At a Finance Committee meeting of Feb. 25th, LCCCA Chair Art Morris found it difficult to understand why he, a contract employee of Lancaster Newspapers, Inc., should not represent the Authority in negotiations with hotel developer Penn Square Partners (PSP). A subsidiary of Lancaster Newspapers Inc. is an equal partner in PSP, which, in a […]
Tag: News and Commentary
F & M promises no traffic thru School Lane Hills
Concerning the planning and future development of the current athletic fields, a Franklin & Marshall official has informed NewsLanc that “the College would be extremely sensitive to the adjacent neighborhood and would take all necessary steps to protect the attractiveness and character of School Lane Hills.” In her communication, Nancy Collins, Vice President for College […]
Some Cities Offer A Cautionary Tale
The following is excerpted from the the Miami Herald McClatchy-Tribune Regional News: Feb. 23, 2008 Hopes were high in 2000 when St. Louis raised nearly $200 million to build a new headquarters hotel for the city’s convention center. “St. Louis has accomplished something that has eluded most other cities for years,” tourism director Bob […]
F&M Withdraws Controversial Student Housing Overlay District Plan
According to an announcement by County Planner Danny Whittle at Monday’s meeting of the Lancaster County Planning Commission, Franklin & Marshall College has withdrawn its petition for a zoning amendment in the City’s northwest between College Avenue, Harrisburg Pike, Charlotte Street, and Orange Street. The Amendment would have permitted more than the currently-allowed 2 or […]
Open Primaries Are Preferable
The Feb. 25th Intelligencer Journal’s editorial, “The Party’s choice” defends the exclusion of independents from voting in Pennsylvania’s Democratic and Republican primaries. The Intell endorses closed primaries, and asks: “Why should people outside the party decide who the party’s nominee should be?” A week ago, former U. S. Senator and former Chair of the Republican […]
Local boy makes good!
The New York Times’s What’s Online “Suburbia’s March to Oblivion” by Dan Mitchell quotes Sunday News columnist Gil Smart as follows: “The idea that the American experiment with suburban sprawl would end badly is not a new one. But the work of Mr. Nelson, as amplified by Mr.Leinberger, shows that ‘the traditional suburban model may […]
EDITORIAL: The ‘Problem of Evil’ in Lancaster
It is puzzling that the continuing revelations of abuse, greed and likely malfeasance sanctioned by the Power Elite in Lancaster have not caused wide-scale public condemnation and civic actions. A recent blatant example is the $5 million or more rip off of the public via a bizarre contract clause that ‘gifts’ half of the proceeds […]
"Convention Centers: Is the Industry Overbuilt? 2008"
Below are excerpts from the above-named article that appeared in the HVS monthly report on the hospitality industry: “Many existing exhibition facilities are not operating at or near full capacity. Even as demand slowed throughout the first part of this decade, supply continued to expand, resulting in facility utilization rates near historic lows. Public policy […]
SDL to renovate most of its schools
According to information presented at a Community Meeting at George Washington Elementary School on the evening of Thursday February 21, the School District of Lancaster plans to spend close to $300 million over the next couple of years for renovations and additions to 16 out of its 21 schools. The renovations would be paid for […]
Northwest Residents Sound Fury at F&M Student Overlay District Plan
City Council chambers were packed Wednesday night. Over 150 concerned residents primarily from the city’s northwestern quadrant turned out for the City Planning Commission’s hearing on the proposed “student housing overlay district.” The Planning Commission’s task is to hold hearings and then it has the opportunity to recommend that City Council either approve or disapprove […]
Pitching Streetcars
The Rotary Club of Lancaster listened to a presentation on the idea of trolley cars for downtown Lancaster at their weekly meeting Wednesday. The speakers at the event were Tim Peters and Jack Howell who direct the Lancaster Streetcar Company. The Streetcar Initiative is “composed of many important leaders from many important organizations,” Peters explained […]
Commissioners Opine on City’s Nonprofit and Social Services Tax Burden
Asked by a NewsLanc reporter, Wednesday, whether the Commissioners will consider Mayor Gray’s recent proposal that the County make some contribution to the city in-lieu of taxes due to the number of nonprofits in the City, due to the social services the City provides, and due to the number of unfortunates who tend to seek […]
Did the Commissioners violate the Sunshine Act?
At the outset of their public meeting, Wednesday, the Commissioners apologized for their having held a meeting last week after Commissioner Chairman Dennis Stuckey and County Clerk Andrea McCue had told some that the meeting had been canceled due to the weather. The Commissioners each admitted that they made a mistake last week but refused […]
FBI Moves Luna Case to Philly;DA Has No File or Interest
by Matt Henderson On February 20, NewsLanc interviewed Lancaster District Attorney Craig Stedman concerning the controversial murder investigation by the authorities of Assistant U. S. Prosecutor Jonathan Luna. Stedman said that he understands that the Luna case was now being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia. He said it’s out of his hands […]