LOCAL

York Art Association will have to move for I-83 widening project

Teresa Boeckel
York Daily Record

The York Art Association is the latest property owner to receive a notice that its building will be needed for the widening of Interstate 83.

The association, which sits along the highway just south of the East Market Street interchange, recently received the notice from the state Department of Transportation, according to a news release. It has started its search for a new home, preferably on the east side of the city.

PennDOT notified the nonprofit organization in 2016 that its building might be affected by plans to widen the highway from four to six lanes between North George and Market streets. The association received a definitive answer at the end of last month, executive director Roth Preap said in a phone interview.

Trucks roll past the York Art Association at 220 South Marshall Street in Springettsbury Township on Wednesday. The association received a formal notice from PennDOT that its building will be taken by the state as part of the plan to expand the I-83 Market Street interchange.

Now, the association will have to move from the home it built 54 years ago at 220 S. Marshall St. in Springettsbury Township.

The association, which has more than 400 members, hopes to remain close to I-83 and Route 30, he said. Some artists come from Harrisburg and Lancaster. The nonprofit, which has existed since 1905, envisions finding a larger home where it can offer more educational space and a bigger gallery to showcase

"It's kind of like a revitalization of the organization," he said of its future.

While PennDOT and the association move through the acquisition process, all classes, workshops, exhibitions, lectures and other events will go on as planned, the release states.

Jane Wolfgang, of Manchester Township, works on a cold wax and oil paint abstract landscape. Wolfgang teaches a class at the association and said that her aunt and mother were students at the association. 'It's comforting to know they will still be here wherever they wind up," referring to its future new home.

Property owners near the highway have been receiving notices in recent years about PennDOT's need to acquire their land, buildings or both for the planned improvements. Some residents already have moved, and structures have been boarded up. One business recently closed after 62 years for the upcoming I-83 mainline widening.

Construction for the entire project is estimated to cost $423 million, according to PennDOT.

PennDOT recently notified 31 property owners on both sides of the highway in the area of Market Street about the acquisiton. Residents who live along North Hills Road recently received letters that they will have to move for the planned improvements.

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The art association says it has been told that PennDOT will offer an estimated value on its property around the end of the year, and discussions will continue into 2024, the release states. With the construction timeline, the nonprofit will be able to stay in its building until the end of 2025, if necessary.

"I ask our members and the York community to support us throughout this time because we will be bigger and better in the long run,” Preap said in the release.