312 North 3^rd Street LLC to Qui Zhen LLC, $250,000

N. 3^rd St., 3215: R. & P. Alexander to L. Grandstaff II, $169,900

N. 4^th St., 1619: GWD Capitol Heights LP to C. Hippensteel, $104,900

N. 4^th St., 1701: J. & B. Sadlier to R. Steinmetz III, $115,000

N. 4^th St., 2709: B. Siddons to T. Landis, $103,000

N. 7^th St., 1943, 1945 & 1947: P. Dobson to Shentel Communications LLC, $65,250

N. 7^th St., 2926 & 2940: Casim Inc. to Seventh Street Real Estate Holdings LLC, $224,000

Peffer St., 264: M. Linksie to J. Stimple, $105,000

Pennwood Rd., 3203: PA Deals LLC to Heller Investments LLC, $106,000

Radnor St., 127: E. Poling to A. Mentzer & S. Jones, $229,500

Shellis St., 2102: A. Bos to T. Thanasakrungruang, $53,250

S. 12^th St., 1517: Joy Ark Builders Inc. to A. Early, $51,000

S. 13^th St., 216 & 228: B. Santago to Keystone Community Development Corp., $35,000

S. 15^th St., 226, 228, 232, 234 & 1430, 1436, 1438, 1440, 1442, 1444 Derry St.: T. Koutsokostas to Willow LLC, $120,000

S. 18^th St., 1218: S. & M. Mavric to J. Johnson, $99,999

S. 20^th St., 1226: R. & G. MacWhinnie to W. & M. Branche, $132,000

S. 26^th St., 601: M. Brown & S. Anderson to D. Aye, $74,000

S. 26^th St., 605: US Bank NA Trustee to L. Mosley, $38,000

S. Cameron St., 1119: Statewide Enterprises LLC to Paradise Pizzeria & Coffee Shop LLC, $575,000

S. Front St., 317: M. Homa to A. & K. Thornton, $119,000

S. Front St., 587: D. & W. Weigle to M. Robert, $114,000

Susquehanna St., 1703: S. Everett to R. Taylor, $103,000

Valley Rd., 205: C. Best to K. Stewart, $155,000

Vernon St., 1413: E. & A. Castillo to T. Sweet, $75,000

Walnut St., 407-409: J. & C. Bowen to M. Kurnig, $225,000

Harrisburg property sales for September 2015, greater than $30,000. Source: Dauphin County. Data is assumed to be accurate.

May News Digest

June 1, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

Mayor’s Slate Victorious in Council Primary

Three candidates endorsed by Mayor Eric Papenfuse won nominations last month for four-year terms on Harrisburg City Council.

Incumbent Jeffrey Baltimore and challengers Cornelius Johnson and Westburn Majors emerged victorious in the Democratic primary for three council seats. Challenger Destini Hodges tallied the most votes for the lone two-year seat.

No Republicans ran in the primary, meaning the winners of the Democratic primary will be strongly favored in November’s general election.

Moreover, Papenfuse vocally denounced incumbent Brad Koplinski, pleading with residents to vote against him. Koplinski placed fourth, losing to Majors by just 18 votes for the nomination for the final four-year seat.

“This is a big night for Harrisburg, absolutely phenomenal,” said Papenfuse after the final votes were reported. “I’m elated that we’re finally going to get new leadership to move the city forward.”

Primary results were as follows: Johnson, 1,474; Baltimore, 1,429; Majors, 1,257; Koplinski, 1239; Ellis “Rick” Roy, 1,048; Rhonda Mays, 760; Jeremiah Chamberlin, 719; Ron Chapel, 332; Koscina Lowe, 226.

In the race for city treasurer, Tyrell Spradley defeated challenger Brian Ostella by a count of 1,279 to 1,221. Council appointed Spradley last year to fill the unexpired term of former city Treasurer John Campbell, who was arrested on theft charges.

For Harrisburg school board, Jennifer Smallwood, Monica Blackston-Bailey, Matthew Krupp and Melvin Wilson Jr. won nominations for four-year seats. At press time, Daunessy Penn and Lionel Gonzalez were tied for the final four-year slot, each with 1,159 votes. Judd Pittman defeated LaTasha Frye for the nomination for the sole two-year seat.

Tax Abatement Plan Passed

Harrisburg City Council last month narrowly approved a 10-year tax abatement ordinance that many had considered dead.

By a 4-3 vote, council members passed a plan that would provide full tax abatement on residential property improvements and new construction in Harrisburg for 10 years.

