2010-03-16 00:01:00
JACK BRUBAKER
Don Ranck said he hasn't changed his mind about Lancaster County's farm preservation program since it began three decades ago."I don't see any redeeming value in it," the Paradise Township farmer and chairman of township supervisors said bluntly."Let the m......
2010-02-12 21:48:00
TOM KNAPP
The Pennsylvania Music Expo is on the move again.Keystone Record Collectors, a 30-year-old nonprofit group for music and vinyl enthusiasts, has lost its lease at the Ramada Inn, 521 Greenfield Road.The exposition had been held only once at the Ramada location, in January, according ......
2010-02-07 00:04:00
PAULA WOLF
Though she's the first female president of the Building Industry Association of Lancaster County, Connie King doesn't think of herself as a pioneer. "I've always kind of looked at gender as being a nonissue," she said. "I grew up with a 'girls can do anyth......
2010-01-24 00:18:00
PAULA WOLF
In 2009, home sales in Lancaster County dropped slightly from the year before, recording a 1.8 percent decrease. But that doesn't come close to telling the whole story. To paraphrase Charles Dickens, 2009 was a tale of two markets when it came to residential real estate, with double......
2010-01-14 07:29:00
TIM MEKEEL
The region's biggest real estate firm is forming a joint venture with the nation's biggest mortgage lender.Prudential Homesale Services Group and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage are creating HomeSale Lending LLC, effective Feb. 1.The new firm will combine Prudential's existing......
2010-01-09 09:29:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Ben Bamford didn't know he was making history. He just wants to get people involved.Bamford, 45, took office this week as the second Democrat on the Lancaster Township supervisors board. In doing so, he shifted the board to Democratic control for the first time in Lancaster Township......
2009-12-28 00:00:00
STAFF
Summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and Lancaster New Era appear in this space each Monday. They are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St....
2009-12-22 07:14:00
TIM MEKEEL
Ross Dress for Less will arrive in Lancaster County by opening a store at Mill Creek Square, it was announced Monday.The California-based apparel chain will be the fourth anchor at the Lincoln Highway East property, due to open in fall 2010.Ross will join Kohl's, Bed Bath & ......
2009-12-13 00:19:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
Out on Route 30 in East Lampeter Township, Rodney Gleiberman is partying like it's 1999. And he's not happy about it. Gleiberman, general manager of the Continental Inn, says the sluggish economy continues to punish the local hospitality industry. "I've endured probably ou......
2009-12-13 00:10:00
CHIP SMEDLEY
Another chapter in the saga of the former Holiday Inn at 521 Greenfield Road has come to an end. And so might its life as a hotel. Friday, High Real Estate Group announced its affiliate, High Properties, purchased the building and an adjacent parcel of land in a foreclosure sale conduct......
2009-11-22 00:06:00
PAULA WOLF
Thirty-one years ago, when Earl Hess became president of Hess Home Builders, residential construction was on the verge of a major downturn. Now as his son Randy Hess prepares to assume the reins of the family business, the industry is again struggling. But it's the ability to adapt ......
2009-11-16 00:00:00
PATTI S. SPENCER
The first Home Buyer Tax Credit program was established by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. It provided for a fully refundable tax credit of 10 percent of the purchase price (up to a maximum of $7,500) for "first-time home buyers" (defined as those who had not owned a home in the th......
2009-11-15 00:15:00
PAULA WOLF
After renting for years, Trish Salvadia is on the verge of owning a house, thanks in part to the $8,000 homebuyer tax credit. The credit was set to expire at the end of this month, but because President Barack Obama signed an extension Nov. 6, more buyers like Salvadia will be able to take a......
2009-11-12 07:17:00
TIM MEKEEL
The owners of Red Rose Commons have refinanced their shopping center, ending the foreclosure threat posed by their previous lender.The Goldenberg Group and the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust have obtained a new mortgage for $24.9 million from M&T Bank.With that fresh ......
2009-11-11 07:17:00
TIM MEKEEL
A New Jersey investor has bought the land for the newly opened Lowe's for $10.2 million, according to courthouse records.Paul Schmidt Sr. bought the 16.1-acre parcel from the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust.The transaction was filed in the courthouse Nov. 2.Schm......
2009-11-02 08:30:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Three months after rejecting an offer for the former Sylvan View dairy property along Harrisburg Pike, East Hempfield Township supervisors approved a higher bid for the prime commercial site.The supervisors voted Oct. 21 to sell the 2-plus-acre property for $359,000 to Dr. Ernest Witbeck, ......
2009-10-30 00:01:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Charlie Smithgall has said his re-election as mayor after four years out of City Hall would be a return to open, accessible government.Rick Gray, the current mayor, running for reelection, has responded that Smithgall's administration was not as open as he claims. ...
2009-10-12 00:00:00
PATTI S. SPENCER
Did you "stop renting a room" and "buy the hotel?" Many folks have purchased timeshares — which are a form of ownership or a right to the use of property — often of resort properties. Multiple parties own a single unit, and each person is allotted a period of time ......
2009-10-02 06:08:00
TIM MEKEEL
Early this year came word of a puzzling proposal.The intersection of Oregon Pike and Landis Valley Road was being eyed for a new shopping center.But each corner of that Manheim Township crossroads is occupied. There's a hotel, homes and a cemetery.So how could a new shopp......
2009-09-19 00:09:00
TIM MEKEEL
Matthew Allison began looking for a house in January, casually scanning the real estate listings. The 27-year-old city musician knew that "real estate was a good investment," so he figured he should switch sooner or later from renter to homeowner. But when the federal governme......
2009-09-16 06:26:00
TIM MEKEEL
It could be a different story with the recession putting the squeeze on businesses.But through 2008, several Lancaster County companies were seeing revenues rise at a healthy clip.So says the latest Inc. 5000 list.The magazine's recently released list of America's fas......
2009-08-31 00:00:00
PATT S. SPENCER
Any type of home can qualify as a "second residence" — a house, condominium, cooperative unit, boat with galley and head, mobile home or house trailer. It must have sleeping, cooking, and toilet facilities to be eligible for the mortgage interest deduction.The income tax treatment of......
2009-08-29 06:17:00
TIM MEKEEL
Septodont makes dental patients feel numb.But the company itself feels excitement.Septodont, the world's largest maker of dental anesthetics, is upbeat about bringing its North American sales and marketing headquarters to the Granite Run Corporate Center.With 15 employees......
2009-08-16 00:15:00
Paula Wolf
The brothers from suburban Philadelphia who died in the midair crash Aug. 8 over the Hudson River in New York City were principals in a real estate company that owns two apartment complexes in Lancaster County. Steven Altman, 60, of Ambler, and his brother Daniel, 49, of Dresher, were active in......
2009-08-09 00:20:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
By late last week the grass had been cut. The piles of garbage were smaller. The rats, reported one neighbor, were on the run. Still, the modest home on Crooked Oak Drive in Manheim Township didn't exactly exude curb appeal. Thursday afternoon the garage door was up, showing piles o......
2009-08-09 00:14:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
Andy Esbenshade closed a deal on a house last week. Finally. Esbenshade, a Realtor with Prudential Homesale Services Group, said an error in the appraiser's paperwork caused a delay. Worse, a new federal regulation passed in the wake of the mortgage meltdown added weeks to the ......
2009-08-02 00:06:00
PAULA WOLF
In June, pending home sales in Lancaster County were up 3 percent over last year, the first time in 2009 that monthly figures exceeded those of 2008. Local real estate professionals said the news could be a sign the market is turning a corner, as pending transactions are a barometer of sales th......
2009-07-27 00:00:00
Patti S. Spencer
You've heard about it: buying houses cheap — maybe out of foreclosure — fixing them up and selling at a profit. That's a "fix and flip."Television programs such as "Flip This House" and "Flip That House" glamorize the business of buying distressed real estate at a discount, reh......
2009-07-24 10:02:00
TIM MEKEEL
A key to the success of Garden Spot Village has been listening to potential residents.When they wanted larger apartments, the New Holland retirement community built them.When they wanted more amenities, it provided them.And now that some want an urban setting, not a suburban ......
2009-07-15 08:03:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Lancaster looks good — and bad — on paper, an audit of the city's 2008 finances shows.The audit, which got its first review Tuesday night by the Lancaster City Council Finance Committee, had a few positive things to say about the city.Despite a significant decline in......
2009-07-05 00:08:00
CHIP SMEDLEY
High Properties has purchased the tract of land at 521 Greenfield Road occupied by the former Holiday Inn that was the subject of local, state and federal investigations last September and October. According to the Lancaster County Recorder of Deeds, High purchased the property from the estate ......
2009-06-21 00:21:00
JON RUTTER
It wasn't just black-tie types poring over downtown's sparkling new gem last week. It was just folks, too. Proud Lancaster hometownies. Business people. Nostalgic shoppers who once patronized the Watt & Shand department store, whose preserved facade fronts the towerin......
2009-06-19 11:11:00
JACK BRUBAKER
Public-private partnerships, according to the Web site of the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority, "typically result in increased quality at a reasonable cost." Did the public-private partnership that constructed the Lancaster County Convention Center and Lancaster Marriot......
2009-06-19 11:10:00
JACK BRUBAKER
The $178 million final bill for the Lancaster County Convention Center and Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square includes all costs since the project began a decade ago. That's all the architectural, legal, consulting, administrative and other fees that preceded construction, as well as constructio......
2009-06-19 00:02:00
PATRICK BURNS
A pair of Lancaster County companies are joined in a venture to build a 13-screen movie theater in York that will feature a bar, bowling alley, arcade and laser-tag center.Blackford Development Ltd., 120 North Point Blvd., which purchased the Queensgate Shopping Center in York last year fo......
2009-06-18 11:22:00
BERNARD HARRIS
With the snip of a ceremonial red ribbon, business and civic leaders unveiled the long-awaited Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott hotel today. The brief ceremony inside the Lancaster Marriott on Penn Square's main entrance marked the beginning of a new era in downto......
2009-06-03 11:35:00
BERNARD HARRIS
A decade after it was first proposed and after three missed opening deadlines, officials at the Lancaster County Convention Center and Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square hotel are reluctant to say when they plan to open the new, $174.4 million facility. But there are clues pointing to an opening......
2009-05-29 09:42:00
JACK BRUBAKER
Seventy-two Lancaster County properties were sold this week during the third of six sheriff's sales scheduled for the year. That's the highest number for any sale since the economic downturn began, according to the county's chief deputy, Mark Reese. It's still a small number compared with ......
2009-05-24 00:19:00
PAULA WOLF
Though Lancaster County home sales continued to slide in the first quarter, one part of the market is doing relatively well, giving the industry some much-needed hope. The under-$200,000 price range is at least holding its own, and the real estate community anticipates that will create a "......
2009-05-24 00:04:00
PAUL FRANZ
Ever wonder the asking price of that house with the for-sale sign that you passed while driving? A new free phone system now allows anyone here to get instant information on a property for sale. "All you need is the address number of the house," said Doug Rebert, managing directo......
2009-05-01 01:13:00
DAVE PIDGEON
Developers of the $174 million hotel/convention center in Penn Square are losing revenue each time they postpone its opening, but how much revenue remains uncertain.More than a dozen planners for events scheduled for the convention center either found alternative sites or postponed when de......
2009-04-23 11:05:00
RYAN ROBINSON
Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond and Christmas Tree Shops will anchor the $40 million shopping center to be built this summer along the Route 30 strip. Mill Creek Square is proposed for 35 acres in East Lampeter Township along the south side of the highway, east of the Lancaster Host Resort an......
2009-04-10 10:38:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Again? Two weeks after officials announced that the opening of the Lancaster County Convention Center and Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square hotel would be delayed, the $174.4 million project is again behind schedule. But officials are still hoping to open on May 11, as planned. Tim Su......
2009-03-29 00:18:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
For sale: A beautiful, five-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home in a mature suburban neighborhood. Finished basement. Large deck. And long empty. The owners of this particular home in East Hempfield Township have moved on, across the country to take advantage of a job opportunity. But they......
2009-03-29 00:16:00
PAULA WOLF
While he's still hoping to hook up with another NFL team, former Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Dan Kreider is tackling real estate investing. Kreider and some of his family members have purchased the Historic Hamilton Suites apartment building at North Duke and East Walnut streets, said Rodg......
2009-03-27 12:43:00
TIM MEKEEL
The Lowe's being built as part of a small shopping center on Hempstead Road might get a new landlord — before it even opens. The home-improvement store's developer, Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, is offering the store's site for sale for $11.9 million. Lowe's will leas......
2009-03-18 10:10:00
CHAD UMBLE
Buying a first city home just got a little easier for low- to moderate-income residents. First-time homebuyers in the city will now have access to a pool of $350,000 in assistance for down payment and closing costs through the Lancaster Housing Opportunity Partnership. Previously the aid, ......
2009-03-03 00:01:00
Staff Report
The Lancaster County Association of Realtors said Monday that 187 homes were sold here in January, a 23.4 percent decrease from 244 homes sold a year ago.The association said the five-year January average is 332 homes.The $168,955 average sale price in January was a 9.4 percent decr......
2009-03-01 00:19:00
PAULA WOLF
The local real estate market is undoubtedly still struggling, but at least one government organization reports housing appreciation here is better than in most other parts of the region. According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the all-transactions home-price index shows houses in the L......
2009-02-23 00:02:00
JAMES BUESCHER
Even in a global economic crisis, it's a little unusual: three Lancaster County bed and breakfasts all hitting the market at the same time, and all of them landing on the desk of Lancaster Realtor Lisa Naples."Having managed a B&B for several years, I enjoy working with innkee......
