After years of flight from the inner city we are seeing a resurgence in private developments taking root in downtown York.  Old warehouses, factories, row buildings and former office spaces are being renovated to create a variety of options from rentals to condominiums and in the future new townhouses. Other neighboring cities like Lancaster have seen the benefits of urban living and their downtown core is growing again because of it. York is beginning to see it’s downtown area transform back into a lively area with restaurants, shops, arts and entertainment.

Monarch Mills, the former Bluebird Silk factory was converted to loft style condominiums in 2006.  The large brick warehouse building, located at the corners of Maryland and Hartley St in The Avenues, was converted into 27 residential condominiums on the 2nd and 3rd floors with professional office space on the first floor. The roof over the large manufacturing floor was removed and an interior courtyard with fountains and outdoor seating was created for the residents.  The creative reuse of this building that was previously considered an eyesore in the community has been one of the positive changes in the Avenues in  the last couple of years.  The Avenues continue to be a quality neighborhood where people from outside the city are choosing to take up residence inside the city limits.

30 Soho, originally constructed in the late 1890′s as a cigar box manufacturing building to support York’s busy cigar industry, it was most recently used as the Pfatlzgraff design center.  It was a pottery studio and workspace for the designers who would create the original pottery for Pfaltzgraff, a local York company. After the sale of Pfaltzgraff brands in mid 2005 the building sat empty for several years until 2008 when work begin to convert the brick building into 13 high end residential condominiums.  The building just 2 blocks from the square in York is hoping to draw off the desirable George Street corridor for it’s residents. The building design includes a new rooftop addition which will include private master bedroom suites for the 4 top floor condo units.  Each master suite with it’s own private outdoor rooftop deck overlooking York City.

Stay tuned for more articles covering other housing options in the city for those thinking that the City of York would make a great place to take root.