Getting to Know Your Downtown…

                                                           A Central Business District Profile 

How much do you really know about your downtown? Before you can undertake a downtown revitalization program it is important that you first take stock by gathering all the necessary data on downtown.

MUNICIPALITY OF             Borough of Hanover

COUNTY OF                         York

Chief Elected Official                Mayor Gary Brown

Manager/Administrator             Bruce Rebert

Address                                   44 Frederick St., Hanover, PA 17331

Telephone                                637-3877

Email                                        rorndorf@hanover.pa.us

Website                                    www.borough.hanover.pa.us

1. What was your municipal population in:

            1900 census 14,399     2000 census 14,535     Est. 2007 14,540

2. What was your county population in:

            1900 census 339,574   2000 census 381,751   Est. 2007 390,000

3. What is the size of your proposed Main Street area (hereafter referred to as the downtown) in square blocks? 45 square blocks

4. Develop a map that outlines the proposed area of your downtown revitalization effort with the boundaries clearly defines. See attached

5. Please list and prioritize the following and how you have arrived at these conclusions: The following was compiled from a survey conducted after community meetings. Approximately 150 responses.

ü      5 major assets or strengths of your downtown

o       Beautiful architecture

o       History

o       Town layout

o       Quaint 

o      Unique shops and historic buildings

ü      5 major problems or weaknesses in downtown

o       Parking

o       Traffic

o       Vacant buildings

o       Lack of quality businesses, unattractive store fronts, need for restaurants, buildings in disrepair

o       Business hours, unsafe, lack of activities, business owners’ lack of interest and complacency  

ü      Please identify any specific needs in downtown

o       Attract quality businesses

o       Renovate store fronts, more activity and positive attitudes

o       Roundabout

o       Layout that works

o       Building ordinances

o       Promote downtown

o       Beautification

o       Restaurants/pubs

o       Funding

o       Clean-up

o       Parking garage

o       Theme to attract people to downtown

6. Total number of buildings in downtown including vacancies within the area defined on the map in item 4?        227

7. Determine Downtown Vacancy:

o       How many buildings are partially vacant on the first floor?                      1

o       How many buildings are totally vacant on the first floor?                        3

o       How many are partially vacant on the upper floors?                               9

o       How many buildings are totally vacant on the upper floor?                     3

o       How many buildings are completely vacant?                                          2

8. Number of downtown buildings in residential use on the first floor?                 65

                                                                                  second floor?                 100

 9. Percent of downtown buildings that are owned by (do not put a building in more than one category)?

o       The owner of a business in the building                                      112

o       Another downtown business owner                                           11

o       A resident of the municipality but not a local business owner      89

o       A non-resident of the community                                               15

10. In general, how would you describe the overall condition of the buildings in the downtown (use total number of buildings from Question 6 above and break that number into the following percentages)?

Poor 3              Fair 12             Good 36          Very Good 29              Excellent 20

11. Approximate age of the building stock in the downtown?

Pre-1900 50%             1920-1940 4%     

1900-1920 40%          1940-1960 4%                        Since 1960 2%

12. How many downtown properties are tax exempt? 22

13. What is the total number of businesses in the downtown?     159

            Retail 38       Service 45        Professional 58         Entertainment/Cultural 11          Government 7

14. Please indicate the number of retail, service and professional businesses in the downtown on all floors of all buildings?

15. What is the estimate average rent, per square foot/per month, for downtown commercial space? $7.00

16. Please list the five (5) largest employers in the community.

17. What financial institutions (savings & loans and banks) are located in your downtown? In the past five years have any of these institutions invested in any projects downtown? If so, please indicate kind of projects

ü      Bank of Hanover – Downtown Loan Program

ü      M & T Bank – Downtown Loan Program

ü      Northwest Savings

ü      First Capital Federal Credit Union

18. Who is your competition? Indicate the number of outlying shopping centers, strip centers, large discount stores, etc. within the legal boundaries in your municipality.

ü      Clearview Shopping Center

ü      North Hanover Mall

ü      Hanover Crossing

ü      Lowe’s

ü      Home Depot

Indicate the number of outlying shopping centers, strip centers, strip centers, large discount stores, etc. within three miles of your downtown?

ü      Eisenhower Drive – Wal-Mart North

ü      Baltimore Pike – Wal-Mart South

ü      Grandview Plaza

19. How close in miles to the downtown is the nearest regional shopping mall? What are its anchor tenants?

o       North Hanover Mall – 3 miles

§         Sears

§         J.C. Penny

§         Boscov’s

§         Dick’s Sporting Goods

o       Hanover Crossing – 3.5 miles

§         Wal-Mart

§         Giant

o       Shopping Center – 3.5 miles

§         Lowe’s

§         Home Depot

§         Kohl’s

§         Bon-Ton

§         Movie Theatre

20. What newspaper, radio, television stations and other media service the downtown?

ü      The Evening Sun

ü      York Daily Record

ü      The Merchandiser

ü      WHVR/WYCR

•   WGET/WGTY

21. Is tourism an economic factor in your community? If so, what are the major tourist attractions in your area and how far are they from the downtown?

ü      Civil War History – downtown

ü      Battle of Hanover Walking Tour – downtown

ü      Civil War Trails Initiative – downtown

ü      Hanover Shoe Farms – 3 miles

ü      Factory Tours (Utz; Snyder’s of Hanover) – 2 miles

ü      Codorus State Park – 4 miles

22. Develop a list of events (parades, fairs, festivals, etc.) held in your downtown annually. Please list them by event, date, estimated attendance and organization(s) responsible. If these events have budgets, please cite source(s) of funding.

23. Has your downtown produced any promotional literature, brochures or flyers? If so, please attach copies to this profile.

ü      Battle of Hanover Walking Tour

ü      Visitors Guide

ü      Downtown Map

ü      Downtown Newsletter

ü      Historic Architecture Tour

24. Has a historical resource survey been conducted in your community?           Yes

            If so, date of survey? 1987

25. Is the downtown area included within, or does it include a:

ü      National Register historic district?          Yes

ü      Locally designated historic district?        No, but local historic buildings include the Fisher House, McAllister Inn, Old Hanover Shoe, Old Fire Co. #1, Central Hotel, Rusty Naill Building

26. List the National Register properties/districts within the municipality, and indicate which of those are located in the downtown.

ü      Bank of Hanover – Downtown

ü      Central Hotel – Downtown

ü      Sheppard Mansion – Downtown

ü      Warehime Mansion – Downtown

ü      Reader’s Café – Downtown

ü      Hanover Shoe/Clarks Shoe Store – Downtown

•   Eichelberger School Building – Downtown

34. Is your municipality a county seat?                          No

35. Does the municipality have any of the following? Please check and provide other information where requested.

Full-time mayor                                                            No

Full-time administrator/manager                                    Yes     

Central business district plan                                         Date adopted: 1969

Zoning ordinance