Posted by tblefko on October 11, 2009
I found a recent online editorial in the Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal by Jeff Hawkes on “Smart Growth” very interesting. Hawkes was writing about a workshop that he had attended recently that expounded on the virtues of “Smart Growth” and that Lancaster County needs to embrace this concept as it moves into the 21st century. Overall I thought the piece was well-written and made a number of good points. What caused me to sit down in front of my laptop and fire off a blog post was actually what was written after his editorial in the “Comments” section.
. . . and I quote:
“Smart Growth is dense development in townships that are not compensated by other townships for the havoc caused by traffic snarls, added services, and infrastructure needs, not to mention higher school taxes.”
. . . and then there was this little gem:
“ . . . don’t call it “Smart Growth”. There is nothing “smart” about it, except for the folks to stand to profit off of the development. Its delusional to think that this type of development is in anyway “smart” in the long run, or saving farmland. Continued development of this nature will bring the infrastructure of the county to its knees, and the taxpayers will be left to pick up the tab.”
Huh????????????
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Posted in Construction, Development, Lancaster | Tagged: High-Density Housing, Environment, Intelligencer Journal, Real estate, American Planning Association, National Wildlife Federation, American Farmland Trust, Center on Sustainable & Regional Growth, Environmental Law Institute, Institute of Transportation Engineers, National Association of Counties, National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, National Neighborhood Coalition, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Natural Resources Defense Council, Rails to Trails Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, Trust for Public Land | 2 Comments »
Posted by tblefko on July 10, 2009
The gap between the 2008 and 2009 real estate markets in Lancaster County is down to a razor’s edge. On Wednesday of this week, the front page of the Intelligencer Journal ran the following story:
Market Here For Housing Gets Better ¹
Numbers for pending home sales improve
The housing market in Lancaster County continued to rebound in May, creeping ever closer to 2008′s level, local Realtors reported Tuesday.
The number of pending home sales here was down only 2.5 percent from the May 2008 figure, the smallest gap so far this year, according to the Lancaster County Association of Realtors.
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Posted in Lancaster, Market Conditions | Tagged: Agents, Buyers, Financing, Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster County, Lancaster County Association of REALTORS, Mortgage, National Association of REALTORS, Newspapers, Property Values, Statistics, U.S. Housing Market | Leave a Comment »
Posted by tblefko on June 18, 2009
Lancaster County Convention Center
Whether you were an original fan or opponent of the downtown convention center, it’s time to unite. It is now officially open for business. Instead of a vacant, aging monstrosity of a building on Penn Square; Lancastrians now have a beautiful, state of the art showpiece that we can now be proud of. You can take a virtual tour of the facility by visiting their website. The website also does a good job of promoting events and businesses in downtown Lancaster. Take the time to visit the facility over the next couple of days and welcome our newest resident to the neighborhood.
The following article appeared on LancasterOnline this morning:
Long Road to a Ribbon Cutting for Convention Center
$174 million project opens this week
For the Penn Square hotel/convention center, today is one part finish line, one part starting gate.
Developers and backers of the $174 million hotel/convention center on Penn Square this morning will participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, one day before the center is scheduled to open.
Yet, while it may look like construction is complete and the lights are ready to come on — after a decade of legal fights, building delays and skyrocketing material costs — today’s event is merely another milestone.
What begins when the facility opens Friday is a 20-year effort to pay back debt and confirm whether promises of a successful lodging and meeting center will prove true.
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Posted in Development, Lancaster | Tagged: City of Lancaster, Convention Center, Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster Newspapers, Penn Square, Rick Gray, T. Boone Pickens, Web Sites | Leave a Comment »