2009-02-22 00:08:00
PAUL FRANZ
Linens 'N Things shuttered 177 stores. Circuit City is going belly up. As a growing number of well-known national retailers declare bankruptcy or drastically reorganize their operations, they leave behind empty storefronts — some in Lancaster County's most visible shopping cent......
2009-02-14 00:01:00
PATRICK BURNS
S. Dale High has been named to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce board of directors for 2009, the organization announced Wednesday.High, chairman of Lancaster-based High Cos., was chosen because of his business achievements as well as philanthropic efforts, said Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber ......
2009-02-09 00:01:00
Patti S. Spencer
The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, enacted late last year, permanently changed the Jan. 31 deadline for the issuance of 1099-Bs to February 15. This year, because Feb. 15 falls on a Sunday, and Monday, Feb. 16, is a federal holiday; brokerage houses have until Tuesday, Feb. 17, to ......
2009-02-08 00:20:00
PAULA WOLF
Battered by the deepening recession, the local housing market ended 2008 the way it began — in a major slump. According to a report released last week by the Lancaster County Association of Realtors, home sales last year plummeted 23 percent from 2007. In October, November and Decemb......
2009-01-29 09:35:00
JACK BRUBAKER
Sixty-three county properties sold at the first sheriff's sale of the year Wednesday. That's a high number, but not unusually high for the first sale of the year. It's less than a third of the record 205 properties originally listed for sale. Property owners and banks made arrang......
2009-01-19 11:33:00
TIM MEKEEL
A Manheim Township motel might be razed to make way for a small shopping center featuring a Giant to Go convenience store and other businesses. The Quality Inn at Oregon Pike and Landis Valley Road, built 50 years ago, will be demolished for The Shoppes at Landis Valley if plans for the comp......
2009-01-12 00:01:00
CINDY HUMMEL
Pequea Valley school board officials last week discussed a new $1.4 million offer for the property that includes the former Leacock Elementary School.The school district put the property on the market for $1.75 million in February 2008.Board members at their meeting Thursday said a ......
2009-01-11 00:04:00
PAULA WOLF
For nine months, Brenda Hinden attempted to sell her four-unit Adamstown apartment building on the real estate market. During that time, fewer than two dozen people went through the property, and "I had only one offer," she said. So Hinden decided to try a public auction, somethi......
2009-01-02 00:33:00
MICHAEL YODER
Despite the downturn in the economy and sagging consumer spending, workers are moving ahead with construction of Lancaster County's newest shopping complex.An army of backhoes and ground levelers worked diligently despite windy conditions Wednesday afternoon, preparing foundations and ......
2008-12-31 09:34:00
TIM MEKEEL
The sagging economy pulled the local housing market down to a 25-year low in November, a new report shows. Home sales here last month tumbled 35.1 percent, dropping to their smallest number since November 1983, the local Realtors group said today. According to the Lancaster County Associat......
2008-12-30 09:13:00
SUSAN JURGELSKI
Once again, Lancaster is basking in a positive review. Lancaster has been named the eighth most secure place to live among mid-sized cities in the United States, according to the Fifth Annual Farmers Insurance Group of Companies study. Michael Sprunger, executive director of Lancaster C......
2008-12-23 11:48:00
TIM MEKEEL
Ten years after Red Rose Commons opened, shopping center developers are on the verge of agreeing to buy the property across the road. The 71-acre cornfield at Route 30 and Fruitville Pike is being eyed for a retail complex nearly as big as its decade-old neighbor. "Clearly, the obj......
2008-12-17 01:29:00
JENNIFER TODD
Lancaster City Council approved a 2009 budget Tuesday that includes a 5 percent tax hike for city property owners.The increase takes the current 9.18-mill tax to 9.64 mills and means an additional $39 in taxes for the owner of a home valued at $75,000.Finance chairwoman Kendra Saund......
2008-12-12 12:42:00
TIM MEKEEL
Once again, change is coming to the Bulova Technologies building in downtown Lancaster. But the type of change remains to be seen. Building owner Stephen L. Gurba announced Thursday that he's offering the Queen and Orange streets structure for sale for $24.9 million. And, if a buyer i......
2008-12-10 01:25:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
On Monday, Manheim Township commissioners approved a plan that could pave the way for the widening of Fruitville Pike and the construction of (drumroll!) another shopping center.I cover Manheim Township and have reported on the project, so I don't want to comment too much.Howeve......
2008-12-10 00:01:00
Don't spend what you don't have. Live within your means. Cut the fat.All are great sound-bite clichés when it comes to municipal budgets. Yet, all are largely empty slogans in these days of bare-bones budgets and service cutbacks. Today, municipalities face difficult budget ......
2008-12-07 00:20:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
Monday night's meeting promises to be a zoo. Nancy Santaniello and Monica Forte will be there, loaded for bear. Both Manheim Township residents live along Fruitville Pike. Both would see a chunk of their front yards taken if a Massachusetts developer is permitted to widen the road to build ......
2008-12-05 10:07:00
RYAN ROBINSON
Despite the recession and rising costs of health care, fuel and other expenses, East Lampeter Township supervisors are considering holding the line on taxes for the second year in a row. "It was a challenging year for putting the budget together," said township Manager Ralph Hutchison......
2008-12-05 01:13:00
BRIAN WALLACE
School District of Lancaster has imposed a districtwide spending freeze as a safeguard against potential shortfalls in state and local revenue as the economy continues to falter.Effective Dec. 1, the district imposed a ban on the hiring of "nonessential" staff, overtime pay, conf......
2008-12-02 22:43:00
JAMES BUESCHER
Despite a sour economy and a drop in revenue from real estate transfer taxes, residents of Millersville Borough will not see a hike in their property taxes in 2009.That's according to the municipality's proposed 2009 general fund budget, presented to the public at the borough's......
2008-12-02 21:39:00
LISA GRIMAUD
Two programs meant to improve the economy in Columbia Borough have backfired, leading to a nearly $1 million decrease in the borough's tax base, officials said.For several years, the borough participated in the Keystone Opportunity Zones program and a Local Economic Revitalization Tax ......
2008-12-02 21:03:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Ephrata Borough residents will not see their real estate taxes increase next year, it was announced at the council's workshop meeting Monday.Ephrata's preliminary 2009 budget, which council will vote on at its meeting Monday, will hold the millage rate at 1.88.That's the......
2008-12-02 01:03:00
PATRICK BURNS
It's been a tough year for Lancaster County homeowners, builders and real estate professionals, but it's no time to panic.That's the message from Lancaster County Association of Realtors, which reported Monday that home sales in the county were down by 13.7 percent in October c......
