Northwest Triangle: ‘York's last chance'

All eyes in York are about to turn to the Northwest Triangle.

The York City Redevelopment Authority has been working for nearly five years to plan the project, acquire the necessary properties and prepare the 11-acre brownfield in downtown York for development -- a roughly $15 million investment comprised of federal, state and local contributions.

Next year, the authority will begin to transfer land to York Township-based Kinsley Construction and Baltimore-based Enterprise Homes, which the city selected in 2006 to develop the land. The firms will begin transforming the land into a $38 million mixed-use project with 84,000 square feet of retail and commercial space and between 85 and 135 townhouses and condominiums.

"In many ways, this is one of the best opportunities and one of the last opportunities that the city has to make a really significant kind of change in our landscape and ... downtown revitalization," said David Cross, chairman of the redevelopment authority.

Cross, who also is president and chief operating officer of Wagman Construction Inc., said he is most concerned about the mix and quality of products within the project. At the moment, the parameters of the project have been loosely outlined by the developers, but more detailed plans are expected soon, he said.

The project is one of the city's last opportunities to make a significant change because of the size of the site, which is relatively open, and its strategic location near Susquehanna Commerce Center, Sovereign Bank Stadium, Central Market and the downtown, Cross said.

The authority is completing a development agreement with Kinsley and Enterprise. The companies are expected to submit formal land development plans soon after and have to be approved by the city planning commission, zoning hearing board and the City Council, said Kevin Schreiber, York economic development director and redevelopment authority coordinator.

Because those plans have yet to be submitted, it would be unfair to say the developers aren't going to deliver exactly what the city needs, Cross said. But because the project is so critical, issues could abound if the plans are not in line with the city's needs and requirements, he said. Kinsley did not return a phone call and an e-mail requesting more information on the plans by press time.

The ideal plan for the Northwest Triangle in Cross' mind would be for the project to capture all the elements of development that surround its borders within the city, including office, residential, retail and entertainment, he said.

One issue that has come up is that the developers might not be keen on beginning new construction anytime soon because of the economy, said Cross, who said he is pushing for development sooner rather than later.

"We've been actively developing this site for many, many years, and frankly, I think the public is ready to see something, and now is the time," Cross said. "There are details to work out with the developer. I think we need to be steadfast stewards of this parcel."

While it isn't likely that a market study would determine whether now is a good time to build houses in York, Cross said he believes the development team should nab the opportunity to create a product that is unique to the area and attract a market that might not exist yet.

"If we could create something unique, attractive, sustainable and energy efficient and create a product of a quality that is unheard of -- we might have a bunch of people scratching their heads saying, ‘I want to live there,' " Cross said. "I feel strongly this can not just be another benign kind of suburban residential development. It would be destined to fail."

Demolition began this month on the final property in need of environmental remediation at the project site. The redevelopment authority gained possession of the 3-acre Ohio Blenders Inc. site at the end of May after battling for three years to acquire the property. Ohio Blenders is moving its local operations to the Mount Holly Springs area of Cumberland County, Schreiber said.

The authority will environmentally remediate the soil following the completion of demolition and is expected to be completed by the spring, Schreiber said.

At the same time, the city soon will begin installing infrastructure, including sewer and utility lines. That work also should wrap up by spring, when work will begin on streetscape improvements, including milling and paving streets, sidewalks, curbs, trees, benches, lighting and trash cans.