Dozens of projects vie for limited RACP funds

Absence makes the list grow longer.

It has been more than a year since state officials dished out funding under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, aka RACP, a state program that backs high-profile projects around the state.
Now, for the first time under Gov. Josh Shapiro, the state is preparing to award funding once again following an application round that closed Jan. 12.
But first, officials must comb through dozens of applications from developers and local governments hoping to grab a piece of a roughly $100 million pie.

Who applied: Dozens of high-profile projects and companies from around Central Pennsylvania, according to application documents available online. They include:

1422 Route 179 Florida LLC, the New Jersey-based developer hoping to transform Harrisburg's former federal building into apartments, which is seeking $5 million toward a roughly $38.7 million conversion project.
Clair Global, a live-entertainment company, which is seeking $30 million toward construction of a roughly $61.8 million HQ at Rock Lititz.
Gettysburg Road Investors LLC, a firm headed by John Ortenzio that is asking for $30 million toward a proposed $6.4 million business park at 4511-4517 Gettysburg Road in Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County.
High Properties LP, a Lancaster-based real estate company, which would like $4 million toward an $8 million project involving site work in the Greenfield North area of the Greenfield business park, where the company is planning a $150 million mixed-use development.
Inch & Co., a York-area real estate company, which is asking for $3 million to back construction of a $6 million recreational sports complex in North York.
OZFund Inc., a Lancaster-area investment firm aiming to land $500,000 for a $1 million project to fit out space for a grocery store in an affordable apartment building the company is erecting at 800 S. Queen St.
Redevelopment Authority of the City of York, which would like $5 million toward the nearly $12.5 million cleanup and renovation of the former Dentsply Sirona campus, which is poised for rehabilitation by private developers.
Shippensburg University, which is looking for $2 million toward creation of a $4 million entrepreneurship and innovation hub on campus.
The Bridge HBG LLC, a Harrisburg-based firm that would like $7.5 million toward a $15 million project that is part of redeveloping the former Bishop McDevitt High School.
York County Industrial Development Authority, which is seeking $1.5 million toward a $3 million project to fit out street-level restaurant space at the Yorktowne Hotel in downtown York.

What's next: The public has until Feb. 29 to comment on the proposed projects, part of what is being dubbed Funding Round 2023.

The application process is competitive, as the statewide demand for funding routinely exceeds the supply.
Projects can come away empty-handed or with less than they sought.
The state is expected to award around $100 million in the current fiscal year, which began last July, according to estimates by the Independent Fiscal Office, a state agency that tracks economic and budgetary data.
The annual amount has fluctuated over the last five years, ranging from $99.9 million in 2021-2022 to $172.8 million in 2018-19.
In 2022-23, the final RACP awards under former Gov. Tom Wolf, the state handed out $166.8 million.
Winners included both private- and public-sector projects.

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Quick takes

WHAT'S FINALIZED: The York Water Co.'s acquisition of a small sewer system in the Dillsburg area. The York-based utility said Friday it closed on its purchase of the assets of MESCO Inc., which serves roughly 180 customers in a residential subdivision called Memphord Estates in Monaghan Township, York County. The price was $25,000, according to a filing with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

York Water plans to spend about $207,000 for system upgrades and other purposes, according to the filing.
MESCO was owned by the estate of Jane Alexander, an attorney, former state lawmaker and business owner in York County.
Alexander, who also was a deputy secretary in the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, died in May 2020.

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WHAT'S APPROVED: A decrease in one of the factors determining what employers pay for workers' comp insurance. The Pennsylvania Department of Insurance last month okayed a 7.88% cut to a factor known as the loss cost. Loss costs have been coming down in recent years due to a decline in workers' comp claims and costs, according to the Pennsylvania Compensation Ratings Bureau, which calculates the loss cost.

The reduction in loss costs takes effect April 1.
Other factors feed into workers' comp premiums, including an employer's claims history.

WHO'S COLLECTING: The U.S. Energy Information Administration. The federal agency has decided to start collecting information on the use of electricity by cryptocurrency mining operations.

Preliminary estimates suggest that crypto miners consume between 0.6% and 2.3% of the power produced in the U.S. each year, according to the agency.
Environmentalists are concerned that the industry's growing power needs could aggravate pollution from power plants, an issue that has cropped up in Pennsylvania.

WHO'S BUYING NEW SIGNS: HR Pharmaceuticals, a specialty manufacturer based in Springettsbury Township, York County. The family-owned company has changed its name to HR HealthCare as part of a rebranding effort aimed at better capturing what the company does.

HR HealthCare makes a variety of medical products, including lubricants and ultrasound gels.

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Compiled and written by Joel Berg