By Christine Vendel

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Mulder Square

More than two years ago, Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse announced the city had applied for a state redevelopment grant to transform a neighborhood in south Allison Hill. City officials called the project, "Mulder Square," combining the names of the two main streets in the area: Mulberry and Derry.

The city was one of several partners who were prepared to pour millions into the neighborhood.

Last year, city officials learned they won a $3 million grant for their part of the project.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Redesigned for pedestrians

The city's part of the project will change how traffic and pedestrians flow through the area by adding bumpouts and other traffic-calming measures. New trees, curb cuts and improved sidewalks are also part of the package.

As it stands, pedestrians must cross up to four lanes of traffic in areas where two streets clumsily merge into one.

The city's investment in infrastructure will buoy several other planned housing projects in the area for a grand total of more than $30 million in investment in south Allison Hill.

"The city's role is to set the table," for additional investment, said Jackie Parker, the city's community and economic development director.

This week, work began on one of the major housing developments.

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Watch a bull dozer in action Monday, May 15, 2017.

Tri-County Housing Development

One of the city's partners in the Mulder Square project is the Tri-County Housing Development Corporation.

For their part, they are tearing down five blighted homes in the 200 block of Hummel Street and replacing them with four new townhomes.

Tri-County also is renovating three blighted homes across the street as part of their $2.2 million investment.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Break out the bull dozer

Tri-County began pre-demolition work on May 15, 2017 by clearing the back lots behind the five homes slated for demolition.

Once the trees and brush are clear, workers will tear off some additions built onto the back of these homes, and then contractors will empty the homes of accumulated trash.

Finally, workers will raze the buildings. That work could start as early as Friday May 19, but most likely will begin the following week.

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These homes will be gone soon

These homes were acquired by Tri-County. Some had been damaged by fire.

Once they are demolished, construction will begin on four new affordable townhomes.

It will cost Tri-County about $125,000 to build each townhome, but they will be sold for much less to qualified applicants who make less than 80-percent of the area's median income.

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Increase home ownership

Tri-County will work with residents who may want to buy one of the new or renovated homes but can't qualify for a mortgage. The agency has a two-year lease-to-purchase program that is designed to improve credit scores and better prepare residents for the long-term costs of home ownership.

The four new townhomes will be 1,200-square-feet, with three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms as well as a full basement.

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Increase home ownership part 2

Tri-County will spend about $150,000 renovating each of these homes, but they will be sold for much less to qualified working-class families, said Gary Lenker, the executive director.

The agency received support from the city's community development block grant money. Tri-County also received a $350,000 grant from the nonprofit Impact Harrisburg for the project.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Benefits of home ownership

Greater home ownership in a city can cure a series of ills, said Gary Lenker, executive director of Tri-County. Residents' pride in their homes contributes to less trash and crime and a greater sense of community, he said.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Building on

Tri-County's investment comes on the heels of previous investment in the area by the Brethren Housing Association.

That was the whole idea behind Mulder Square, said Jackie Parker, the city's community and economic development director: to leverage investment from various agencies to change the direction of a neighborhood. Each investment builds on the next to create momentum that will attract additional future investments, she said.

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Mulberry Street Bridge

The $16-million renovation of the Mulberry Street Bridge provided the initial investment for the area, said Jackie Parker, the city's community and economic development director.

The bridge project beautified the gateway into south Allison Hill, creating an opportunity to further improve the neighborhoods just on the other side of the bridge.

Residents who live in this area can easily access downtown via the bridge.

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The next piece

The next big piece of the project could begin as early as this summer with the demolition of buildings near the intersection of Mulberry and Derry streets.

The plan is to redevelop 15 Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority properties and one privately owned property into 48 new, high-quality affordable apartments. The Harrisburg Housing Authority will construct three new buildings: one 26-unit, one 21-unit, and one 3-unit.

The HHA investment is expected to be about $15 million.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Removing history?

Some residents have raised concerns about demolishing historically-accurate homes from the block, but David Morrison, president of the Historic Harrisburg Association, said he doesn't share the concerns.

While it's always a shame to lose buildings, he said, It's a balancing act between preserving buildings and encouraging development.

In the case of these buildings, "they were goners long before this," Morrison said.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Goners

Many of the properties along Mulberry Street have been severely damaged, as evidenced by this interior.

David Morrison said the kind of project being proposed by the Harrisburg Housing Authority, "makes sense," for the area.

"The artist rendering of the new buildings shows a scale and design that is very well-suited to the surrounding area," Morrison said. "This stands to be an excellent example of 'infill construction,' which is an entirely valid alternative to preservation and always preferable to leaving a vacant lot."

Infil has been used successfully in Shipoke, Morrison said.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Mulberry Apartments East

Once these buildings are razed, a new apartment building will be constructed: Mulberry Apartments East.

The first floor of the 26-unit building will house commercial space that is planned for use as a pharmacy.

The project will eliminate blight by demolishing 10 abandoned, severely deteriorated houses.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

New residents means new customers

Alex Varela, owner of the Caney Food Market at Mulberry and Derry streets, said he is looking forward to the new residents who will come with the new housing developments.

"It's great for us," he said. "We need to bring a lot of people to Harrisburg."

Varela said he was particularly excited about the apartments because it will mean many more residents than just single-family homes.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

'Tear all the blighted houses down'

Christina Mulford, who lives in the 200 block of Hummel Street, said she will be glad to see the blighted houses gone from Mulberry Street.

"I think they should tear all the blighted houses down," she said. "It doesn't make any kind of sense to keep burned houses up.

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Vacant for decades

Residents had long complained about the boarded up homes on Mulberry, some of which have been blighted and vacant since the 1990s, said Jackie Parker, the city's economic development coordinator.

The Harrisburg Housing Association project is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

The apartments are designed for residents who make no more than 60-percent of the area's median income.

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Photo of Hall Manor in Harrisburg

Affordable housing, not public housing

The project on Mulberry Street is different from public housing.

Public housing is designed for people who make no more than 30-percent of the area's median income.

The apartments and homes as part of Mulder Square are designed to be affordable for working class families. Finding well-kept affordable apartments can be difficult in the city, Manns said, so these apartments will fill a need.

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

Final product 'very cool'

The Harrisburg Housing Authority obtained state tax credits through a highly competitive program to finance their $15-million piece of the overall development, said Senghor Manns, HHA president. Many other Pennsylvania cities take advantage of this program regularly but for various reasons, Harrisburg doesn't often partake.

"The sites are going to be very cool, and that's what makes this unique," Manns said. "Because of the way they are going to be constructed, people will think they are market-rate."

The development should signal the area is ripe for additional investment, he said.

"We want to demonstrate to investors that this is good, fertile ground to invest in," he said. "They can build off what we're doing."

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Christine Vendel | cvendel@pennlive.com

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