Karns Quality Blog

This page is a list of all proposed Harrisburg development projects.  Projects on this list have been publicly announced but have not yet been completed.  The focus is on commercial projects located within the City of Harrisburg, but some public works projects, large-scale residential projects, or projects very near harrisburg may be included if significantin their impact on the city.  If I have missed any, please leave a comment, with a link to a reference if possible.

This project was begun in May of 2008.  Effort has been taken to include information about projects announced prior to this date.  Moving forward, project information will be more comprehensive.  I have no interest in including projects that were completed prior to May 2008.

HACC Community Center for Technology and the Arts at 1500 N. Fourth Street

HACC’s building is undergoing major renovations as part of the development of its Midtown campus. (City of Harrisburg May 23, 2008)

Midtown Urban Meadows

Mayor Reed and officials from HACC, and Powers & Associates, LLC announced that work has now begun on the new Urban Meadows greenspace, a block-long urban parkway connecting the new HACC Midtown Center with other midtown points. The new park area is located along the former Boyd Street area between the 1500 blocks of N. Third and N. Fourth Streets, just north of Reily Street. Boyd Street has been vacated by the City for the project.  This project is expected to be completed Summer 2008. (Central Penn Business Journal May 23, 2008)

3003 North Front Street Building

An acre has been cleared for the construction of a three-story $6 million office building.  Construction was set to begin in early 2008. The building will be elevated to prevent flooding.  (Central Penn Business Journal December 14, 2007)  The structure will include two-stories of office space along with first floor parking for up to 72 cars. Construction of the $4.2 million, 36,000 square is expected to begin Summer 2008. (The Patriot News May 19, 2008)

Vartan building at Sixth and Reily

A 100,000 square foot building is announced by Mayor Reed and Steve Vartan.  The building will be five stories in height and cost $13 million.  It will contain offices, retail, and residential.  Construction is set to begin in November 2008. (The Patriot News May 15, 2008)  The developer hopes to construct the building to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. (Central Penn Business Journal May 14, 2008)

Harrisburg University building at 326 Market St.

Construction is under way for the new Harrisburg University building.  The building’s full height of 16 stories has been reached.  When complete, it will include 371,000-square-feet of floor space and will cost $73 million.  (Harrisburg University)  The building is on schedule to be completed in November 2008, and the University plans to occupy it beginning in December 2008. (The Patriot News May 15, 2008)

Olde Uptown Residential Project at 1800, 1900 and 2000 blocks of Green, Penn and Susquehanna Streets

WCI Partners and Green Street Properties had a ribbon cutting event for their $10 million housing redevelopment project.  At that time, 25 of the nearly 100 homes being remodeled or built in the in the project area had been sold.  Prices were between the low $100,000s for renovations and the low $200,000s for new houses. (The Patriot News May 9, 2008)

Aloft Hotel at Second and State Streets

Hersha Development Corp. is leading the project with WCI Partners.  The companies are finalizing construction contracts and locking in prices in advance of a projected ground-breaking in late 2008. (The Patriot News May 9, 2008)  According to the Starwood Hotels website (the parent company of Aloft) the hotel is scheduled to open October 1, 2009. (Starwood Hotels)

Corridor One

$11.5 million in funding has been approved by the senate for Corridor One in the 2008 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill.  When Corridor One is complete its construction cost will be $29 million.  Officials hope Corridor One will be complete by October 2009, but they are waiting to hear if Pennsylvania will fund operation of the rail line from year to year.  (Press and Journal October 10, 2007)  A regional rail system was initially proposed to connect Lancaster and Harrisburg in 1993.  Since then the project has slowly moved through the planning stages and met signifcent opposition along the way.  It was presumed dead in 2005 when Cumberland County commissioners rejected a proposal to connect the line into the West Shore.  The recent increases in transportation costs, however, have ressurected interest in the project.  Corridor One representatives have made a presentation the th Mecahnicsburg borough council seeking a resolution to Governor Rendell in favor of the project.  (The Sentinal May 7, 2008)

210 North Second St.

An 18 story, $35 million office tower complex has been proposed for the current site of Sawyer’s Cantina. (210nsecond.com)  The building is expected to be completed in 2010. (City of Harrisburg December 4, 2007)

Campus Square Building at Third and Reily Streets

Powers & Associates LLC plan to build a 70,000-square-foot building with retail on the first floor and about 48,000 square feet of office space in the upper floors.  The Midtown Cinema, currently located across the street on Reily plans to move into the building when completed.  The current site of the Midtown Cinema will be torn down to be used as a temporary parking lot until a parking garage is built.  Powers plans to start construction in the Summer of 2008 with a 14 month timeline to completion.  The project is estimated to cost $12 million with $1.75 million coming from a state loan. (The Patriot News April 25, 2008)

1600 Block of North Sixth Street

The Vartan Group has had plans approved for 34,400-square-foot building with retail and office space at 1640 N. Sixth St. and for a sister building at 1620 N. Sixth St.  Additionally, discussions have begun for a a 125,000-square-foot building at 1633 N. Sixth St. (The Patriot News April 22, 2008) 

Allison Hill Zero Energy Home at 340 S. 16th St.

