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When I first moved downtown in the late 90s, there wasn't much going on. Aside from The Vault (which I never knew existed until after it closed) and Dewey's Dry Dock, there was pretty much no reason to walk down Second Street after 5. Fast forward a decade, and we've got a steady stream of pedestrian traffic after 5 that explodes into wall-to-wall people around 10. Even some of the complaints I had back in the early 2000s, such as a lack of grocery options, have been resolved.
Midtown has done equally well over the period. The former "hooker district" has been repainted with new mom-and-pop shops and housing redevelopment. And although the new courthouse won't completely revolutionize the area, it will almost certainly have a marked -- if small -- impact on midtown.
Absent from both sections of the city? Squares.
There doesn't seem to be a centralized destination for anything. Our development over the last decade or so has been spread out throughout the city. As such, while large swaths like "downtown" and "midtown" are doing well, there aren't any smaller, all-encompassing neighborhoods, because we simply don't have any blocks with a strong blend of retail / dining / grocery / entertainment venues.
Sure, we have Midtown Scholar (which I love). The farmers market -- when it's open -- is across the street. Sprinkled over the next few blocks are a grocery, a coffee place, a few more restaurants, and a few retail boutiques. But to the best of my knowledge, there aren't any places in the city where this all comes together in a one- or two-block area.
Has anyone else noticed this? It seems like development near HACC is heading this way, but that's about it. Downtown feels more like a "grab 'n' go" place unless you're seated at Spice or Ceoltas.
Contrast this with the potential of places like the square in Wilkes-Barre, and you just have to wonder ... why not us?
I'm glad to hear this because I'm a student a Penn State Harrisburg and coming from DC, I must say that I'm not a fan of Harrisburg lol. It seems like nothing goes on in the area. If it does, I'm definitely unaware of it.
When I first moved downtown in the late 90s, there wasn't much going on. Aside from The Vault (which I never knew existed until after it closed) and Dewey's Dry Dock, there was pretty much no reason to walk down Second Street after 5. Fast forward a decade, and we've got a steady stream of pedestrian traffic after 5 that explodes into wall-to-wall people around 10. Even some of the complaints I had back in the early 2000s, such as a lack of grocery options, have been resolved.
Midtown has done equally well over the period. The former "hooker district" has been repainted with new mom-and-pop shops and housing redevelopment. And although the new courthouse won't completely revolutionize the area, it will almost certainly have a marked -- if small -- impact on midtown.
Absent from both sections of the city? Squares.
There doesn't seem to be a centralized destination for anything. Our development over the last decade or so has been spread out throughout the city. As such, while large swaths like "downtown" and "midtown" are doing well, there aren't any smaller, all-encompassing neighborhoods, because we simply don't have any blocks with a strong blend of retail / dining / grocery / entertainment venues.
Sure, we have Midtown Scholar (which I love). The farmers market -- when it's open -- is across the street. Sprinkled over the next few blocks are a grocery, a coffee place, a few more restaurants, and a few retail boutiques. But to the best of my knowledge, there aren't any places in the city where this all comes together in a one- or two-block area.
Has anyone else noticed this? It seems like development near HACC is heading this way, but that's about it. Downtown feels more like a "grab 'n' go" place unless you're seated at Spice or Ceoltas.
Contrast this with the potential of places like the square in Wilkes-Barre, and you just have to wonder ... why not us?
Harrisburg's "square" is Riverfront Park. That's pretty much where you catch everyone socializing, walking their dogs, jogging or just hanging out in general.
I do agree about the need for another park near the city's midtown or downtown area. While Riverfront Park is an amazing asset, it would be nice to have an urban type park ala Rittenhouse or Washington Square in Philadelphia.
The area next to the Broad Street Market on paper looks like it would be a great spot for that. Right in the center of Midtown, next to the market and bookstore and the middle of all the new development. I can't help but think, however, that taking such a prime piece of real estate and making it non-taxable would be a mistake. That land would be MUCH better served as mixed-use (grocery store anyone?) with retail on the first floor and three of four stories of condos/rentals above.
The problem is the major landowners in Harrisburg. The redevelopment authority, Harristown and a few other major power brokers own EVERYTHING. Literally. So they can completely control the market, jack up the rent and hold onto the property until just the right deal comes along (which is pretty much never - hence all the vacant land outside of downtown).
Regarding the development -- I completely agree. It's so separated from each other. While there has been quite a boom of new shops and entertainment venues lately (seriously, nearly a dozen in the past year alone) they aren't in a "strip" or "row" which makes them seem so far apart. It really feels as though there is no critical mass when, in fact, there nearly is. What needs to happen now is the dots need to be connected, so to speak. The holes need to fill in along Third street with the remaining vacant store fronts, the abandoned buildings must be rehabbed (Furlow is on its way, apparently) and the nuisance bars have to go.
While Riverfront Park is an amazing asset, it would be nice to have an urban type park ala Rittenhouse or Washington Square in Philadelphia. The area next to the Broad Street Market on paper looks like it would be a great spot for that. Right in the center of Midtown, next to the market and bookstore and the middle of all the new development.