2008-11-29 00:17:00
PAULA WOLF and PAUL FRANZ
With the holiday season now upon us, a national business forecasting organization says Lancaster Countians really do have something to be thankful for. In an article this month on Kiplinger.com, the county was named one of six real estate "......
2008-11-16 00:19:00
GIL SMART, Associate Editor
It's actually been a pretty good year for Larry Wisdom's company, Keystone Custom Homes, which built and sold about as many homes in 2008 — 300 — as it did in 2007. And if you think the status quo is nothing to get excited about, you haven't paid much attention to the na......
2008-11-16 00:04:00
PAULA WOLF
In the residential building industry, it's typical for contractors to respond to customer demands, whether it's a desire for first-floor bedrooms or more walk-in closets. But when it comes to the fast-emerging focus on green building, the roles appear to be somewhat reversed — at ......
2008-11-15 00:59:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Jeff Funk says these aren't the best of times for the real estate business.But they aren't the worst of times, either, at least not in Lancaster County."Overall, our area is great compared to the rest of the country," said Funk, of Charles & Associates Real Est......
2008-11-11 00:16:00
LORI VAN INGEN
The Manheim Township Commissioners on Monday night rescheduled a hearing on The Crossings at Conestoga Creek to Dec. 8.High Real Estate Group was to present a new flood plain plan Monday in hopes the commissioners would allow it to proceed with development of the proposed 600,000-square-fo......
2008-11-10 11:57:00
TIM MEKEEL
The developer of a proposed Harrisburg Pike shopping center hopes a new floodplain plan will allow it to proceed with the $100 million project. High Real Estate Group, which wants to build The Crossings at Conestoga Creek, will present the new plan to the Manheim Township commissioners tonig......
2008-11-09 00:08:00
PAUL FRANZ
Andy Esbenshade remembers a time when county Realtors dreaded selling property in the city. "The city had a very bad reputation," said Esbenshade, a Realtor who mostly deals in city properties. "People thought when you crossed under the bridge on New Holland Pike you would be mur......
2008-11-02 00:19:00
PAULA WOLF
The local housing market continues in the doldrums, with sales down 28.4 percent in the third quarter over last year, according to figures released Thursday by the Lancaster County Association of Realtors. Confronted with this reality, at least one real estate company has tried a major promotio......
2008-10-23 00:02:00
PATRICK BURNS
A Web-based title insurance company that recently opened for business in Pennsylvania claims to have cut rates by 35 percent compared to other title companies.Timothy Dwyer said he launched Entitle Direct partially because of widespread abuses in the title insurance industry.Dwyer, ......
2008-10-19 00:02:00
PAULA WOLF
For years, mortgage banker Linda Kosich has been counseling first-time home buyers on how to budget and save. Her goal has always been not just helping them get into a house, but "preparing them to keep the home they purchase," she said. Now, with mortgages much harder to qualify......
2008-09-25 11:04:00
MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT
Myke and Nancy B. Rogers are ready to make their move. After three years of discussion and debate, the couple will put their Woods Avenue home of 35 years on the market sometime this fall. Their retirement destination? Downtown Lancaster. The Rogerses, who are actively searching ......
2008-09-14 00:20:00
GIL SMART
What might be the most valuable land in Lancaster County is going on the market. Belmont Farm, three parcels of about 92 acres straddling Fruitville Pike in Manheim Township near the Red Rose Commons shopping center, has a reported asking price of $25 million. It includes several historic ......
2008-09-14 00:12:00
DENNIS LARISON
The housing industry in Lancaster County has prided itself on being insulated from the troubles that have afflicted other parts of the nation the past couple of years, beginning with the subprime loan crisis and culminating a week ago with the government's takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae ...
2008-09-12 12:00:00
TIM MEKEEL
Homes here aren't cheap. But they're cheaper than you'll find in most other American communities, a new survey finds. A typical suburban home costs about a third less in Lancaster County than the national average, according to Coldwell Banker. The real estate firm's an......
2008-08-31 00:02:00
DENNIS LARISON
Like many 13-year-olds, Rachel Miller, an eighth-grader at Centerville Middle School in East Hempfield Township, has ambitions of someday making her mark in the world. "Kids my age have dreams of becoming rich and famous," she said. So does Rachel, but not as a sports star, which......
2008-08-10 00:06:00
PAULA WOLF
Last year, when Rafaela Nuñez and her husband, Hector Alicea, wanted to buy a house, they sought out a real estate agent who spoke Spanish. The couple signed on with Tamer Gomaa of Weichert, Realtors - Engle & Hambright, who helped them purchase a home in Lancaster city. Gomaa is flu......
2008-08-03 00:18:00
PAULA WOLF
In the current housing climate, it isn't easy to find a silver lining. But if you live in Lancaster County or work as a real estate agent here, try this one: The York market is a heck of a lot worse. While home sales slid 14.8 percent locally in the second quarter, according to a ......
2008-07-24 11:04:00
JOSEPH MALDONADO
It looks like Weichert Realtors-Engle & Hambright is avoiding the worst of America's current real-estate crisis. In fact, owner Terry Wiley says the company is 3 percent ahead of last year's sales. "It takes every piece of knowledge we have to stay ahead," he says.......
2008-07-14 00:31:00
P.J. REILLY
Lancaster County Planning Commission members today are expected to approve plans to tear down and rebuild the Bowmansville service plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.The service plaza on the south side of the turnpike in Brecknock Township is one of several projects the commission will rev......
2008-07-13 00:10:00
PAULA WOLF
Gary and Sandy Hawkins shied away from traditional developments when they started looking for a new home. "We specifically wanted a 55-and-older community," Gary Hawkins said. "We liked the idea of having things taken care of," like time-consuming yardwork. The Hawkinse......
2008-07-13 00:08:00
PAULA WOLF
The "Profile of the 50+ Housing Market" issued by the 50+ Building Council of the National Association of Home Builders includes statistics on everything from median income to average number of bathrooms. Here are some highlights: • The median income of households headed by ......
2008-07-10 00:01:00
PATRICK BURNS
Park City Center will soon be home to the Los Angeles-based retailer Forever 21 Inc., a popular teen shopping destination. The company will open its Forever XXI store sometime in August with a 10,000-square-foot space in the Bon Ton wing at Park City.With 39 stores nationwide, The Forever ......
2008-06-24 01:29:00
PATRICK BURNS
Doom and gloom have dominated news stories about the real estate market of late.However, things here may not be so bad after all.Recent data from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight indicate Lancaster County home values rose 2.77 percent in the first quarter of 2008 a......
2008-06-15 00:14:00
CHIP SMEDLEY
Gene Aleci is an architectural sleuth. He stood in a doorway of the former Caribbean Breeze restaurant at 219 W. King St., one of two parcels he and his wife, Linda, recently purchased, and used a flashlight to illuminate the brick wall. "This is the original rear wall of the building......
