HomePage

A great city needs

a great community newspaper

TheBurg is a free monthly newspaper that begins to tell the stories that, put together, describe the community of greater Harrisburg: the people who live, work and travel here; the families that make their home here; the merchants that do business here.

Current Issue

February 2012

Incinerator Issues

A Forster Street Story

Snow City

South of the HBG Border

Jazz, Rock, Folk in Focus

Click here

Past Issues

TheBurg began covering the Harrisburg area in January 2009. All of our past issues are available to read as PDF files.

Click here

Harrisburg Area News

Comprehensive Renovation for Cumberland Court

Feb. 3 -- Construction has begun on a large-scale rehabilitation of Cumberland Court, the sprawling apartment complex next to the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg.

Maine-based Evergreen Housing Partners bought the brick, garden-style complex in December for $3 million from long-time owner Cumberland Court Associates.

Nick Bouquet, development associate for the company, said that Evergreen now is investing an average of $40,000 in each of the complex's 108 units.

Interior improvements will include new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, heating/cooling systems, windows and lighting in each unit. The complex's exterior will receive new outside lighting, an improved security system and a new roof.

Bouquet said the company also plans to build a community center, which will include community space, a policing center, a computer center and new management offices.

"We are undertaking a substantial interior and exterior renovation that will modernize the units so that everything the tenants see and touch will be new to the unit," said Bouquet, who added that privately held Evergreen will be a long-term holder of the property, which will continue to serve lower-income residents.

Renovations on the complex, built in 1975, should be complete by year-end, he said.

Evergreen Housing Partners specializes in acquiring, improving and managing properties for low- and moderate-income residents. Locally, it owns the Rutherford Park Townhouses in Hummelstown and the Garden Court Apartments in Lancaster.

Cumberland Court is bordered by Capital, Verbeke, Herr and N. 6th streets.

Glass Factory Rehab Gets OK from Planning Commission

Feb. 1 -- The Harrisburg Planning Commission tonight gave final approval to convert the long-empty, century-old former glass factory at the corner of N. 3rd and Muench streets into an apartment house of 19 studio and 12 one-bedroom units.

In voting unanimously to approve the project, the commission removed a condition that the developer, Skynet Property Management LP, hire a contract compliance officer to ensure that minority businesses are considered in the bidding process. With the economy sputtering along, City Council has become aggressive at making sure minority contractors have a chance to compete for contracts.

The commission agreed with Skynet’s attorney, John Baranski, who said the policy was not applicable to the private developer who is using no public money for the glass factory project.

Skynet also agreed to provide landscaping and green space around parts of the building, located at 1841 N. 3rd St. In return, the developer was granted relief for parking, having only to provide 26 spaces instead of 31.

The commission also appeared satisfied that the apartment house would not become a rooming house, a fear expressed by Historic Harrisburg Association, Harrisburg Young Professionals and the Olde Uptown Neighborhood Association at a preliminary hearing last summer.

Skynet assured the commission the project would be a standard apartment building as required by zoning. Its 31 units would range in size from 285 square feet to 532 square feet, be leased monthly and be priced at $690 for the least expensive to more than $800.

The commission did question how Skynet could develop the property at the cost it cited on its application, $300,000. Applicant Eric Peel said that was just for the mechanical and framing part of the construction. The final cost would be more.

“I hope you can pull that off,” said commission member Vern McKissick III.

Skynet President Josh Juffe has said the cost could reach $1 million to completely develop the property.

City Council approval is the next step in the process for the glass factory. No date for a hearing has been set.

First National Bank Plans Move to Downtown Harrisburg

Jan. 26 -- The regional headquarters of a major bank will occupy most of the remaining available space in the prominent new office building under construction at N. 2nd and State streets in Harrisburg, developer WCI Partners said today.

First National Bank of Pennsylvania, the largest affiliate of F.N.B. Corp., will take up the entire first floor of the building, as well as much of the second floor. The first floor will be a full-service bank branch, while the second floor will become the bank's regional headquarters, which is re-locating from Susquehanna Township.

About 40 employees will work in the bank's new Harrisburg location.

“We are excited to establish our regional headquarters in what we consider to be the number one new location in downtown Harrisburg,” said Lloyd Lamm, regional banking executive for the bank’s 15-county Capital Region.

WCI has already signed up the law firm of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as anchor tenant for the building. The firm will occupy the upper three floors of the five-story building upon its completion, expected in July.

Including the law firm and the bank, about 110 employees are expected to work in the building, said WCI.

“Anytime we can bring companies into downtown, it’s good for our business and good for the city because it generates revenue as well as solid employment opportunities,” said J. Alex Hartzler, WCI managing partner.

Council Affirms Tax Hike; Asks Feds to Probe Incinerator Deals

Jan. 24 -- Any hope Harrisburg residents may have had to reverse a planned property tax increase was quashed tonight, as City Council reaffirmed its support for the hike.

The unanimous vote came after state-appointed receiver David Unkovic told the council that the .8 mills tax increase would be included in his financial recovery plan for the city, which is due for release by Feb. 6.

"The real estate tax here is necessary as a component to turning the city around," Unkovic said.

Unkovic added that his report will ask for sacrifice from all entities, including the city's creditors. Unkovic has broad authority to draft and implement a recovery plan, but, under the legislation creating his position, he cannot unilaterally raise taxes.

On Dec. 29, the council passed the tax hike as part of its $54.3 million budget for 2012. However, it since has reopened the process to make adjustments. Previously, several council members had indicated that they might reconsider the increase.

The hike will raise taxes on the average Harrisburg homeowner by $50 to $100 per year.

Councilman Brad Koplinski said that the council will consider several changes to the budget, including reinstating the positions of health officer and senior accountant, both of which were cut in the previous spending plan. The council also will add $850,000 to the fire bureau budget to account for anticipated overtime.

The revised budget, which must be passed by Feb. 14, does not include reinstating the terminated positions of two mayoral aides: Ombudsman Bryan Wade and Communications Director Bob Philbin. Otherwise, the council:

* Unanimously approved the final land use plan for the Susquehanna Art Museum, allowing it to begin renovating and expanding the historic bank building at N. 3rd and Calder streets in Midtown. The council added a condition that a certified contract compliance officer must be hired to ensure that the project follows city hiring and contracting rules;

* Appointed Kirk Petroski as the new city clerk. He had been the acting city clerk.

* Sent ordinances that would increase residential and street parking fees -- and would install 88 new parking meters in Midtown -- to council committees for further consideration.

The council also unanimously passed a resolution asking for a federal investigation of the numerous financial transactions relating to the incinerator retrofit. Last week, the Harrisburg Authority issued a damning report of how incinerator upgrades were contracted, handled and financed.

Among other charges, the report said there was evidence that City Council members, a decade ago, may have received money from the Reed administration in exchange for supporting one or more incinerator bond issues.

Tonight, Councilwoman Susan Brown-Wilson publicly stated that, when she was first elected to council, she found out about a "special" fund, which she suspects originated from incinerator financings. That fund allowed council members to spend money on projects solely at their discretion.

"I was told, 'We have council money to spend,'" she said. "I wondered: how is that possible?"

She believes the fund totaled $500,000, but that she'd have to "pull the records" to find out exactly how much was in the fund and where it came from.

"It was like three-card monte," she said. "People just said . . . play along to get along."

More News

Welcome to Harrisburg's Community Newspaper