I know exactly where you're referring to, and that spot is incredibly underutilized. I would be happy seeing it developed into an actual park (I hear a lot of midtowners pining for another dog park) or converted into a mid-rise residential building with ground-floor boutique retail. I would prefer to see such retail consist primarily of mom-and-pop operations -- think St. Thomas Roasters instead of Starbucks. Development along those lines would really help anchor what could be an incredibly strong corridor between HACC and the farmers' market. Businesses just off the route, like HoPo and Cafe di Luna, would also benefit from increased pedestrian traffic (if only slightly) from downtown and the capitol complex.
And take that long-vacant midrise next to the historical society building (near 3rd & Verbecke, on the Susquehanna side of 3rd, next to the parking lot), for example. That's an interesting building of impeccable architecture that has just been left to rot. I know various developers have promised action over the last few decades, but having it sit vacant is a tremendous waste. I know there are at least a handful of people (myself included) desperate for true loft apartments / condos around here. Imagine gutting that place, dropping a Trader Joe's on the ground floor, and co-oping the upper levels into split-level condos? I'd buy into that in a second ...
I'm glad to hear this because I'm a student a Penn State Harrisburg and coming from DC, I must say that I'm not a fan of Harrisburg lol. It seems like nothing goes on in the area. If it does, I'm definitely unaware of it.
This is exactly what I'm talking about -- you are (through no fault of your own) unaware of all there is to do around here because it's all spread out.
Downtown's entertainment / dining / nightlife development is a huge success. Nobody can argue with that. And although there's still room for improvement, it has done extremely well. Why? Because if you come into town for one thing -- say to visit Molly Brannigan's -- you can't possibly not notice that you're surrounded by other dining / nightlife venues.
But everything else is so scattered, it can be easy to overlook. You might, for example, take a trip to Midtown Scholar but completely miss the farmers' market (because the hours are ridiculous), HMAC (because it's on a side street a few blocks away), Breads & Spreads (because it's also a few blocks away), and all the other offerings of midtown. Not because you're not interested, but because in order to see most of what midtown has to offer, you pretty much have to park at Reily and walk nine blocks to Forster. And it's not because midtown's is packed with development. Quite the opposite, in fact -- it's because development is so spread out, it's hard to make the case that it's a really vibrant place unless you really look hard.
I'm not trying to downplay midtown's success. Rather, I think they need a concerted effort -- most likely with help from the city -- to either develop a plan for concentrated development (build more squares!) or accelerate any such plan already in progress.
I know exactly where you're referring to, and that spot is incredibly underutilized. I would be happy seeing it developed into an actual park (I hear a lot of midtowners pining for another dog park) or converted into a mid-rise residential building with ground-floor boutique retail. I would prefer to see such retail consist primarily of mom-and-pop operations -- think St. Thomas Roasters instead of Starbucks. Development along those lines would really help anchor what could be an incredibly strong corridor between HACC and the farmers' market. Businesses just off the route, like HoPo and Cafe di Luna, would also benefit from increased pedestrian traffic (if only slightly) from downtown and the capitol complex.
And take that long-vacant midrise next to the historical society building (near 3rd & Verbecke, on the Susquehanna side of 3rd, next to the parking lot), for example. That's an interesting building of impeccable architecture that has just been left to rot. I know various developers have promised action over the last few decades, but having it sit vacant is a tremendous waste. I know there are at least a handful of people (myself included) desperate for true loft apartments / condos around here. Imagine gutting that place, dropping a Trader Joe's on the ground floor, and co-oping the upper levels into split-level condos? I'd buy into that in a second ...
... but nobody is even trying.
Quite frankly I think that lot next to the market is screaming for mixed-use. I would like to see a building set back at the corner of 3rd and Verbeke and some sort of public plaza put in place, however. There is a lot of pedestrian activity already because of the market, and no real place to gather outside other then the rather sterile courtyard between the brick and stone buildings. There is also a demand for a dog park in midtown, but I think that lot would be wasted (literally) by making it a dog park. There are other vacant areas (maybe up nearby Fulton or one of the many vacant areas near Capitol Heights) that would be perfect for a small dog park.
I, too, have thought about a Trader Joes or Whole Foods going into the Furlow building. From what I understand GreenWorks has taken it off the market for six months to "study" whether or not it would be economical for them to rehab it. Plans at this point are for retail/office on the first and second floors then apartments above. So we'll see by the end of this year *crosses finger*.
BTW, one of the major impediments to pedestrian-friendliness is Forster street. Suburbanites racing down a six-lane highway dividing downtown and midtown to go to/from the Capitol complex. Something must be done there.
BTW, one of the major impediments to pedestrian-friendliness is Forster street. Suburbanites racing down a six-lane highway dividing downtown and midtown to go to/from the Capitol complex. Something must be done there.
I just quickly leafed through my history books but couldn't find anything on a moment's notice to back me up on this. I may be off, but if memory serves, Forster Street was actually meant to divide the commercial / financial parts of the city from the "new" residential stretch north of Forster. Second Street and its streetcars were meant to be the major artery to and from the financial / commercial / industrial areas. I don't have a timeline on this but I seem to recall this period being prior to the start of Riverfront Park, which would have put it in the mid- to late-1800s.
So the original intent -- to cut off a section of the city -- worked exactly as planned, and is now a serious inconvenience. Of course, now we know better. Walking across Forster, even during off hours, isn't much fun.
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