Wal-Mart
Stores Inc. has pulled out of the Gettysburg Crossing proposal, according to an
email from the project's developers.
Without
the superstore as an anchor, the project is no longer financially feasible,
David Lazas, of Atapco Properties, wrote in the email sent to Gettysburg school
officials dated Sept. 4.
Members
of the Gettysburg Area School District Board of Education received the letter
Tuesday via email, said Todd Orner, board president.
Calls
to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and developer David Lazas were not immediately returned
Tuesday.
For
more than a year, developers have been talking about Gettysburg Crossing, a
would-be multiple-anchor retail center off routes 15 and 30, just east of
Gettysburg. Most notably, the development would have been the home to a new
Walmart.
Developers
were hoping to get special financing for the project from the site's three
taxing authorities: Adams County, Straban Township and Gettysburg Area School
District.
The
financing plan would have allowed developers to leverage increased tax dollars
they would have paid on the developed site to fund infrastructure improvements.
In
August, school officials tentatively approved the financing plan while Straban Township supervisors voted to table the issue.
They were scheduled to vote on the topic again at their meeting Tuesday night.
If
both entities had OK'd the plan, it would have gone on to the county level.
Reactions
Gettysburg
Crossing would have impacted the county, Straban Township and the Gettysburg
Area School District.
Here's
how some officials have responded to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pulling out of the
project.
Adams
County
The
Adams County commissioners are disappointed that Gettysburg Crossing is no
longer a possibility, Commissioner Randy Phiel said Wednesday.
"Wow,
what a tremendous amount of time and effort for it to conclude in this
manner," Phiel said. "But we have no control over that and that's
certainly the dynamics of private business to determine what they can do and
what they can't do."
He
was unsure when Walmart first indicated that they were planning to withdraw
from the project.
Phiel
also released the following statement Tuesday via email:
"The
Board has recently learned that Wal-Mart has removed itself from consideration
for the Gettysburg Crossings Project. As a result it has been requested by (the
Adams County Industrial Development Authority) counsel Jonathan Cox that the
planned county TIF Hearing on Sept. 30 be stricken from our schedule. As a
result of this development, it would seem the future of this project is in
doubt. The potential loss of $3 million in road improvements obtained by our
legislators is troubling. The board looked forward to hearing the comments of
the IDA, developers and residents. Although the viewpoints on preservation and
development can vary dramatically, this board continues to believe that an
appropriate balance between preservation and economic development is essential
for the future of Adams."
Adams
County Economic Development Corporation
This
is the nature of the development business, said Robin Fitzpatrick, director of
the Adams County Economic Development Corporation, the group that facilitated
the project on behalf of the county.
"I
will admit that I am a bit disappointed in hearing the news, but immediately
after that I had to remind myself this can just happen," Fitzpatrick said.
"You can plan for these things and watch them develop but they're never
really a sure thing until every single piece comes together."
Fitzpatrick
and other members of the corporation were blindsided by the decision, she said.
A lot of time has gone into the project and it did seem like the proposal was
moving along fine, she said.
"I
never got the feeling that Wal-Mart was going to pull out," she said.
"I am disappointed, but I can't be shocked because there's always that
possibility. Sometimes things don't even go wrong and it won't work out."
Gettysburg
Area School District
The
Gettysburg Area School District board voted 5-4 in favor of the project last
month, and were still negotiating the financing agreement, said Todd Orner,
president of the board.
"I'm
disappointed because I voted yes," Orner said. "The feedback from the
people in the community that I spoke with was that Gettysburg was long overdue
for a shopping center."
Board
members were given a copy of the financing agreement Friday for review, Orner
said, adding that he felt the agreement had been 90 percent completed.
"I
think they should be ashamed of themselves for pulling out," he said of
Walmart. "We were down to the finishing line and we could see the light at
the end of the tunnel but who knew that light was the train that is Walmart."
Straban
Township
Township
officials plan to discuss the issue at their meeting Tuesday night, Supervisor
Sharon Hamm said.
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