2008-06-08 00:04:00
PAULA WOLF
Developer John Meeder has been around long enough to know that projects evolve. And his Center City Lofts endeavor, announced more than eight months ago, turned out to be no exception. Meeder, who's partners with Ken and Barbara Hammel, and David Woolfenden on the mixed-use enterprise in do......
2008-06-07 02:13:00
MICHAEL YODER
Pieces of Lancaster history are now incorporated into the new edifice rising downtown — all part of a complex officials hope can shape the future of the city for the next century.Friday afternoon saw the first official tour of the Lancaster County Convention Center and Marriott Lanca......
2008-06-03 10:08:00
TIM MEKEEL
Prudential Homesale Services Group has acquired Elizabethtown-based Preferred Realty for an undisclosed price, effective today. The transaction doubles Prudential's business in fast-growing northwest Lancaster County, boosting its market share there to more than 40 percent. With the acquis......
2008-05-20 02:18:00
PATRICK BURNS
Lancaster County real estate sales in April remained mired in a slump created after the housing market's meteoric advance reached a crescendo in 2005.Home sales here dipped 20 percent in April compared to the same month a year ago, according to data from Lancaster County Association of......
2008-05-18 00:06:00
PAULA WOLF
The first house Serena Reidel bought was a singlewide mobile home. "I was 18 or 19," Reidel remembered. When she was ready to part with it, Reidel ended up selling it herself when the dealers she dealt with "tried to rip me off," she said. At that time, "I didn'......
2008-05-18 00:04:00
DENNIS LARISON
Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker, faults the national media's focus on foreclosures and the subprime mortgage crisis for keeping home buyers on the sidelines these days. "This is the absolute best time in my 33 years in real estate to buy a home,&......
2008-05-15 02:02:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
One month after Manheim Township commissioners approved construction of a new shopping center near Long's Park, opponents are moving to block it.Harrisburg attorney William J. Cluck, acting on behalf of Dori Dianna and Michael Stephenson of Farmingdale Road, has filed suit in Lancaster......
2008-04-27 00:02:00
MICHAEL SCHWARTZ
Coldwell Banker HomeSale Services Group was Lancaster County's largest real estate firm until it became a Prudential franchise April 1, ending a 25-year relationship with Coldwell Banker and leaving a powerful brand unrepresented locally. By April 2, Coldwell Banker was back in Lancaster....
2008-04-20 00:19:00
PAULA WOLF
For years, Lancaster County prided itself on being largely immune to the vicissitudes of the national housing market. Not anymore. As home sales across the country plummet because of economic woes and fallout from the subprime crisis, including tighter lending standards, they're nose-d......
2008-04-20 00:06:00
PAULA WOLF
As executive director of Lancaster City Living, Michael Sprunger gets calls from all over the country — and even Vancouver, British Columbia — from people interested in buying homes in the city. "Now I want to give the locals a chance" to see what Lancaster has to offer, S......
2008-04-18 00:02:00
LINDA ESPENSHADE
Phil and Sue Bishop of Ephrata know how to stalk a house.They weren't sinister stalkers, just persistent stalkers.They wanted a house that was built during the American Arts and Crafts movement, a home that emphasized line, curvature and natural form, the Bishops explained....
2008-04-15 11:49:00
CHAD UMBLE
The $100 million Crossings at Conestoga Creek cleared a key hurdle Monday, but High Real Estate Group is still many months and millions of dollars away from turning the shopping center plan into reality. By a 3-2 vote, Manheim Township commissioners approved High's conditional use reques......
2008-04-15 01:03:00
MICHAEL YODER
A controversial shopping complex that would become the second-largest retail center in Lancaster County passed its first major hurdle Monday night.Manheim Township commissioners granted the High Real Estate Group conditional use for The Crossings at Conestoga Creek by a 3-2 vote, with one ......
2008-04-14 11:27:00
CINDY STAUFFER
Will they or won't they? After 50 hours of testimony, 2,100 written pages of documents and 15 hearings, the Manheim Township Commissioners had planned to vote tonight on a proposal to build a $100 million shopping complex on Harrisburg Pike, across from Long's Park. But commissione......
2008-04-11 11:41:00
RYAN ROBINSON
A $40 million shopping center proposed along the Route 30 strip in East Lampeter Township is poised to gain county planners' blessing on Monday. But traffic control remains at issue with the township, which has the final say on the project. Mill Creek Square is proposed for 35 comme......
2008-04-02 00:01:00
PATRICK BURNS
HomeSale Realty Services Group, headquartered at 215 S. Centerville Road, announced Tuesday it will end its alliance with Coldwell Banker and instead team up with Prudential Real Estate.It will operate as Prudential Homesale Services Group in Lancaster County, as well as in Cumberland, Dau......
2008-04-01 11:40:00
TIM MEKEEL
The most common "For Sale" signs in front yards here will have a different name on them, starting today. Coldwell Banker HomeSale Services Group, the county's biggest real estate firm, has become Prudential Homesale Services Group. As a Prudential franchise, the Lancaster-......
2008-03-28 10:43:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Franklin & Marshall College and a suburban Philadelphia real estate developer have put their controversial zoning request for a student housing district in northwest Lancaster City on hold. Instead, developer Kevin J. Silverang, an F&M alumnus, has asked for variances for a half-dozen p......
2008-03-28 01:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Without transferable development rights, or TDRs, the whole of Manheim Township "would resemble Fruitville Pike" in terms of development and traffic, says Nelson Rohrer.Rohrer, a farmer, was president of the Manheim Township board of commissioners when the municipality's TDR ......
2008-03-27 11:18:00
TIM MEKEEL
While one home-improvement chain has canceled construction of another store in Lancaster County, its arch-rival still intends to grow here. Final plans have been filed for the second Lowe's home improvement store here, to be part of a shopping center next to Costco. The other anchor......
2008-03-16 00:02:00
PAULA WOLF
In an effort to revive the stagnant real-estate market and boost the flagging economy, President Bush's stimulus package included a major increase in Federal Housing Administration loan limits. Nationwide, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which oversees the FHA, says the inc......
2008-02-29 11:19:00
JANET KELLEY
Two weeks ago, a rash of death threats were sent to a number of Lancaster County real estate agents. While most dismissed them for what they were — phony e-mails in an attempt to get money — some said they found the computer messages to be disconcerting and even "scary." Today,......
2008-02-17 00:04:00
PAULA WOLF
Bill Boyd firmly subscribes to the belief that "God works in mysterious ways." Borne out of a desire to help his mother, Boyd's midlife career switch from full-time real-estate investor to personal-care-home administrator has been a true blessing, he said — not just for her ......
2008-02-16 01:26:00
PATRICK BURNS
Internet scam artists who once charmed unsuspecting victims into willingly giving away cash have graduated to using fear and extortion.Manheim Township police are warning residents about another Internet scam circulating through e-mails — one containing a disturbing death threat.......
