Penn Street Vision Plan Brings York Community to Life

From Farquhar Park to south of the Codorus Creek, Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects help revamp York’s Penn Street.

In York, Pennsylvania, Penn Street is home to residents and businesses that are integral to life in the city . With the community in agreement that the 1.2-mile stretch needed a refresh and reinvigoration, Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects teamed up with community members and organizations in their hometown to do just that.

In partnership with the Y Community Development Corporation and York County Community Foundation, the Penn Street Vision Plan provides an ongoing vision for the community that gives it a new lease on a historic life.

A six-part vision plan for Penn Street

1. Walkability and safety: A walkability  and streetscape plan that improves the sidewalks and overall safety and beauty of the streetscape (such as replacing cracked sidewalks, trimming overgrown trees, and planting trees that are in line with the city’s existing overall streetscape

2. Park-to-Park connection: The establishment of the Penn Street Park Network, including wayfinding for the neighborhood to improve access and connections to each park on Penn Street (including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, Thackston Park, Penn St. Art Bridge, Farquhar Park and more)

3. Princess Street Center: Reinventing the former school and daycare that is currently unoccupied and deemed unusable by making interior and exterior repairs and planning its future as a mixed-use community center

4. Grant accessibility for homeowners: Connecting Penn Street homeowners to grants through the Whole-Home Repairs Program from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development

5. Development opportunities: Addressing unfilled needs and opportunities on vacant or underutilized parcels that currently exist in the neighborhood

6. Penn Market: Push the current full-scale building repair forward and bring York City’s first indoor Market House (built in 1876) back to life.

Community input goes a long way

Harper Brockway, Architectural Designer at M&D, says the project was dependent on resident input. M&D worked side-by-side with Montez Parker, who grew up on Penn Street and is now an influential member of the community, and also hosted multiple community meetings for residents to discuss their wants and needs.

Brockway says, “It was really enjoyable to hear from and walk the street with the residents. Instead of trying to create what we thought the plan should be, we listened to people who live and work on the street every day.”

Learn more about the Penn Street Vision Plan from Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects and other local organizations on the York City website and stay up to date on its progress.

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