More than 4,400 voices helped shape a new strategy for Downtown Harrisburg. Now, more than $64 million in public and private investment is helping turn that vision into action.
Today marks a new chapter for Downtown Harrisburg.
Governor Josh Shapiro joined state and local elected officials, business leaders, community organizations, and other partners in Harrisburg today to unveil Harrisburg Works for All of Us, a new revitalization strategy designed to guide the future of Pennsylvania’s capital city. [Read the Governor’s Press Release.]
But today was about more than releasing a plan.
It was about beginning to implement one.
The first phase of the strategy is supported by more than $64 million in new public and private investment, including $22.7 million in new Commonwealth funding to help support businesses, improve downtown and the riverfront, attract residents and visitors, and expand recreational, arts and cultural opportunities.
And the strategy behind those investments was built with an unprecedented level of community participation.
A Plan Built with Harrisburg
Earlier this year, Governor Shapiro brought public and private leaders together at the State Capitol with a challenge: work together and come forward with a shared vision for the future of Downtown Harrisburg.
There was also a commitment from the beginning that this process would look different.
As Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC President and CEO Ryan Unger explained during today’s announcement, past downtown development efforts did not always sufficiently incorporate the voices of the people who live, work, and do business here.
This time, community engagement would be fundamental to the process.
And Harrisburg responded.
More than 4,000 people participated in the perception survey – a record-setting response according to the Pennsylvania Downtown Center – including approximately 2,000 city residents. The planning process also included six public workshops, nearly 20 focus groups and numerous individual interviews and community conversations.
That participation reinforced something important:
Apathy is not Harrisburg’s problem
People care deeply about the future of their capital city. They have ideas about what downtown can become, and they want to be part of building it.
That input, combined with data and extensive work among public, private and nonprofit partners, became the foundation of Harrisburg Works for All of Us.
Six Strategies for Transformation
The strategy focuses the work ahead around six interconnected priorities:
Build a Complete Downtown Neighborhood by creating the housing, amenities, and everyday services people expect in the place they call home.
Fill Storefronts and Grow Local Business by connecting businesses and entrepreneurs with technical assistance, capital, and lasting partnerships.
Make Downtown Easy to Reach and Walk by improving access, reducing barriers and creating a more connected downtown.
Keep Downtown Clean, Safe, and Welcoming by improving lighting and activity while connecting neighbors in need with meaningful support.
Upgrade Streets, Storefronts, and Public Spaces through façade improvements, better streetscapes, and visible projects that demonstrate progress.
Activate the Riverfront, Arts, and Entertainment by better connecting one of Harrisburg’s greatest assets to downtown, supporting cultural organizations, and creating experiences that bring people downtown throughout the day and evening.
Each strategy includes both short-and-long-term objectives intended to guide investment and implementation in the months and years ahead.
More Than $64 Million Behind the First Phase
Governor Shapiro also announced significant investments tied to the work already underway.
The Commonwealth is committing $22.7 million as part of a broader $64 million in public and private investment from state and local government, businesses, and nonprofit partners.
Those investments touch many of the priorities identified through the planning process.
Among them are $11 million toward converting 333 Market Street from office space into a Marriott hotel; $2.25 million for improvements along the Riverfront Park Corridor; $2.25 million to support the Broad Street Market rebuild; $1 million to seed a new CREDC revolving loan fund supporting large-scale downtown business development; $1 million for bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements along Walnut Street; and funding for transportation, housing, public spaces, cultural institutions, and small-business support.
The Administration is also evaluating proposals to reduce the cost of downtown parking and working with the City of Harrisburg to identify funding for technology supporting public safety and city services.
These are not the end of the strategy.
They are its beginning.
See where the investment is going: Explore the Commonwealth’s Downtown Harrisburg Revitalization fact sheet below for a breakdown of projects and funding supporting the strategy’s first phase.
A Plan That Doesn’t Sit on a Shelf
Throughout this process, one expectation has been clear: people need to see progress.