2008-02-09 02:07:00
PATRICK BURNS
Realtors say it's "an ideal time" to buy a home in Lancaster County, yet sales are down by one-third. Local sellers must become more realistic about pricing, one analyst says.•••It got a lot harder to sell a house here in ......
2008-02-07 11:05:00
ALAN HEAVENS
(McClatchy-Tribune)Q. We are getting married Nov. 1. We were preapproved for a $250,000-plus mortgage, but most likely are looking to stay at or under $200,000 since you need to pay your other bills, buy furniture, make home repairs and finance all those expenses. Part of me wants to buy a f......
2008-01-31 01:43:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
The fate of the Crossings At Conestoga Creek is now in the hands of the Manheim Township board of commissioners.The commissioners have been trying to decide if the proposed 646,000-square-foot shopping complex across Harrisburg Pike from Long's Park fits the township's planned comm......
2008-01-22 01:06:00
TOM KNAPP
A long-running ethanol-plant hearing is drawing to a close in Conoy Township."It is our expectation that the hearing sessions will wrap up this week," township solicitor Matthew Creme said Monday.Monday's session was reserved solely for public comment on the $100 million corn-to-eth......
2008-01-20 00:17:00
PAUL FRANZ
Carol Martin remembers a time when the Manor Shopping Center on Millersville Pike was undeveloped. "It was just woods," the Manor Township resident said. "There was nothing over in here. "It really has developed." The 250,000-square-foot property was home only......
2008-01-20 00:02:00
PAULA WOLF
In 2007, Randy Hess had a record year as a real estate agent. Considering how sluggish the market was, that might seem like an aberration. It's not, said Hess, a real estate veteran and developer who's the new president of the Building Industry Association of Lancaster County....
2008-01-19 12:21:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Little has changed since initial restoration work was stopped on Excelsior Hall a decade ago. Yet, on paper — and soon on the building itself — changes are being made. For the first time since 1998, a year dawned in which the city Redevelopment Authority did not own the former ......
2008-01-18 11:24:00
TIM MEKEEL
For the second time this month, a Lancaster-based real estate investment firm has purchased a York County shopping center. Blackford Development Ltd. has announced the acquisition of the South Hanover Shopping Center on Route 94 (Baltimore Street) for about $8 million. Like its purchase of......
2008-01-05 11:48:00
TIM MEKEEL
A new year, a new investment. Blackford Development Ltd., a Lancaster-based real estate firm, has started 2008 by purchasing a York shopping center. Blackford acquired the Queensgate Shopping Center on Wednesday for $19.7 million, according to York County Courthouse records. Queensgat......
2007-12-29 11:53:00
CHAD UMBLE
For most of 2007, Manheim Township's biggest story has been in limbo. Since February, township officials have been considering a "conditional use" request from High Real Estate Group that could pave the way for The Crossings at Conestoga Creek, a $100 million shopping center plann......
2007-11-28 01:07:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
The bad news could be worse.Lancaster city property taxes will rise in 2008, but the increase will be nearly offset for many residents by the elimination of two "nuisance" taxes.Mayor Rick Gray presented the city's proposed 2008 budget to City Council Tuesday.Th......
2007-11-25 00:02:00
PAULA WOLF
Given the sluggish housing market, this would not seem an ideal climate in which to open a real estate office. But for the three partners who just started an EXIT Realty franchise in Lancaster County, the timing couldn't be better. Real estate agent Shawn Chambers-Galis, businessman Bi......
2007-11-25 00:02:00
MICHAEL SCHWARTZ
Nancy Morris is spreading holiday cheer, one decorated city lamppost at a time. The head of Lancaster LEADS tried to do the same thing last year, but the result wasn't peace in Lancaster and goodwill to men — or woman. "Those glittery garlands that a few people grumbled abou......
2007-11-07 10:31:00
TIM MEKEEL
From his New Jersey office, Marshall Rosen looked at Lancaster County and saw what many executives see: a good place to be. A stable, steadily growing community. Proximity to big cities. Good schools. A mix of established employers and newly arrived ones. So he brought his firm here too. I......
2007-11-02 18:02:00
CARLA DI FONZO
The guys in local band Captain of Compliments may not be veterans of the music scene, but they've already learned some valuable lessons that could take them beyond Lancaster County.Lesson one: Band chemistry is everything."Our current lineup has been together since August o......
2007-10-30 02:30:00
PATRICK BURNS
People formed multiple lines on the third floor of Lancaster General Health Campus Main Building about 15 minutes before Monday's meeting to discuss a study of Harrisburg Pike traffic.Eventually, about 110 area residents filtered into the meeting, where they got to look at preliminary ......
2007-10-29 11:33:00
CHAD UMBLE
Manheim Township is taking an early look at its budget for next year. Township commissioners will review an initial draft of a 2008 budget tonight that outlines $15.7 million in general fund spending, a 4.1 percent increase over 2007. Despite the increase in spending, the budget keep......
2007-10-28 00:19:00
GIL SMART
Last Monday night, they told Bill Cluck to get lost. Cluck, a Harrisburg attorney, has represented a citizens group calling itself "Lancaster for Smart Growth" that opposes plans by High Real Estate Group to build a $100 million shopping center, The Crossings, across from Long's P......
2007-10-28 00:16:00
CHIP SMEDLEY
Franklin & Marshall College has entered into a partnership with one of its alums, who will purchase properties in the neighborhood east of College Avenue and make them available for rental by F&M students. Radnor developer Kevin Silverang, a 1977 graduate, has formed James Street Proper......
2007-10-24 01:23:00
PATRICK BURNS
Mickey Allen Weicksel, a former Lancaster real estate investor who obtained about $4 million in kickbacks through a real estate scam, was sentenced Tuesday to 14 years in prison.Federal District Judge Barclay Surrick in Philadelphia also sentenced Weicksel, 40, to serve five years probatio......
2007-10-23 10:57:00
TIM MEKEEL
Being below average can be a good thing. Lancaster County home prices are a third less than the national norm, a new Coldwell Banker survey found. Its annual "Home Price Comparison Index," released Monday, compares the cost of a common size of suburban home in 317 markets. It shows La......
2007-10-23 03:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
A lengthy hearing into whether a 646,000-square-foot shopping complex will be built in Manheim Township across from Long's Park continued Monday, with the project's opponents going on the offensive.Attorney William J. Cluck — representing a group of residents calling themselv......
2007-10-21 00:05:00
PAULA WOLF
Flash back to the early 1900s, when small-business owners living above their stores were a vital part of America's urban landscape. Those days, of course, are long gone, but not for Mount Joy chiropractor Dr. Ralph Weinhold. Weinhold and his wife, Sandra, are putting the finishing touc......