“For the first time ever, we have 100-percent tax abatement,” said Mayor Eric Papenfuse. “Before, there wasn’t enough of an abatement (to promote development). This is a stronger, more powerful LERTA.”

Council twice before had failed to pass the administration’s plan for the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) program.

Councilman Brad Koplinski last month introduced his own LERTA plan, a program that would have diminished the tax abatement by 10 percent a year over 10 years. However, a council majority opted instead to re-introduce and pass the administration’s plan, along with certain responsible contracting provisions.
“I was totally shocked,” said Papenfuse. “I didn’t see this coming, but it’s great for the city of Harrisburg.”

The LERTA ordinance now must be approved by Dauphin County and the city school board, which are the other entities in Harrisburg that tax property.
Veno Announces Departure

Gene Veno, the state’s chief recovery officer for the Harrisburg school district, said he would step down at the end of June.

In December 2012, Veno was appointed to help revive the struggling, debt-ridden district. Several months later, he presented a five-year plan that he hoped would lead to a financial and academic revival.

Since then, the district has been in financial surplus, due to a combination of tax increases, school closures, staff layoffs and the discovery of millions of dollars that had been kept off the books. Academically, however, the district’s performance has deteriorated further.

Veno said he was departing to focus more on his consulting and lobbying firm, Gene Veno and Associates.

Last year, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse asked the state to remove Veno, claiming he was too focused on financial, not academic, improvement.

As of press time, the state Department of Education had not announced a replacement for Veno.

Comprehensive Plan Team Named

Harrisburg last month awarded a contract to a consulting team for the first update in more than 40 years to its comprehensive plan, a document that will guide development across the city for the next two decades.

The $200,000 contract went to a team led by Bret Peters of the Harrisburg-based Office for Planning and Architecture and that includes designers, planners and engineers from both local and global firms.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse and city planner Geoffrey Knight said the update was long overdue and would help speed the city’s recovery.

Papenfuse described the plan as “the vision of the residents and the business owners and the stakeholders and everyone who has a stake in Harrisburg and its future development.”

The mayor added that he expects the plan to be ready for formal approval in April 2016 and that it will probably result in a revision of the city’s zoning code.

Knight said the plan, when finished, would overhaul an existing comprehensive plan dating back to 1974.

“So we’re in arrears by about 20 years with updating and adopting a new one,” he said.

Moose Lodge Conversion OK’d

The landmark Moose Lodge Temple in Midtown Harrisburg took a step closer to revival and reoccupation last month, as the city’s Zoning Hearing Board approved a plan to renovate it as mixed-use space.

The board unanimously granted a variance to WCI Partners LP for 33 apartments on three upper floors with commercial space on the ground floor. WCI needed the variance because the size of the apartment units, about 500 square feet apiece, is less than the 1,200-square-foot size permitted under the zoning code for the 900-block of N. 3rd Street.

WCI President David Butcher assured the board that the apartments, while small, would have high-end finishes that would appeal to young professionals. He estimated that the units would rent for around $1,000 per month.

WCI is purchasing the four-story building at the corner of N. 3rd and Boas streets for $900,000 from Atlanta-based Mosaica Education, a for-profit charter school company that is in receivership.

The purchase includes several adjacent parcels of land—three dilapidated townhouses and a 40-vehicle parking lot. Butcher said that WCI also plans to renovate the townhouses into apartments and retail space and would landscape the area around the parking lot to make it more attractive.

Harrisburg City Council now must approve WCI’s land use plan. If all goes smoothly, the project should start by the end of summer with completion expected in 12 to 18 months, said Butcher.

For five years, the former Moose Lodge housed the Ronald Brown Charter School. However, the building has been empty since 2005, when the school district’s board of control refused to reauthorize the school’s charter.

The Harrisburg Moose Lodge Temple was built in 1924, designed in the Beaux Arts style by renowned Harrisburg architect Clayton J. Lappley.

Disclosure: Alex Hartzler, publisher of TheBurg, is a principal with WCI Partners.

