When: Lancaster City Council meeting, Sept. 13, held in council chambers and livestreamed.
What happened: Instead of voting on whether to agree with the Historical Commission’s approval of proposed demolition and construction at 250 College Ave., council briefly tabled the issue at the request of Chris Delfs, director of community planning an economic development. Delfs said his staff needed two more weeks to look at the project in light of community feedback on designed details for 53 row homes included in the proposed redevelopment of the former St. Joseph Hospital/UPMC Pinnacle site.
Bigger picture: Baltimore-based Washington Place Equities is seeking approval to demolish hospital-related buildings and alter the former hospital’s ground-floor level to create retail space. Construction of 53 townhouses or row homes is proposed for the western half of the property facing Marietta Avenue, North West End Avenue and West Walnut Street. “We’re very comfortable with the proposed site design for the redevelopment of this significant property,” Delfs said. “But we would like to revisit a few targeted architectural components.” He said those relate specifically to the row homes and whether plans include appropriate visual differentiation as well as what materials are proposed and where. Delfs said related concerns were brought directly to his office. Council also heard some in that vein at a Sept. 6 committee meeting.
Pricing: This project is separate but in the same vicinity as a planned affordable housing apartment building at 213 College Ave., which drew criticism from some neighbors in part for its height and design. These proposed row homes aren’t tied to any affordable housing designation. Council member Janet Diaz asked Delfs if some of the concerns expressed relate to the row homes being overpriced. “Unfortunately, the Historical Commission doesn’t have any purview over the price of the town homes,” Delfs said, adding that demand versus high construction costs is factoring into many decisions. “Any developer right now is trying to balance good, quality design with the economics of actually making the project happen.”
What’s next: Council will consider the recommendation at its Sept. 27 meeting.
Welcoming Week: In recognition of Welcoming Week, an initiative of national nonprofit Welcoming America, more than an hour of the meeting focused on the city’s efforts to be responsive to refugees and other immigrants. Some who fall into that category shared their experiences in a few languages. Diaz also read in Spanish an approved resolution recognizing Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 as Hispanic Heritage Month. Ahmed Ahmed, who was born in a refugee camp in Cameroon, showed off welcome bags he put together for refugees. Funded by grant money, those include gift certificates, Lancaster-made treats and information and will be distributed by Church World Service. The tote bags say in large lettering: “Here to Stay.”
In other business: Council approved an ordinance that details rules for flying flags at city facilities. “This has been important for us to clarify so that we can avoid any potential conflict of someone requesting a flag that is in contradiction to the expressed values of the administration (and) council,” said Mayor Danene Sorace, who said she expects to bring flag requests to council for approval most likely twice a year. “We have many flags that we fly proudly in front of City Hall (as) a statement of our support related to those causes and issues that are reflected by those flags.”