2007-10-17 02:28:00
MICHAEL YODER
The builders of a proposed $40 million shopping center along Route 30 passed a major hurdle Tuesday night as the East Lampeter Township supervisors approved their conditional-use application.East Lampeter supervisors voted 3-1, with one abstention, to move Mill Creek Square, a 300,000-squa......
2007-09-30 00:05:00
MICHAEL SCHWARTZ
The required education to become a licensed real estate broker is a pathetic, ridiculous joke, they said. Dave Conklin and partners Rory Wilfong and Steve Young told the world why in their semimonthly podcast Sept. 4. They might have, at least. Mark Boyd, who records them, doesn't......
2007-09-18 01:35:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
It's a big project, and now you can learn more about it on an equally big Web site.The Crossings at Conestoga Creek, a 646,000-square-foot shopping complex planned for 90 acres along Harrisburg Pike across from Long's Park, is now an elaborate and informative stop on the Internet a......
2007-09-14 11:20:00
CHAD UMBLE
It may only be a drop in the bucket, but it's a promising sign that the federal spigots are at least working, High Real Estate says. The U.S. Senate has approved a small piece of funding for traffic improvements that are part of High's planned $100 million shopping center across from......
2007-09-11 12:30:00
TIM MEKEEL
A downtown office building has a new owner who will be looking for new tenants in the new year. The Lancaster Unemployment Compensation Service Center at 60 W. Walnut St. was sold Monday for $1.65 million by one family entity to another. Arnold Realty, which developed the building in 1995,......
2007-09-01 12:26:00
CHAD UMBLE
Lititz Improvement Inc., a private investment group that began nearly 40 years ago partially as a way to remove a crumbling downtown theater sign, has been a major force in downtown Lititz ever since. This week, the group helped the former Sturgis Pretzel House reopen as Julius Sturgis Pretzel ......
2007-09-01 03:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
At first glance, it might seem like a bad idea to situate a huge shopping plaza almost next door to Park City Center and all its surrounding stores, along a road already grossly overburdened.But the developers of the 646,000-square-foot Crossings At Conestoga Creek, planned for 90 acres on......
2007-08-22 02:43:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
On the frosty night of Dec. 14, 1763, four Conestoga Indians sought shelter with farmer Peter Swarr at his cabin, two miles west of Lancaster.According to a letter written by Edward Shippen, a local resident at the time, the Indians were survivors of a massacre that morning at "Conest......
2007-08-18 12:12:00
CHAD UMBLE
A lengthy review of a $40 million shopping center proposed near the Lancaster Host Resort ended this week, and a decision on whether plans can move forward is expected by early October. East Lampeter Township Supervisors concluded a "conditional use" hearing Thursday on Mill Creek Square, a 300......
2007-08-15 02:20:00
DAVE PIDGEON
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts said Tuesday he refused to support a local developer's request for a $2 million federal earmark for road improvements that would benefit a shopping center proposed in Manheim Township."We are way out of control (with congressional earmarks), and it is a corrupt......
2007-08-14 01:27:00
LORI VAN INGEN
The Conestoga Valley school board voted Monday night to sell the Penn Johns school building to Ressler Mill Foundation.The board agreed to the foundation's offer of $254,600 — the average of two appraisals of the property — payable over five years.The deal requires ratif......
2007-08-12 00:17:00
PAULA WOLF
For more than a year, Beth Pluta has been trying to buy a new home. The hold-up has been financing, as she's sought out lender after lender to find a mortgage within her means. Pluta, though, isn't eyeing a house in a typical development; she's attempting to move into a subdivi......
2007-08-12 00:14:00
GIL SMART
Carol Simpson hears footsteps. Earlier this month Nelson Rohrer, a former Manheim Township commissioner, filed to run as an independent, again seeking to fill a seat on the board — perhaps Simpson's seat. And Simpson, who chairs the township commissioners, said she understands Rohrer ......
2007-08-10 11:00:00
CHAD UMBLE
The developer of a 190,000-square-foot "main-street style" shopping center in Granite Run Corporate Center is withdrawing its plans but says it will resubmit them no later than September. Berkshire Development, based in Springfield, Mass., is proposing Granite Town Center, a shopping center ......
2007-08-01 11:06:00
DAVID O’CONNOR
It stretches from the heart of the cityscape, past Lancaster County's largest mall and other major traffic producers, and into the heart of the countryside. It's a major gateway into the city, "and it certainly has changed more than any other traffic corridor than I can think of......
2007-07-24 01:50:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
A large shopping complex proposed near Park City Center would put more traffic on Harrisburg Pike than the already over-burdened road can handle, even if $27 million is spent on highway improvements, opponents say.The Crossings at Conestoga Creek, a $100 million, 650,000-square-foot shoppi......
2007-07-17 01:26:00
CARLA DI FONZO
Manheim Township commissioners conducted the second of three hearings Monday on The Crossings at Conestoga Creek, the $100 million shopping center High Real Estate Group wants to build across from Long's Park.As envisioned, the shopping center, which was first proposed in March 2006, w......
2007-07-14 01:20:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
Two area transportation projects are listed for major funding, but a few more hurdles must be cleared before the money rolls in.On Friday, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter announced $11.2 million has been earmarked for final design and construction of the Corridor One project, a proposed commuter r......
2007-07-08 00:14:00
GIL SMART
It may be the first time such a comprehensive survey of Lancaster's neighborhoods has been undertaken. And the list of every school, restaurant and park is being posted online with one express purpose: Convincing more people to call the City of Lancaster home. The effort was the result......
2007-06-29 12:38:00
TIM MEKEEL
Patrick Egan has found a place that fulfills both his needs and wants. He needs to quickly move his firms from the county building at 150 N. Queen St., after many disruptions there. At the same time, he wants to keep his 55 employees in the city, despite tempting offers from suburban sites......
2007-06-21 12:28:00
RYAN ROBINSON
Two major players in the county's tourism and building industries are locking horns over traffic. High Real Estate Group says a $40 million shopping center proposed along Lincoln Highway East will not trigger more traffic headaches. Representatives of the largest hotel along the Route 30 s......
2007-06-14 15:21:00
TIM MEKEEL
The former United Sleep Products factory in Denver slowly is awakening from its five-week slumber. Park Place Corp. on Friday completed the purchase of certain United Sleep assets for an undisclosed price and this week resumed limited production of mattresses here. "What we're trying to do......
2007-06-12 13:55:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Real estate developer Bill Roberts' professional life can be seen in the revitalization of older buildings and the construction of new buildings in Lancaster City and elsewhere. Soon, he plans to bring part of his private life here, too. Roberts, whose Harrisburg-based IBS Development has ......
2007-06-07 01:36:00
CARLA DI FONZO
A standing-room-only crowd packed Manheim Township Municipal Offices Wednesday evening to discuss the a shopping center proposed for Harrisburg Pike across from Long's Park.Many of the residents who attended the public hearing voiced opposition to the project, the Crossings at Conestog......
