The Ewell Plaza public space is the centerpiece of the important and catalytic redevelopment of a once-underutilized and mostly vacant block in the center of Lancaster’s otherwise vibrant Downtown. The redevelopment of the east side of the 100 block of N. Queen Street, formerly known as Lancaster Square, was identified as the #1 priority for the The City Revitalization & Improvement Zone (CRIZ) Program to help address in the CRIZ Authority’s application to the State in 2013.

The CRIZ Program, created by a state law in 2013, is a special economic development financing program that is designed to stimulate urban revitalization and economic growth in communities where it has been approved in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This special state program, that Lancaster and only a handful of other municipalities in the state have the ability to leverage, allows certain state and local taxes generated by business entities in the district to be certified through an annual reporting process and returned to CRIZ communities to help finance redevelopment and new construction opportunities.

The landscape architect served as team lead, community engagement facilitator and designer, and lead the Ewell Plaza public space through implementation. The landscape architect branded the design process and led an iterative stakeholder engagement process using interactive forms of engagement at downtown events, neighborhood festivals and workshops, with particular focus on reaching the significant Hispanic and African American populations. The resultant design pays homage to the City’s moniker, the “Red Rose City,” using forms and program elements that convey an abstracted rose and complement the adjacent, more passive park across the street. The design maximizes flexibility to accommodate programming throughout the year; accommodates phased development; responds to diverse user needs including adjacent retailers, library visitors, and residents; provides for traffic calming and safer connections to and from the space; incorporates green infrastructure and repairs the scars left by failed redevelopment of the past.

Project Partners:

• Developer – The City of Lancaster Pennsylvania
• Architect – Mahan Rykiel Associates