At a meeting June 6, York city council approved plans for a 140-unit apartment building in part of an area known as the Northwest Triangle, a zone that has long been targeted for redevelopment.
- The plans were pitched by Statewide Partners LLC, a regional developer with offices in Harrisburg and York.
- “We think that this project is the first part of a big transformation for this area of the city,” said Josh Juffe, a principal with the firm.
What’s included: The 6.5-story building is expected to feature a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments with about 23,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. The half-floor accounts for loft-style units at the top.
- The apartments will range in size from about 650 square feet to about 1,200 square feet, Juffe said, declining to share the cost of the project.
- Juffe said he would like to see a restaurant in the building and is open to additional uses as they emerge.
- The project includes about 95 surface parking spaces, Juffe said. There are two parking garages nearby.
- The project site — vacant land in the 100 and 200 blocks of North Beaver street — is owned by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of York but will be purchased by Statewide.
What’s next: Statewide expects to break ground this fall, Juffe said.
- Construction, which the company will handle itself, will take 14 to 18 months, he said.
- Statewide hopes to submit plans for a second phase of development on nearby tracts in January or February, Juffe said.
- Phase two will likely also include a mixed-use building with luxury apartments and ground-floor retail.
- Two additional phases are slated to follow, he said.
- High interest rates and construction costs are a challenge, Juffe acknowledged. But he said Statewide has budgeted for them.
- “We do not think costs are going to come down. So, it’s better to build now rather than later,” Juffe said.
- He expected demand for rental housing to remain strong, particularly among younger people.
The background: York officials extended Statewide an option last year for a 4.4 acre site in the Northwest Triangle. The first phase of Statewide’s development covers just under two acres.
- The former industrial area hugs the Codorus Creek northwest of the city center.
- Earlier projects in the Northwest Triangle include the baseball stadium now known as WellSpan Park, a new building for the York Academy Regional Charter School, the office conversion of a former industrial building at 320 N. George St. and the Keystone Color Works apartment building at 175 W. Gay Ave.
- A previous developer had floated plans for a high-tech campus at the site but they fell through.
- The Northwest Triangle is in a federally designated Opportunity Zone, a federal tax-incentive program.
