Developer plans to reinvent former bakery
The two-story brick factory in West York used to produce loaves of bread.
- Developer Ben Sutton hopes to convert it into a destination that produces memories.
- Pending local approval, he plans to convert the former J.B. Fishel’s Bakery at 1501 W. King St. into a culinary and entertainment hub.
- “We are looking to breathe new life into our community and local economy through the adaptive reuse of a functionally obsolete industrial building,” said Sutton, managing principal of Fisher SP Property LLC, which owns the building.
What’s cooking: Sutton envisions breweries and food vendors on the first floor of the 52,000 square-foot building, with entertainment on the second floor.
- That could include stages for live music, hatchet-throwing lanes, virtual-reality experiences and indoor-golf simulators.
- Sutton said he also plans to add two roof decks, while maintaining the industrial look of the premises.
- Fisher SP owns a surface parking lot across the street to serve the building’s tenants and visitors.
Why is this happening: Older, multilevel industrial buildings are often unworkable for companies today, which tend to favor single-floor structures with lots of room for trucks to pull in and out.
- Sutton, who also is managing principal of York-based Alliance Commercial Realty, said he had listed the building for lease for more than six months but had no takers.
- That’s when he came up with the idea for an entertainment venue that could house a variety of small businesses.
- The new venue would offer them a showcase at rents Sutton said would be affordable.
- The building’s most recent tenant was Higher Information Group, a Harrisburg-based office equipment supplier and print services firm, which had moved out.
- Higher Information purchased the previous tenant, York Mail Service.
What’s next: Sutton is seeking a use variance that would pave the way for his firm’s proposed project.
- The request is currently under legal review and could come before the zoning board in a matter of weeks, said borough manager Shawn Mauck.
- He said Sutton’s plans make sense, given the evolution of industrial space.
- “We always like to see this kind of redevelopment,” Mauck said.
- Another old West York factory, the former Pennsylvania Furniture plant at 201 S. Sumner St. was recently torn down. A self-storage facility is slated to take its place, Mauck said.
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Quick takes
WHAT SOLD: The former home of Auchey's Plant Farm in West Manheim Township, York County. Auchey's closed earlier this summer after nearly a century in business. Owners Jed and Michele Auchey have now sold the nursery's home and a neighboring residence at 1851 Baltimore Pike to an affiliate of Summerwood Corp., a Conshohocken-based company that develops and operates Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Long John Silver's restaurants.
- The price for the roughly 1.26 acre property, comprising two separate parcels, was $1.55 million, according to county deed records.
- Keith Kahlbaugh of York-based real estate firm Bennett Williams Commercial represented the sellers.
- Brad Rohrbaugh, Chad Stine and Cale Bruso of Bennett Williams represented the buyer.
- Summerwood plans to erect a Taco Bell at the site, which is south of Hanover, according to Joe DePascale, development manager for the company, which operates about 190 restaurants in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia. including a Taco Bell north of Hanover.
- "We had figured there was room in the market for a second one," DePascale said.
- He expects the land-development process to take 12 to 18 months before construction can begin.
The neighbors: The former Auchey's site sits in front of a Walmart store.
- It is also between a Sheetz convenience store and a newly opened Tidal Wave Auto Spa.
WHO'S SEEING GREEN: Duck Donuts. The Mechanicsburg-based donut-shop franchise said last week that it has inked a deal to open its first stores in Europe -- Northern Ireland, to be exact. The agreement allows the franchisee to open four stores in the country.
- Duck Donuts also struck a franchise deal to open five stores throughout Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and St. Marteen in the Caribbean.
- In the U.S., Duck Donuts has added franchise partners in Milford, Connecticut; South Riverview, Florida; Athens, Georgia; Chicago and Hawthorn Woods, Illinois; Robbinsville, New Jersey; Newtown, Pennsylvania; Gainesville, Virginia; and Madison, Wisconsin.
- Duck Donuts, which began franchising in 2013, currently operates four international and 126 franchise locations in 24 states and Puerto Rico.
- The company recently unveiled a new store design designed to lower costs for franchisees and improve the customer experience.
WHAT KEEPS FALLING: Pennsylvania's jobless rate. The rate tumbled from 4% in May to 3.8% in June, another record low, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry. Employers added 7,300 jobs for the month.
- The only hiccup was a slight contraction in the state's labor force, defined as the number of people working or looking for work. It inched down by 4,000 people.
WHO'S ASKING: Motus Development. The Wyomissing-based developer is seeking public feedback on a new name for Quality Center, a Lancaster-area shopping plaza that Motus bought earlier this year for $8.5 million. Motus is floating four potential names for the center, which is at 2495 Lincoln Highway East in East Lampeter Township. They are:
- Lincoln Square
- Hickory Square
- Penn Wood Square
- Hamilton Square
- Vote here.
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Compiled and written by Joel Berg
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