During the coalition’s initial meeting earlier this year, Governor Shapiro challenged the group not only to create a long-term vision, but also to identify opportunities for immediate implementation- tangible projects that could demonstrate that this would not become another plan left sitting on a shelf.
That challenge helped shape both the strategy and the early investments announced today.
It also speaks directly to what comes next.
The plan identifies immediate steps including continued tactical urbanism projects throughout downtown, reauthorization of the Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District, engagement with Block by Block to support a clean and safe downtown, and investment in priority projects aligned with the strategy.
But implementation cannot belong to any one organization or level of government.
It will require the same coalition that helped bring the strategy to this point- and an even broader group of residents, businesses, institutions and community partners- to remain engaged.
As Unger said today:
“Today’s announcement is a historic next chapter in our capital city and region’s story. It follows an unprecedented collaboration of our public and private leaders, convened by the Governor, to make downtown Harrisburg a place that works for everyone, every day. These investments catalyze our downtown’s new era, guided by a plan shaped by more than 4,400 residents, workers, and business owners. Now it’s our job to deliver, together.”
Governor Josh Shapiro, Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis, and local leaders launched a new collaborative plan to invest in and spur revitalization in Downtown Harrisburg. Bringing together with state and local elected officials, along with business, community, and nonprofit leaders at 333 Market Street, Governor Shapiro announced that his Administration will be devoting significant funding towards the Harrisburg Works for All of Us revitalization plan – a new plan developed by the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, Pennsylvania Downtown Center, the City of Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Senator Patty Kim, Representative Nate Davidson, and Representative Dave Madsen with input from more than 4,400 Harrisburg residents.
Work Is Already Moving Forward
The strategy released today is designed to guide Harrisburg’s long-term revitalization, but implementation is not waiting for some distant date.
During questions following Monday’s announcement, Governor Shapiro emphasized that the projects included in this first phase are already moving forward. Construction on the conversion of 333 Market Street into a hotel is getting underway, work at the Broad Street Market is moving forward, and improvements along the riverfront are expected to begin soon.
Addressing Downtown Parking
Parking – consistently identified as a challenge for Downtown Harrisburg – is also part of the work ahead.
During Monday’s media availability, officials outlined a targeted approach under consideration that would seek funding to provide: free downtown parking from 5–7 p.m., at least one free Saturday per month, investments to improve downtown parking garages, and assistance addressing parking-related debt that accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposal follows an economic analysis of Harrisburg’s parking system and is intended as an initial step toward addressing a complex, longstanding issue. Additional work with the region’s legislative delegation will be necessary to pursue funding and advance the proposal.
This Is the Beginning
Bringing Harrisburg’s public, private, and community partners around a shared vision was the first step. The investments announced today begin the next one: turning that shared vision into visible progress.
The vision behind Harrisburg Works for All of Us is ultimately bigger than any single investment or project.
It is a downtown alive with residents, businesses, culture, and everyday activity. A downtown where people want to live, businesses want to invest, visitors want to spend time, and the riverfront, neighborhoods and commercial core are better connected.
It is also a recognition that Harrisburg’s future will not be built by waiting for one person or institution to solve every challenge.
It will be built by all of us.
Explore the Executive Summary and read the Full Downtown Harrisburg Revitalization Strategy to see the vision, strategies and actions shaping what comes next.
Watch the full Press Conference here.
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ABOUT HARRISBURG REGIONAL CHAMBER & CREDC
For 140 years, the Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC has served as the region’s catalyst for economic prosperity. The organization combines business, community, and economic development services to enhance the region’s vitality and livability. The Chamber is a five-star accredited chamber through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce—a distinction held by fewer than 1 percent of chambers nationwide. CREDC is the region’s toolbox for economic development. It is the only Certified Economic Development Organization (CEDO) approved by the Commonwealth’s Department of Community and Economic Development to perform economic development activities regionally using Pennsylvania’s funding programs across Cumberland, Dauphin, and Perry counties.
