The Borough of Gettysburg’s future appearance was the central theme of Tuesday’s council workshop. The governing body discussed the Gettysburg Welcome Center, Gettysburg Connectivity Project, zoning revisions, and a proposed park for Steinwehr Avenue.
Gettysburg Welcome Center
Main Street Gettysburg Executive Director Jill Sellers told the council that the Gettysburg Welcome Center is moving forward, and demolition of 340 Baltimore Street should commence soon. The council previously approved demolition of the building, based on a recommendation from the Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB), with the condition that funding be secured. In March, the Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the project $1.272 million.
Sellers estimates construction will begin in the fall and the building will open in Spring 2026.
The Welcome Center will provide tourism, transportation, event, and volunteer information, as well as public restrooms.
Gettysburg Connectivity Project
The Gettysburg Welcome Center is one aspect of a larger initiative to redesign Gettysburg’s Baltimore Street. The current $17.8 million proposal is a multi-faceted project that includes all of Baltimore Street and Lincoln Square. It includes infrastructure work, street lighting, landscaping, storm drainage and stormwater management, traffic calming methods, an entrance gateway to the borough, traffic signal at Lefever and South Streets, facilities for bicycle traffic, barricades, and a possible public restroom.
Borough Engineer Chad Clabaugh of C.S. Davidson presented three design concepts for the borough’s entryway from Route 97, near Soldiers National Cemetery. Borough Manager Charles Gable said residents have expressed a desire for more street lighting, sidewalks, and traffic calming installations in that area.
Clabaugh presented three options, one of which earned overwhelming support of the council. The concept would add a barrier between the north and southbound lanes. It would be decorated with greenery and include a pedestrian pad at the crosswalk, allowing those crossing the street to stop if they feel unsafe halfway through.
Clabaugh said he will discuss the option with PennDOT, which owns the highway.
Further northbound, the borough hopes to install traffic lights at Baltimore Street’s intersections with South and Lefever streets. Clabaugh said the amount of traffic that turns onto and from Lefever Street due to nearby Gettysburg Area School District schools makes the lights a good idea. Council agreed.
Comprehensive Rezoning
After a three-year wait, it is the borough council’s turn to weigh in on a borough-wide rezoning effort. Council President Matthew Moon said the council requested the rezoning project in 2022 because parts of the ordinance were unclear and occasionally contradicted other sections.
The council contracted with Michael Baker and Associates to provide a recommendation. That proposal was then reviewed by a working group that forwarded it onto the borough’s Planning Commission. The commission made some changes and a recommendation to council, but ultimately it is the council that has the final say.
Moon asked the council to review all three documents and begin coming to workshops with their thoughts so a final decision can be made in 2026. Moon invited members of the Planning Commission to attend the workshops to help the council understand the rationale behind their proposal.
Charters of Freedom Plaza
Gettysburg’s complex history makes a proposal for a new park challenging.
Jacqueline White, the owner of Gettysburg’s Dobbin House Tavern, would like to demolish a Victorian Home on Steinwehr Avenue to make room for a park that would house a life-size replica of the Declaration of Independence.
Last week, HARB recommended the council reject White’s proposal.
White said the replica, created by Foundation Forward Inc., is fitting in the spot since the Dobbin House was constructed the same year the Declaration of Independence was written, 1776.
“We need to compare the value of Charters of Freedom Park and the value of this house I am thinking of taking down,” White said.
She said the Adams County Historical Society does not know what year the house was constructed, but estimates late 1800s or early 1900s. She reminded the council, as the owner of the Dobbin House, she understands the value of historic structures.
Demolishing the house, White said, would increase the quality of life in town because it would create an open gathering space on the southern part of town. A park was initially suggested in 2009, she said.
She referred to the houses as “more modern” since they were not present during America’s founding in 1776 or the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg.
Sellers expressed support for White’s proposal, saying that Steinwehr Avenue has never fully recovered from the National Park Service Visitor moving from there to Baltimore Pike in 2008.
“It has a depth that is really necessary on Steinwehr Avenue,” she said.
Earlier in the meeting, HARB Vice Chair Gary Shaffer asked the council to support HARB’s recommendation. Shaffer said the public often labels HARB as obstructionists, but reminded the council that it has supported demolitions in the past that it believed were for the public good. He cited homes that were demolished on Middle Street to make room for Kennie’s Market and the Agriculture Hall on West High Street, where Frederick Douglass spoke. Shaffer has been a member of HARB for about 40 years and does not believe White’s proposal meets the precedent established by those recommendations.
“The recommendation against demolition did not come easily for HARB but it does honor the ordinance,” he said.
Featured image: Pictured is a design concept for a proposed park on Gettysburg’s Steinwehr Avenue.
Alex J. Hayes has spent almost two decades in the Adams County news business. He is passionate about sharing stories focused on the people in our communities and following local governments in an age when few journalists report on their meetings. Alex is also a freelance writer for several other publications in South Central Pennsylvania. Alex encourages readers to contact him at ahayes83@gmail.com.