Please enable JavaScript to properly view our site.
This aerial view shows the quarry on the Sunnyside Peninsula in Lancaster city, left, and the Conestoga River, right, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. The Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center is the building behind the quarry and Lancaster Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, formerly Conestoga View, is in the background, left of center. The homes on the lower right, are on Pleasant Street in Sunnyside.
This aerial view shows the quarry on the Sunnyside Peninsula in Lancaster city, left, and the Conestoga River, right, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023. The Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center is the building behind the quarry and Lancaster Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, formerly Conestoga View, is in the background, left of center. The homes on the lower right, are on Pleasant Street in Sunnyside.
Lancaster city is close to finalizing plans with the recently formed nonprofit Partners for Environmental Stewardship to develop a master site plan for the proposed environmental center and nature preserve on Sunnyside Peninsula.
Community engagement regarding design plans is expected to start by September, city officials and their nonprofit partners said.
The Partners for Environmental Stewardship, which incorporated in East Lampeter Township in August 2023, was the only organization that responded to the city’s request for a proposal last fall, when the city sought partners to help establish a nature preserve and environmental center on a city-owned 70-acre parcel on the northern portion of Sunnyside Peninsula.
The establishment of a preserve would open up public access to a wooded peninsula formed by a bend in the Conestoga River. That could mean camping and hiking trails in the forest, as well as potential swimming and boating access along the river and in the flooded quarry that sits between the Youth Intervention Center on the peninsula’s north end and the Sunnyside neighborhood to the south.
After five months of preliminary planning, the next step is for Lancaster City Council to approve a letter of intent that will allow the Partners for Environmental Stewardship to start design work to determine the scope of construction and lay out plans for educational programming at the site.
The letter of intent was scheduled to be presented to City Council at its Monday committee meeting, but administration and council asked for a postponement. Both city officials and their nonprofit partners said they expect the letter of intent to return to the council’s agenda soon.
“Council has been pretty well tuned in and supportive of this project so far,” said Chris Delfs, the city’s director of community planning and economic development.
The letter of intent is only the first step in formalizing the public-private partnership that will drive the development of the environmental center and its programming. Additional negotiation will follow the council’s vote on the letter, culminating in a definitive agreement and ground lease, Delfs said.
The letter of intent outlines that Partners for Environmental Stewardship will construct and operate the environmental center on the leased ground and will develop a master site plan for a nature and recreation preserve on and around the site, Delfs said.
“Even though it is a really important milestone, we still have a lot more work to do on the negotiation,” Delfs said.
READ: Here’s what’s happening in Lancaster County during Water Week in June
The Partners for Environmental Stewardship proposal will fund the development of a master site plan that includes building design and programming strategy for the environmental center.
“When we’re done, the city will have a master site plan that they can use for the development of the nature preserve over time as they see fit,” said retired Turkey Hill CEO John Cox, who has been named the interim executive director of the Partners for Environmental Stewardship.
Cox said the environmental center is designed to help catalyze development along the Conestoga River and enhance the ability of Lancaster County to address environmental issues.
“I don’t want people thinking this is about building the building,” Cox said, emphasizing that the environmental center is envisioned as a hub in the regional efforts to clean up the watershed.
Seven nonprofit organizations signed on to support the project: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Lancaster Conservancy, Lancaster Clean Water Partners, Stroud Water Research Center, RegenAll and the Water Science Institute.
The partner organizations are not yet committed to being tenants at the center, but Cox said that he hopes most will have offices on site and that all will contribute to the center’s programming.
Andropogon, a Philadelphia-based green design firm, will consult on the project. Delfs said their design work is projected to take nine months once they get an official green light.
“They’ve revved the engines,” Delfs said, “but we haven’t officially had Andropogon launch the project yet.”
The Partners for Environmental Stewardship are not committed to managing the nature preserve itself. The city will retain ownership of the preserve, Delfs said.
City officials are also in discussion with county officials regarding the fate of the Youth Intervention Center that sits at the edge of the proposed nature preserve.
“The county hasn’t indicated to us at this point that they’re planning to change the use in the near term,” Delfs said, adding that the city hopes to formulate an agreement to share some of the Youth Intervention Center’s parking space as plans progress for the nature preserve and environmental center.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
The northern portion of the Sunnyside peninsula will become a 70-acre nature preserve featur…
Lancaster County residents eager to explore their local rivers and learn more about how to k…
Marlisa Yoder-Bontrager spent years riding along South Conestoga Drive, wondering why the mo…
Local experts forecast that Lancaster County’s persistently warm spring weather will turn in…
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the location of the new Manheim Area W…
The Colerain Township farmer whose application for a 38,000-bird duck barn had drawn opposit…
Support local journalism. Click here to learn more about the role the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund plays in Lancaster County and to make a tax-deductible donation.
Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.
We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: