This helps anchor the Hershey creep out Route 39.  Surely you’ve noticed the townhouses, the apartments, the Giant, the hotels, and the plazas that have sprung up on one of the main routes from 81 to Hershey.  That stretch of 39 used to be mostly desolate, but the past two years of steady development have made it into a desirable area.

Being a mere six miles from the casino, this particular chunk of land could be a serious contributor to the northeastern spread of Harrisburg and Hershey.  It would also help make the area’s real estate a more attractive option.  It’s a decent area to live if you need to be within 20 minutes of downtown but don’t want to live in the city.  Unfortunately the relative isolation makes it a … well, let’s be honest — boring … place to live.

Two weeks until the vote.  My fingers are crossed.

Nothing is on their website yet so this is strictly from memory.  The plans called for the renovation of two side-by-side buildings and the creation of a boutique-style (low-capacity, classy) hotel with on-site restaurant and something on the rooftop.  The architect’s rendering looked like they were trying to stay within the style of the area.  I got the impression that this will be targeted towards a slightly more adult (30+) crowd who want to be near SoMa’s activities but don’t necessarily care to be within walking distance of OMG HARDWARES BAR.

Great.  With the SoMa development already well underway, and with the University tower making progress, this might help trigger further development through the surrounding areas.  Better yet, it might help accellerate residential development (where are my condos?).  And as we all know, neither commercial nor residential development alone can sustain a city.  A combination of residential, retail, and office space — with a healthy dollop of added parking facilities — could really build a large, healthy foundation for sustained development in the city.