Groundbreaking at Major Development Project

How many shovels does it take to dedicate an 85-acre site?

At least nine, it turns out. Business partners, local dignitaries, and community members gathered on Thursday, March 30 to commemorate the official start of construction at The Crossings at Conestoga Creek in Lancaster County, PA. A buildout along Harrisburg Pike, the completed project will include close to 210,000 square feet of commercial space, more than 250 apartments, and a 127-room Residence Inn by Marriott hotel. It will also result in hundreds of new jobs in the area and almost 39 acres of dedicated, public-use green space with walking and bicycle trails.

Owned and developed by High Real Estate Group, the mixed-use community has been in the works for ten years. A Wegmans food market will anchor the site, with about 90,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. At a cost of about $100 million, some of the site will be ready to open by fall 2018, and will include major road improvements to Harrisburg Pike.

Partner companies represented at the groundbreaking included:

• High Real Estate Group, LLC
• RETTEW
• High Construction Company
• Greenfield Architects Ltd.
• Abel Construction Co., Inc.
• Maine Drilling and Blasting
• Zwicky Processing & Recycling, Inc.
• High Hotels Ltd.

RETTEW has long been involved in the project, with nearly every service group within the company contributing to the work including site design, environmental investigations and permitting, stormwater design, surveying, geotechnical work, and roadway designs. The expansive site required many complex plans and a focused team effort to ensure the overall plan and client goals were met. High will invest about $20 million in site improvements, and about $10 million, including some grant money, into nearby transportation infrastructure.
The project will benefit the local economy with improved infrastructure, about 500 jobs during construction and about 700 jobs upon completion, and through tax payments. High and RETTEW have also placed an emphasis on preserving the environment and cultural resources at the site, including preserving a historic farm house, rebuilding a stream, and connecting the site to a local park.

Stay tuned for more updates as the project progresses!