Changing Hands

Benton St., 634: 8219 Ventures LLC to S. Jawhar, $32,000

Briarcliff Rd., 135: J. & J. Lawrence to A. Sawyer, $215,000

Briggs St., 207: PA Deals LLC to S. & K. Plummer, $90,000

Brookwood St., 2424: G. & M. Tipton to R. Patterson, $70,000

Capital St., 911: K. Dolphin to B. & A. Lentz, $171,000

Chestnut St., 1925: J. Harbilas to J. Munoz Tineo, $45,000

Cumberland St., 1322: D. & D. Oswandel to E. Brinkman, $109,900

Cumberland St., 1416: T. Lewis to Full Harvest Ministries, $80,000

Division St., 609: D. Miller to G. Barone & L. Ambrosino, $90,000

Edgewood Rd., 2309: W. & N. Robinson to M. Cool & J. Smith, $162,000

Emerald St., 405: P. Dobson to G. Venable, $40,000

Fulton St., 1710: Cartus Financial Corp. to W. Fletcher & K. Cropper, $97,872

Green St., 1819: K. Livingston to N. Fickes, $105,000

Green St., 3212: R. Darr to E. Griffin, $55,000

Hale Ave., 426: M. & J. Williams to Gandy Real Estate LLC, $40,000

Kelker St., 500: Hamilton Health Center to Ministerio Nuevo Renacer, $65,000

Logan St., 2446: PA Deals LLC to M. & J. Sather, $104,300

Melrose St., 1029: S. & J. Wydra to W. Hocker, $35,000

North St., 244: E&S Properties LLC to K. Bryner, $161,000

North St., 1719: G. & M. Ramsey to K. Siddal & D. Cook, $35,000

N. 2^nd St., 515: M. & B. Habib to Candlelight Properties LLC, $625,000

N. 15^th St., 1617: Ajaz Uddin Inc. to T. Sweet, $35,000

N. 16^th St., 911: E. & J. High to M. McManus, $82,500

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 404: R. & R. Fried to J. Kelley, $210,000

N. Front St., 1525, Unit 613: J. Wirick to Pact Enterprises LLC, $108,000

Peffer St., 220: R. Scarabello to G. Cudaback & S. Cox, $190,000

Rudy Rd., 1944: V. Kelly to V. & S. Reyes, $66,900

Showers St., 616: J. Forr to S. Clearfield, $112,000

S. 13^th St, 1530: M. Watson to W. Okello, $58,000

S. 19^th St., 1340: PA Deals LLC to S. Orr, $81,000

S. Front St., 623: D. Sullivan et al to G. Schwab, $117,500

State St., 231, Unit 401: LUX 1 LP to S. Sehar, $164,900

Susquehanna St., 1724: Fannie Mae to B. & E. Burchfield, $35,000

Swatara St., 2101: T. Sweet to R. Gonzalez, $55,000

Swatara St., 2224: H. Romanovicz & W. Shade to L. Ho, $105,000

Wyeth St., 1412: J. Cruz to PA Deals LLC, $82,000

Harrisburg Zoning Board Approves Moose Lodge Conversion

May 19, 2015 | by Lawrance Binda

WCI Partners may be interested in converting the historic Moose Lodge into a mixed use project.

The historic Moose Lodge in Midtown Harrisburg

The landmark Moose Lodge Temple in Midtown Harrisburg took a step closer to revival and reoccupation tonight, as the city’s Zoning Hearing Board approved a plan to renovate it as mixed-use space.

WCI President David Butcher told the board that the apartment sizes needed to be small due to beams that run vertically through the building, limiting design options. He also said the project would not be economically feasible without the apartment density.

Board members seemed skeptical that WCI could not create a floor plan to accommodate larger units. However, they voted in favor of the variance largely because they want to see the building redeveloped, as it has sat empty and increasingly blighted for a decade.

“This case is a case that must recognize the reality of the facts in this neighborhood,” said board member Thomas Leonard. “The reality is that this property has been vacant for 10 years.”

Leonard also cited a lack of community opposition. Several community organizations in Midtown submitted letters supporting the project, and David Morrison, the interim executive director of Historic Harrisburg Association, spoke in favor of it before the board.

Butcher assured the board that the apartments, while small, would have high-end finishes that would appeal to young professionals. He estimated that the units would rent for around $1,000 per month.

WCI is purchasing the four-story building at the corner of N. 3^rd and Boas streets for $900,000 from Atlanta-based Mosaica Education, a for-profit charter school company that is in receivership.

Harrisburg City Council now must approve WCI’s land use plan. If all goes smoothly, the project should start by the end of summer with completion expected in 12 to 18 months, said Butcher.

The Harrisburg Moose Lodge Temple was built in 1924, designed in the Beaux Arts style by renowned Harrisburg architect Clayton J. Lappley.

Disclosure: Alex Hartzler, publisher of TheBurg, is a principal with WCI Partners.

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