In a letter to the editor published in the January 25, 2008, Intelligencer Journal entitled "Won't center compete with downtown?," Mark Whallon of Lancaster asks, "Why does High Industries, or at least a member of the High family of companies, desire to spend $130 million to build a shopping center that simulates a town atmosphere and that will have a huge negative impact on the surrounding area, when the two blocks adjacent to the convention center could so benefit from that kind of investment thinking?"

First and foremost, it is our heartfelt and carefully measured belief that the project most certainly will have a positive impact on the surrounding area and the gateway into the City of Lancaster, or we would not advocate for its development. We have gone to great lengths to communicate with the public all of the significant benefits -- including much-needed infrastructure improvements -- that will accompany this project. It is our expectation that the Crossings and the Convention Center both will make profound contributions to the overall critical mass of economic development and revitalization of Lancaster.

As a lifestyle center, The Crossings will be more pedestrian friendly and less car-oriented than a traditional mall, but it will serve a purpose that is complementary to the Downtown, not in place of it.

As residents of Lancaster and developers interested in all the facets of land use in our cities and suburbs, we too appreciate the characteristics as well as the historical, civic, and cultural importance of the Downtown. We care about Lancaster City’s wellbeing and are working to offer yet one more feature that works in synergy with its success. This kind of component to the greater Lancaster area will help retain people and employers and draw visitors toward the city rather than out to interspersed locations around the county -- or to other cities entirely.

January 3, 2008
Issue clarification – High Real Estate Group and East Hempfield Township agreement related to roadway improvements accompanying The Crossings

A December 27, 2007, letter from Dr. Kenneth Ralph to the editor of the Intelligencer Journal raised questions regarding an agreement between High Real Estate Group and East Hempfield Township related to roadway improvements that will accompany the Crossings at Conestoga Creek. We offer the following details about the agreement:

The agreement affords the Township flexibility in terms of roadway improvement options that we will assist in paying for. One such improvement option has been under consideration by the Township for more than 10 years. Dr. Ralph states in the letter that the supervisors gave up the possibility of implementing a traffic change that would have been beneficial to the Township. That one specific option, as advocated by Dr. Ralph at the meeting, involved making Farmingdale Road one way from Marietta Avenue to Harrisburg Pike. The change was not deemed the best overall option for the community and therefore was denied by the Township.

Dr. Ralph’s letter does not mention the many hours of analysis that have taken place at public hearings conducted in Manheim Township. East Hempfield Township counsel and staff as well as Township-appointed expert witnesses and East Hempfield Township residents have participated in these many hours of public dialogue and analysis.

Further, in his letter Dr. Ralph questions the reasoning behind the need to sign the agreement by December 19, 2007. As was clearly stated to all in attendance, the Township was scheduled to begin their case at the public Manheim Township hearing the following evening if an agreement were not reached. Prioritizing a successful agreement allowed the Township to avoid substantial costs it would have incurred with the beginning of that proceeding.

November 13, 2007
Issue clarification – Why not locate The Crossings in Downtown Lancaster?

In a letter to the editor published in the November 12, 2007, Intelligencer Journal, a gentleman from Mountville kindly suggests that we develop the Crossings project in the City of Lancaster instead of the designated tract of industrially zoned land across from Long’s Park.

While we appreciate the suggestion, we submit that the opportunity for us to control the critical mass of many square blocks that would be required within the central business district for a master planned retail, dining, and entertainment venue, in addition to parking, is simply not within the realm of possibility. If it were, we would carefully evaluate the pursuit of it.

Secondly, it might be helpful to point out that it is the retailers who decide where and in what type of projects they locate their stores, rather than the developer. As a developer, we identify sites and create environments to meet the retailers’ expectations, within the context of a community’s comprehensive plans and designated urban growth areas. The Crossings’ site has been selected and its environment has been designed to meet that retailer demand, based on consumer preferences, as well as benefit the community.

Projects like The Crossings, and the recent expansion of Park City Center, will serve as catalysts to further strengthen the continuing overall revitalization of the City of Lancaster and the greater Lancaster County area. The Crossings, in particular, will strengthen the gateway to the City and provide an additional draw of people beyond it into the City.

October 5, 2007
Issue clarification - traffic improvements accompanying the Crossings project

At times, media coverage in the Lancaster region has raised the question of whether an upgrade to the Rt. 30 Interchange at Harrisburg Pike is necessary. Some have questioned the funding of further upgrades and have suggested that such funding would benefit "only The Crossings at Conestoga Creek."

The presentation below illustrates what traffic conditions are like, currently, in the vicinity of the proposed Crossings site. This location is vital to economic development along the Harrisburg Pike, which is an important corridor into Lancaster City. The traffic improvements High Real Estate Group is proposing, including reconfiguring the interchange into a single point urban interchange, would relieve much of the congestion that exists today. This upgrade needs to be achieved, or traffic conditions will only continue to get worse – without the Crossings project.

We are pleased to report that, recently, a Harrisburg Pike Transportation and Land Use Study Steering Committee was formed to evaluate the entire Harrisburg Pike corridor from Lancaster City to State Road. The committee includes representatives from Lancaster County Planning Commission, PennDOT, the James Street Improvement District, the Lancaster County Transportation Authority, Lancaster City, East Hempfield Township, Manheim Township, and the Red Rose Transit Authority. In addition, the group includes stakeholders along the corridor like Lancaster General Hospital and Franklin & Marshall College. The Transportation Authority has retained consultant KCI Technologies Inc. to prepare a study of the corridor.

As a developer, we are offering our leadership, along with these other organizations and entities, to help address the traffic congestion for the good of the community and other development along the corridor, as well as our own project. Please see the project status / Rt. 30 traffic improvements section of this site for more information.

Existing Interchange Operations