Northwest Gateway/Armstrong Project
The City of Lancaster, PA is experiencing a surge in redevelopment activity thanks in part to the Northwest Gateway/Armstrong Project. This Project is the result of collaboration among three Project Partners: Franklin & Marshall College (F&M), Lancaster General Hospital (LGH), and the EDC Finance Corporation (EDC) to redevelop 47 acres of the Armstrong World Industries Liberty Street Plant, located along the Amtrak Railroad, east of Dillerville Road, and situated mostly within Lancaster City. Armstrong’s neighbors - F&M and LGH, in conjunction with EDC – Lancaster, realized the potential of the property and were in a position to expand their own facilities and invest in community redevelopment. F&M plans to utilize approximately 26 acres of the property for athletic fields and general campus expansion, while LGH will redevelop approximately 19 acres into four new city blocks of commercial and mixed use, in support of hospital property. Additionally, Armstrong will upgrade its current manufacturing facility on an abutting (residual) parcel of property where it will continue to make vinyl sheet/vinyl flooring products. |
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Economic stimulus packages provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have helped make this project possible including:
$175,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s (DCED’s) Business in Our Sites Planning Program, which was used in 2005 and 2006 for the initial study of the site. The study included an analysis of the existing environmental conditions and the steps required to demolish and clear the site, the development of a master plan for the property, and an economic impact study for the master plan.
$500,000 grant from Pennsylvania’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). Keith Orris of F&M explained that this grant is being used for site demolition, environmental site characterization and remediation, and the installation of infrastructure.
$1,000,000 grant from DCED’s Industrial Sites Reuse Program (ISRP) to EDC for the environmental remediation of the site.
Additionally, Lancaster City and County, the federal government, and other state grants have made funding available for this redevelopment project. Fifty four percent of the total estimated project cost is being born by F&M, LGH, and Armstrong, who are contributing $6 million each.
Work at the Northwest Gateway/Armstrong Site was initiated in the fall of 2006. Demolition, environmental clean up and construction of new infrastructure for the site is estimated to cost approximately $35 million and take up to 36 months to complete.
ARM’s Role
ARM is pleased to announce that our firm will be conducting the environmental and geotechnical investigations required to support this renewal project. The Project Partners have retained Radnor Property Group (Radnor) to serve as the overall Project Manager. With overall project coordination being conducted by Radnor, ARM is working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (PADEP’s) Brownfield Action Team to characterize and remediate the site in accordance with Pennsylvania’s Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act (Act 2) of 1995. This is a fast-tracked project, being conducted in accord with EPA’s One Cleanup Program, and the environmental work is expected to be completed by the middle of 2008. An essential part of ARM’s responsibilities will be to complete its work in a timely and effficient manner in order to avoid demolition and construction delays. Additionally, ARM’s role includes close coordination with the demolition contractor (Brandenburg Industrial Services Corporation) to ensure that decisions are being made to facilitate effective environmental remediation with respect to the proposed future uses of each parcel. The location of this project is depicted on Figure 1.
ARM is also providing geotechnical inspections and testing during demolition and site preparation work.
For additional information about the Northwest Gateway/Armstrong Project please contact Ned Wehler, ARM’s President at nwehler@armgroup.net.
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