By Robert Field
Several years ago I pleaded with Randy Patterson, Lancaster’s planning czar, to allow me to meet with him to discuss development of Lancaster Square East.
He asked if I would be meeting with him as a potential Brunswick Hotel buyer. I told him no, that I wanted to discuss and possibly help the City to re-develop Lancaster Square East site from the derelict Bulova Building and decrepit Brunswick Hotel and Annex into a mixed upscale residential development.
The owners of the Brunswick were near desperate to sell. I was close to the managing partner and felt that their total holdings could have been purchased at the time for about $3 million.
The Bulova building, formerly Hess Department Store, was in bankruptcy and a blight, and possibly even an environmental danger to downtown. Much as I had predicted at the time, as we saw yesterday, it sold for a song – $1.65 million.
So for about $5 million, the site could have been bought and the buildings razed. At $50,000 a unit with site improvements in place for a hundred unit combination of middle and low rise housing – so needed and so desirable for downtown – the combined site would have been a steal for a developer.
A bank could have loaned the development agency the $5 million and been later repaid from sales proceeds. Or public spirited citizens, including your’s truly, could have advanced the funds.
But Mayor Rick Gray and Patterson declined to even meet to discuss re-development of Lancaster Square East. (They also refused to meet to discuss how best to address the time bomb of the combined sanitary and storm sewer systems.)
Can you imagine their not meeting with Dale High? And who is the more experienced developer? (Probably a close tie.)
Which raises two legitimate questions. Are they simply stupid when it comes to real estate planning, pitiful in Gray but unforgivable in Patterson? Or were they in bed with establishment interests and afraid to take an initiative? Perhaps both?
Readers can decide for themselves. But the loss of this opportunity to create a first class and much needed residential development in the heart of the City deprived Lancaster of a jewel, the very type of improvements sought to support restaurants, retail trade and offices.
And think of it, no tax payer money would have been required!
The PPM Real Estate firm that bought the Bulova Building has been around for a long time, starting with developing shopping centers in cities across the state.
See “Pittsburgh developer high bidder for Bulova building” in today’s LNP.”
“Zamagias plans retail on the first floor, offices on the second and third floor and residential on the top floor of the 212,000-square-foot building…
“The bid was about $1.65 million. At one point last year, PPM Real Estate was listing the building for $15.9 million.“
“In a request for proposal as part of eminent domain efforts, the city outlined its vision: ‘… retail or other active pedestrian uses in the first floor of the Bulova Building; entertainment uses, professional office space and residential development as for-sale or market rate apartments.’ ”
PPM will likely make the most of the existing building. We wish them good fortune.
Of course they depends on whether they can get a successful Environmental Study for this former munitions building. Oh, of course, the City won’t require one!
Now let’s look at Gray’s and Patterson’s ten year in office score card: They supported the Convention Center disaster; tried to foster street cars to clog our narrow streets; kicked the can down the road with the potentially economically disastrous sanitary and storm sewer system with lame brained and token efforts; supported Senator Lloyd Smuckers’ CRIZ plan that gives away future tax revenue to special interests without any requirement for repayment; and now the two have screwed up Lancaster Square East.
Am I angry? You bet I’m angry. I tried so hard to help Lancaster and these two boobs stood in my way.
You should be angry too.
Unfortunately, Lancaster City and County are totally controlled by the Power Elite, in non-elected offices; who feel that they are far above everyone else in their little kingdom. They exhibit the attitude that, regardless of an individuals past experience or success, NO ONE is smarter than the Power Elite, and NO ONE should ever challenge or even question the all-knowing wisdom and all-powerful control that they smirkingly throw in everyone’s face at every opportunity.
Lancaster City and County will only become a true democracy when the current Power Elite are either run out of town, replaced or otherwise ‘move on’.
And don’t forget allowing Armstrong World to give the floor plant to F & M and LGH – good bye millions in tax revenue and 2000 jobs!
If you only knew the history of the Brunswick Hotel and 150 North Queen with code issues you would be even more furious. Trying to make those two buildings safe cost me my career.
I do not live in the city. I have never cared for the Mayor. He may be a very nice man but I have not seen much from him. He seems be a typical politician who knows better than others. I really wish they would not have dropped the ball here. It will have an affect on the rest of the county.
This is interesting, the overall topic of the city refusing to work with anyone but a select few when it comes to residential and mixed-use developement……..and this: “But Mayor Rick Gray and Patterson declined to even meet to discuss re-development of Lancaster Square East. (THEY ALSO refused to meet to discuss how best to address the time bomb of the combined sanitary and storm sewer systems.)” *note what is in the parenthesis
The mayor sees the world through rose colored bow ties.
Once they start rehabing that asbestos laden eyesore, demo will start looking more attractive, I predict.
Their offense is that they refused to endure a conceited and browbeating lecture from self-interested know-it-all Robert Field.
EDITOR: My defense is having been right on the issues. Isn’t that enough?
The chance to do a good thing, once again fumbled by the mayor and his buddies.
In one of my human development classes I scored an interview with the mayor himself. He went on a few tangents that didn’t have anything to do with success on the job. I liked him a lot as a person.
EDITOR: I like him as a person too. We had worked together to establish the initial syringe exchange through the AME Bethel church. I was his largest financial contributor to his first election.
But from the beginning, he seemed to be prisoner to certain strong willed assistants and a tool of the Lancaster establishment. He quickly became intolerant of contrary views. Very sad.
A good man has brought current huge set backs and likely future disasters to his community.
Mayor Rick Gray is what I call a “smart fool.” There are a lot of them.
Local politics. Smucker is a shoe in as the next Congressman of the 16th Dist.
Sure would be good to see Lancaster Counntians vote with their heads instead of party.