A new Midtown development is getting closer to existence, as the developers hosted an event Saturday to get feedback from residents and future neighbors.
The company Harrisburg Commercial Interiors hosted the event at noon at the site of the project, 1629 N 3rd St. Residents had the opportunity to connect with the lead developer, and ask questions about the upcoming redevelopment phases.
The developers set up a tent on the vacant lots and supplied visitors with a packet including floor plans for phases one through eleven, finished images of the apartments and townhouses, and a green space area map.
In August, the city’s redevelopment board voted to give Midtown Redevelopment LP the job of completing the unfinished marketplace development, consisting of 67 lots between Reily Street and Broad Street Market area.
That vote gave HCI permission to move ahead with the plan, which includes a mix of a single-family townhouses, a community center and more than 100 apartment units.
Matthew Long, owner of Harrisburg Commercial Interiors, said Saturday’s event was important to inform the public about the plans for the area since they will be seeking approval from the planning commission, and for zoning, and land development in the upcoming months,
Many residents are looking forward to the additional housing and development. However, some residents are concerned about possible gentrification, or a negative impact on small businesses.
Heather Haweaker, who lives in Midtown, believes the redevelopment plan will change the dynamic of the neighborhood and the people who live there, as she has seen gentrification occur in other cities. However, she said she would keep an open mind about the new development.
“My concern is how this plan is going to affect current residents that are working in small businesses or in the service industry like people working at gas stations,” she said. “Most of those people are struggling.”
Long disagreed that the plans would lead to gentrification, because they are developing empty lots and providing additional opportunities for Harrisburg residents.
“Either these lots stay vacant or get developed,” he said. “In my eyes, we are taking vacant empty lots and we’re trying to serve everyone including existing community members.”
Although HCI has received some mixed opinions from residents, Long plans to actively work closely with everyone to improve the vacant lots.
“At the end of the day, we are developers and we’re not going to make everyone happy,” he said. “There are a lot of people saying they love it and others saying that they don’t like it and refuse to change their opinions. Really the best thing we can do is work with them because at the end of the day, these lots need to be re-developed and they cannot sit here and be vacant.”
Recently, plans have surfaced to add a grocery store nearby on 4th St. Long said the company plans to host more community meetings to see how that request would fit into HCI’s original construction plan.
Next week, Long and his teammates will be hosting another meeting for community members to learn more about the upcoming developments between 12 pm and 3pm at the same location.
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