In The News

Intelligencer Journal & New Era
February 4, 2010

By P.J. Reilly
staff writer

Eight local development projects were honored by the Lancaster County Planning Commission as recipients of the 2009 Envision Leadership Awards.

The awards are given annually to foster and raise awareness of smart growth in Lancaster County.

The winners' projects met smart growth indicators and standards - such as replicability, effectiveness and community involvement - that the county planners would like to see emulated.

A special recognition award in the community design and placemaking category was given to the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square and Lancaster County Convention Center.

The county planners cited the convention center and hotel as a public/private partnership that led to the creation of one of the city's "signature landmarks and a prime example of its diverse architectural heritage."

Florin Hill in Mount Joy Borough was given a leadership award for a large project in the community design and placemaking category.

The development, which will eventually consist of 483 homes of various types, 75,000 square feet of commercial space and 10 acres of open space, is considered by the planners to be a "traditional smart-growth community."

West Lampeter Village Renewal Project also received a leadership award in the community capacity category.

In the project, a committee of community volunteers completed a plan to return Willow Street and Lampeter villages "to the vibrant communities they once were and bring back their sense of place," the planners noted.

The Fairmount House Project won an achievement award in the community design and placemaking category for Tabor Community Services' efforts in converting a deteriorated city bar into a mixed-use property housing commercial and residential units.

The Spanish American Civic Association Development Corp.'s Porches on Palm project in the city also won an achievement award in the sustainable growth category, for the transformation of traditional but small rowhomes into spacious, three- and four-bedroom family homes.

A certificate of merit in the infrastructure category was awarded to the Route 896 Relocation Project in Strasburg township and borough.

A certificate of merit in the sustainable category was awarded to the Swisher Building Project in Lancaster city.

Drogaris Companies converted the circa-1900s tobacco warehouse into a mixed-use development, consisting of 24 apartments, commercial office space and planned restaurant/entertainment space.