More than a dozen projects in Lancaster County are poised to receive tens of millions of dollars in grants as the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget begins to finalize the recipients of the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).
So far, a total of 19 projects in 12 different municipalities in the county have received $59.7 million of a requested $97.5 million since the grants were announced in late October.
The RACP is a reimbursement grant program providing financial assistance for the acquisition and construction of “regional economic, cultural, civic and historical improvement projects,” according to its website. The minimum project cost is $1 million, and the program requires the project owner to match funding equal to or greater than the grant amount.
Two different projects slated for Warwick Township have already received funding through the program.
Compass Mill Complex LLC, located at 813-819 Rothsville Rd. in Warwick Township, received a $3 million grant to go towards a $6.1 million second-phase restoration project at the complex just east of Lititz. The project includes four different components, including: the restoration of the historic 1776 Compass Mill with a new addition; the renovation of a neighboring building on the property; the purchase of an adjacent property, and required site work and highway improvements.
The historic stone mill is currently gutted and its stone walls stabilized with cables so they don’t collapse. According to historical records, Compass Mill was built by the Moravian Brethren in 1776 after a previous log mill burned in a fire and was named for its layout oriented to the cardinal points of a compass.
The design phase is scheduled to begin later this month, and construction is projected to begin in May 2023 and a completion date by 2024. The budget includes $3.4 million for building construction, $1.45 million for site work and highway improvements, $1.2 million for land purchases, and $75,000 for professional fees.
Compass Mill is owned by Compass Mill LLC, whose president is Mark R. Will. The property sits adjacent to The Artisan Mill Co., a vendor marketplace and complex that opened in 2020 and includes the Compass Mill Tap House, a tap room and brewery that opened in March. Compass Mill also received a $1.5 million grant through RACP in 2020.
A second project slated for Warwick Township is the National East Coast Wrestling Hall of Fame – Lancaster proposed by the Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority. The $14.5 million project, which is designated to be located at a location along Newport Road, received a $5 million grant of $7.25 million requested.
The National East Coast Wrestling Hall of Fame calls for constructing a 36,000-square-foot 3-story building on 5 acres of land. The first floor includes 12,100 square feet of exhibition area with an entrance lobby, gift shop and restrooms, a second floor with locker rooms, four wrestling mats and spectator areas and a third floor with offices, conference rooms and some exhibit areas. A roof deck is also included.
According to a study conducted by the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, the venue is projected to create 25 new jobs at the facility with 15 full-time and 10 part-time positions. The project is also estimated to add 29 additional jobs in the broader Lancaster County region, generating a projected $2 million lift to the local GDP with more than 50,000 annual visitors and close to $1.5 million in labor income.
“This project fits with the already booming tourism industry of Lancaster County and the surrounding region, as the facility is expected to host conferences, banquets, educational and leadership training courses, and other special events, in addition to the aspects of being a hall of fame and museum,” the application states.
The intent is to start construction by June 2024 and have the project completed by 2025, a year before the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum’s 50th anniversary.
Warwick Township Manager Brian Harris said Monday that an exact location for the building has not yet been selected and could ultimately be located in a different municipality in Lancaster County.
By far the largest grant awarded so far in Lancaster County was given to High Properties for the Greenfield North Site development project in East Lampeter Township. The $30.5 million project received an $11 million grant of $15 million requested.
The RACP funds will be used for the sitework portion of the Greenfield North development, including demolition of existing structures, erosion and sedimentation controls, earthwork, landscaping and electric service.
The application states the development project will lead to the creation of 2,676 direct and indirect jobs, generating $162 million in new annual wages and benefits and $5.95 million in total state and local tax revenues.
“Development of the remaining Greenfield North parcels, a total of 115 acres, will provide much needed multi-family and industrial development for the community, all allowable uses promoted under the zoning district and applicable planning documents,” the application states.
The other 16 Lancaster County projects receiving RACP grants include:
- Borough of Mount Joy Municipal Services Complex; $3 million of $4.8 million requested; the project includes the construction of a facility on borough-owned property for the police department and borough administration.