Tri-County Housing Development Corp. broke ground on a “zero energy” home Allison Hill.  The home will achieve its energy efficiency through the use of recycled building materials, radiant heat recovery, solar panels, recaptured rain water and Energy Star appliances.  With no gas or electric consumption, the home is expected to save its future owners more than $4,000 annually.  It is to serve as a model in a development project that could see as many as 25 homes built in the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Swatara Street and the 300 block of South 16th Street.  The $5 million development will be known as Mount Pleasant Homes. (The Patriot News April 19, 2008)

Barto Building at Third and State Streets

On January 8, 2008, developer Jules Patt announced a plan to renovate the 103-year-old Barto Building into a boutique hotel.  The 78,000-square foot structure will feature 88 luxury rooms, meeting space, a rooftop restaurant and lounge, boutique-style stores and four-star service. (Central Penn Business Journal January 19, 2007)  The developer had originally planned to open the hotel by the end of 2008; however it is now sceduled to be completed in 2009.  Nearly completed design and floor plans have been presented to the Mayor. (Central Penn Business Journal February 22, 2008) 

Midtown Student Housing Project

Mayor Reed announced that the City of Harrisburg has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the development of up to 350 units of student housing in Midtown.  The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Harrisburg has assembled 3.0 acres of land in Harrisburg’s Historic Midtown for new infill construction.   The land area consists of most of the northern side of the 400 block of Reily Street and most of N. 6th Street between Reily and Harris Streets.  All proposals were due by 3:00 p.m. on March 24, 2008. (City of Harrisburg December 28, 2007)

Furlow Building

Mayor Reed announced that the City of Harrisburg has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase and rehabilitation of the historic Furlow Building located at 1218-1224 N. 3rd Street. It can be used for retail, office or residential purposes or a mix of these uses. (City of Harrisburg November 27, 2007)

Midtown Arts Center at 1110 North 3rd Street

Renovation has begun on the former PAL (Police Athletic League) Building, which is to be converted into the new Midtown Arts Center.  Total project costs are estimated at $1.25 million and as many as 25 employees will be hired as staff for the facility’s multiple operations. (City of Harrisburg)

Capital View Commerce Center at Cameron and Herr Streets

An office building is currently under construction.  It will be over 100,000-square-feet in size, plus a 98,000-square-foot printing press. (http://www.capitolviewcommerce.com/)  As of May 8, 2008, work has ceased on this project, despite significent progress already finished on the building.  The developer had failed to pay several of the contracotrs. (The Patriot News June 4, 2008)

National Sports Hall of Fame on City Island

A five story building has been proposed for the south end of City Island.  The building will hold a National Sports Hall of Fame and three floors of office space.  Expected completion is July or August 2009. (National Sports Hall of Fame)

Tracy Mansion Complex at 1829 North Front Street

A proposal has been announced for a $22 million condominium, office, restaurant and parking complex at the site of the historic Tracy Mansion.  It will be seven stories and include 37 units. (Central Penn Business Journal May 25, 2007)  Groundbreaking was announced to occur as early as the fall of 2007 with an estimated construction time of 16 months. (City of Harrisburg May 9, 2007)

Market Street Lofts at 1000 Market Street

Plans have been announced to convert this building into residential lofts with an open floor plan.  (Central Penn Business Journal February 2, 2007)

Comfort Inn Upgrade

The Comfort Inn in Shipoke is undergoing a $2.5 million renovation. (City of Harrisburg)  There are pland to add a second restaurant to the complex which will serve American and Indo-Fusion cuisine. The new restaurant is slated to open in the Spring of 2008. (City of Harrisburg October 29, 2007)

Staybridge Suites Hotel on Wildwood Drive

An $11 million Staybridge Suites Hotel has been proposed for Wildwood Drive. (City of Harrisburg)  The 125-unit, 5-story Staybridge Suites hotel will be a 4-star, extended-stay resort.  The anticipated completion date for the project is March 2009. (City of Harrisburg November 20, 2007)

Capital Area Greenbelt Project

Construction of a ten-foot bituminous path running parallel with Industrial Road has begun.  The path will span from HACC’s Public Safety Drive to the entrance of Wildwood Park. The project will cost $267,000.  (City of Harrisburg)

Bishop McDevitt High School

Bishop McDevitt High School has announced plans to build and relocate to a new school in Lower Paxton Township.  (Harrisburg Diocese)

Corridor Two

Modern Transit Partnership is moving forward with feasibility study for Corridor Two which would connect Lebanon, Hershey, and Harrisburg by commuter rail line. (Press and Journal October 10, 2007)

Federal Courthouse

Ugh.  Too Much to tell.

Northern Gateway Project

A plan has been proposed to widen North Seventh Street to four lanes from Maclay Street to Herr Street.  This is to become the primary artery to downtown when travelling from the North.  Additional development has been proposed along Sixth and Seventh Streets.  (Central Penn Business Journal December 15, 2006)  For this page, the Northern Gateway project refers to the road improvements exclusively.  Additional development projects are listed separately.

Southern Gateway Project