Home improvement store coming to Southgate Shopping Center in Chambersburg
Ashley BooksA new business is set to take over an unused portion of Chamberburg's Southgate Shopping Center, borough officials announced at a meeting Thursday evening.
Phil Wolgemuth, assistant to the borough manager and Land Use and Development director, said Busy Beaver, a home improvement store, was issued a permit this week to secure and fit out the building most recently occupied by Gold's Gym. He added the company also received approval from the zoning board for off street parking in front of the store.
Busy Beaver was founded in 1962, and currently operates 21 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia which employ more than 400 people, according to the company's website. The business offers a variety of building materials, home goods and storage and organizational supplies, among others. Wolgemuth noted this will be its first store this far east in the state, with plans to open it sometime later this year or next year.
The news was part of a meeting where residents could share input on the updated Elm Street Neighborhood Area Plan for the Elm Street program the borough adopted in 2007.
The program is currently run by the borough, BOPIC Inc., Downtown Chambersburg Inc., the Elm Street Advisory Council and other neighborhood-based organizations. It was created to prevent neighborhood decline by addressing things like old houses, high rental-to-owner ratios, insufficient affordable housing, improvement of links to the downtown business district and the creation and maintenance of a clean, safe and green community.
The Elm Street neighborhood covers 324 acres west of the railroad tracks to the Franklin County Housing Authority, south of Falling Spring and Conococheague creeks (excluding the downtown district), and north of Derbyshire Street.
During the event, several local leaders spoke about projects the program has completed or is in the process of completing.
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Among them was Bonnie Zehler, executive director of Valley Community Housing Corporation, which broke ground Friday afternoon for its latest project, Parkview Corner.
The new three-story building, located at the corner of South Main and East South streets, will have 40 one- to two-bedroom apartments for senior citizens. It will cost around $11.5 million to develop, and include four mobility-impaired units and one hearing/vision-impaired unit. Rents will be below fair market value, Zehler added, ranging from $190 to $727, depending on the apartment and based on the tenant's income.
The property will also feature several amenities, such as a cafe, a community room, a salon, a fitness center, a health care office, pet-friendly accommodations, off street parking and on-site maintenance.
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Zehler also spoke about how the non-profit is looking at investing $2.8 million into purchasing the Chambersburg Hispanic American Center's office in the 200 block of Main Street. The Main Street Community Development Project would involve turning the first floor of the building into a commercial space that would house offices for the Hispanic center and First Start Partnerships, formerly Franklin County Head Start, in addition to adding six one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments.
The event ended with April Showers, a planning consultant for the borough, discussing some of the Elm Street program's accomplishments, goals and objectives and five-year strategy.
Several of the objectives included fostering better information sharing and cooperation among the culturally-diverse neighborhood, increasing public and private investment, increasing home ownership and housing values and improving neighborhood cleanliness and appeal.
At the end of the meeting, attendees were able to submit their input on the plan before it is adopted and submitted to the state this June.