- Brookside Development in East Hempfield Township; 2701 State Road LLC; $2.5 million; the project includes site preparation for a mixed-use development along State Road with residential units and commercial spaces for a professional medical office space, convenience store and a restaurant.
- City of Lancaster Operations Facilities Expansion; Lancaster Township; $3 million of $4 million requested; the project includes land purchase, land preparation and facilities construction for an expanded operations center. The construction will include a salt shed, equipment storage facilities, garage space, a recycled goods drop-off and storage facility and a weatherized and organized archives storage area.
- College Avenue Redevelopment – Lancaster; College Avenue Property Holdings LLC; Lancaster City; $1.5 million of $5 million requested; the College Avenue Redevelopment Project consists of the mixed-use of the College Avenue site, allowing for the redevelopment and reuse of a former hospital building.
- Conewago Flood Control and Distribution Center; TCH Realty and Development Co. LLC; West Donegal Township; $8 million of $10 million requested; the project plan calls for creating an engineered, regulated regional detention pond eliminating the existing regional flooding conditions as part of a redevelopment of the property for industrial use.
- Creating Space for the PA Program and Health Related Majors at Elizabethtown College; Elizabethtown Borough; $1.375 million; the project includes renovating the anatomy classroom and cadaver lab on campus by converting 672 square feet of corridor and research offices leading to total space renovation of 3,667 square feet.
- Church World Service Lancaster at St. James Episcopal Church warehouse redevelopment; Lancaster City; $1 million of $2.427 million requested; the project calls for renovations and additions to an existing warehouse building in the 100 block of East Marion Street. The building will be the new home for CWS Lancaster.
- Direct Wire & Cable Inc. expansion; Denver Borough; $1 million of $3 million requested; the project includes reinforcement of the building and building structure, specifically the steel-plating of the concrete floors, along with the purchase of a several pieces of state-of-the-art equipment like a multi-wire intermediate drawing machine and an automatic coiling and palletizing machine for reels.
- Phase 1 of Explore Elizabethtown Downtown improvement initiative; Elizabethtown Borough; $1 million of $1.5 million requested; the project calls for renovations and the adaptive reuse of 56 N. Market St. for a proposed community and cultural center.
- Grubb Mansion revitalization; Mazza Vineyards Inc.; Rapho Township; $1.3 million; the project calls for the exterior renovation of the historic Mount Hope Mansion, built by Peter Grubb in 1800, at the Mount Hope Estate. The original wrap-around porch will be rebuilt, and upgrades will be made to the HVAC and electrical systems.
- JURA Hospitality Center; JURA Inc.; Rapho Township; $7 million; the Swiss-based coffee machine company will build a new facility outside of Manheim.
- Phase 2 of the Little Conestoga Blue Green Corridor; Little Conestoga Creek Foundation; Lancaster Township; $1.98 million; the trail project includes erosion control, demolition, earthwork, storm sewer, landscaping, the establishment of a paved trail and three pedestrian bridges.
- MIllersville University sports complex improvements; Millersville Borough; $2.5 million of $4.5 million requested; the project includes renovations and infrastructure improvements at Biemesderfer Stadium and Pucillo Gymnasium.
- Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development expansion and renovation; East Hempfield Township; $3 million of $4 million requested; the project will expand Schreiber’s main facility in East Hempfield Township with a new wing housing an expanded physical therapy treatment area and administrative offices.
- Shady Lane Curtains expansion; Leacock Township; $1.5 million; the project calls for the construction of a new and expanded manufacturing facility for the company that makes aluminum curtains for horse riding arenas.
- YWCA Lancaster YForward rehabilitation; Lancaster City; $1 million of $2 million requested; the project includes repurposing and build-out of a currently unused ground floor space for the Sexual Assault Prevention and Counseling Center (SAPCC) and 16 new residential units.
Staff writer Michael Yoder is an award-winning journalist who has been honored with several Keystone Press Awards for his investigative pieces.
