Middletown Borough’s approved partnership with Penn State Harrisburg, allows for the oldest town in Dauphin County to revamp – in style. Ever since Penn State has expanded their Harrisburg Campus, which is located in Middletown, Pennsylvania, from 2-years to 4-years new opportunities are expanding for residents as well.
Middletown is one of the oldest towns in Dauphin County ¬– founded in 1755. Middletown was founded as being a meeting station between Carlisle and Lancaster. The town is made up of Victorian-style homes, log-homes, and brownstone. David Stubbs, a managing member of the developer United Realty & Infrastructure (Uri) Group of Silver Spring, Md., believes Middletown is the perfect location for this revitalization. The revitalization project is the second phase of the revamping, after water and sewer mains were repaired. New curbs, streetlights, sidewalks, and trees were all repaired in phase one.
With a new Amtrak station working its way into the lives of Middletown residents, there has since been many new businesses that have already moved in as well. A major project that moved into this small town was Tattered Flag Brewery & Still Works, the capital regions first co-branded and co-located craft brewery & craft distillery. Tattered Flag converted three stores and estimated the project at $2.4 million.
An in-house wood smoked BBQ restaurant also joined Middletown’s forces by opening, The Hop Yard that resides beside a vacant lot, which will soon be the face of Amtrak’s new train station. Across from The Hop Yard you will see the new campus dorms and apartment buildings for Penn State Harrisburg. Middletown is even revamping former restaurants with their recent renovations of the former Lamp Post Inn, with Black Horse Grill. Along with new businesses coming to town, Middletown recently tore down the High School and built a new one, costing $41 million.
With the projects underway in Middletown, the newly renovated shops are waiting for the next entrepreneurs to take ownership and bring the community one step closer to their goal of revitalization.
Credits:
Photo Credit: Heather Ortiz