2007-05-24 10:21:00
MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT
Kory and Julie Mollica signed the papers on their new house, then promptly picked up a sledgehammer. They couldn't wait to destroy the home they just bought. The Mollicas checked out 1993 White Oak Road, Strasburg, at a 2002 open house, mostly out of curiosity. Nes......
2007-05-11 12:41:00
TIM MEKEEL
PPL Electric Utilities watched other utilities that needed to buy power in recent years put all of their eggs in one basket. Then PPL saw how an unpredictable power market flipped that basket over, leading to broken eggs — and busted budgets. So as PPL anticipated securing power to d......
2007-04-26 14:15:00
RYAN ROBINSON
Six former Drumore Township employees allegedly bilked the township of $466,000 through a scheme involving forged signatures, altered checks and bookkeeping cover-ups. In a separate matter, the small, rural township has begun paying back $196,000 in state money misappropriated largely by former......
2007-04-26 13:59:00
TIM MEKEEL
More productivity and convenience for employees. More privacy and comfort for the public. That's what the Lancaster County Tax Collection Bureau will gain by consolidating its three offices into one new — and unique — location in the Greenfield Corporate Center. "There's a......
2007-04-21 02:23:00
Brian Wallace
fA Clay Township farm considered a prime location for development sold for more than $8.7 million Friday, breaking the $100,000-per-acre barrier.The price may be a Lancaster County record for a large parcel of farmland, a real estate official said.Lincoln Developers of Ephrata purch......
2007-04-15 00:14:00
GIL SMART
Curt Baker might be forgiven if he sometimes stares at the books and thinks: If only. If only 20 percent of the property in the School District of Lancaster wasn't exempt from real estate taxes. If only those properties paid taxes, the district, where Baker is business manager, would c......
2007-04-15 00:13:00
GIL SMART
There are more than 100 tax-exempt properties in Lancaster County with an assessment of $5.7 million or higher, according to figures provided by the Lancaster County Assessment Office. The largest tax-exempt structure in the county is Lancaster General Hospital on North Duke Street, valued at more t...
2007-04-13 12:27:00
Staff report
A leaking natural-gas line forced three Lancaster City families from their homes Thursday morning. The leak, caused by a rusted, aging gas line, was discovered around 9:30 a.m. in the basement of 520 S. Duke St., investigators said. The line was repaired, no one was injured, and the famili......
2007-04-13 02:14:00
Brett Hambright
Families were evacuated from three Lancaster city homes Thursday morning when fire officials discovered a leaking gas line in one of the houses.The natural gas leak was found about 9:30 a.m. in the basement of 520 S. Duke St., investigators said.Families from that home and two neigh......
2007-04-05 13:23:00
Tim Mekeel
It's not an issue of how many. It's an issue of how quickly, says High Real Estate Group. Although its proposed Harrisburg Pike shopping center will cause a sharp rise in traffic, High is offering a package of road upgrades that it says will make traffic on that strained roadway fl......
2007-04-01 00:10:00
PAULA WOLF
Kris Parmer will soon take a dramatic step. Later this month, the divorced mom of two children, ages 11 and 9, plans to move into the first house she's ever bought alone. Parmer, who works in sales for a car dealership, admitted to being excited and nervous at the prospect. But af......
2007-03-23 12:42:00
Tim Mekeel
The North Carolina developer of a proposed shopping center on Lincoln Highway East came to a township meeting Thursday with a new, local friend: High Real Estate Group. Faison Enterprises, which last year disclosed its intentions to build the center near the Lancaster Host Resort, announce......
2007-03-23 03:08:00
Lisa Grimaud
About 24 East Lampeter Township residents attended a conditional-use hearing Thursday night to hear more about Millcreek Square, a proposed shopping complex along Lincoln Highway East.Affiliates of High Real Estate Group LLC and Faison Enterprises, Inc., of Charlotte, N.C., plan to jointly......
2007-02-13 01:57:00
Carla Di Fonzo
Manheim Township commissioners announced Monday they will hold a public hearing April 9 to discuss revised plans for a shopping center that would be built across from Long's Park.The revised plans, submitted by High Real Estate Group, will be reviewed by Manheim Township Planning Commissio......
2006-10-25 01:47:22
Larry Alexander
City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to lend $1.24 million to the redevelopment authority so the authority can pay three upcoming obligations:
$732,000 to repay a Community Block Development Grant “floating loan” that is due Oct. 31.
$382,500 still owed on the 20-......
2006-09-14 13:18:09
Tim Mekeel
The deal, announced Wednesday, is expected to be completed by year-end. More than 40 of the business’s 55 employees will be offered jobs at eComm, D&E spokesman W. Garth Sprecher said. The remaining 10 to 12 employees will be considered for open positions at D&E, he said. One of D&E’s oldes......
2006-08-30 00:34:36
P. J. Reilly
Hold the vote.
Lancaster County commissioners Tuesday decided to delay the buy of 92 used electronic voting machines.
They delayed the purchase so the county solicitor’s office can learn more about a lawsuit filed in Commonwealth Court seeking to ban voting machines that provide no ver...
2006-04-07 08:16:02
Colby Itkowitz
The district began renting the building at 630 Rockland St. in August 2005 to inaugurate the program with hopes of taking ownership before June 30, 2006.
The new, still-unnamed school is geared toward "over-age" middle school students who are prone to dropping out.
About 100 studen...
2005-10-19 15:26:03
Andrea Johnson Review Staff Typeset.eph@lnpnews.com
“We have had the property for some time and we made the decision some time ago to consolidate the elementary schools,” said board President Dennis Oberholtzer. Oberholtzer said cost was associated with the upkeep of the building and property and the school was put on the market to see what value the...
2005-09-27 09:11:46
Dave Pidgeon
Lancaster city's northwest is enjoying an economic development boom, and city government wants to both encourage it and cash in on it.
The city's finance committee Monday night backed resolutions to clear the way for the city to sell the grass lot next to the police station along Chestnut Str...
2005-06-22 12:14:04
Dave Pidgeon
The school district voted unanimously for the tax forgiveness.
Once the homes are sold, the owners will pay full property taxes, SACA executive director Carlos Graupera said.
“The future value of these new properties on the tax rolls more than compensates the district,” he said. “It ca...
2005-01-11 13:30:29
Tim Mekeel
The bank sold its Lancaster regional headquarters to a Jenkintown real estate investment trust for $4.1 million, according to courthouse records. But Wachovia is keeping its 100-some employees right where they are – inside the Queen and Orange streets structure. “We’ve leased back almost 100 p......
2003-06-01 00:10:40
Gil Smart
The Economic Development Co. of Lancaster County has closed on two properties needed to build a proposed baseball stadium in the city's Northwest Triangle, and is close to securing a third.
But because the all-important written promise from Gov. Ed Rendell has still not been delivered, the ED...
