York, Pennsylvania – York based developers, Inch & Co. Development Group, intend to invest an estimated $48 million to construct 300 market rate apartments at the intersection of State Route 16 and Interstate 81 on approximately 30 acres in Antrim Township and Greencastle Borough, Franklin County. 

In a project that would address the urgent need for housing in Franklin County, Joe Eisenhauer, Director of Acquisitions for Inch & Co. sees the rare alignment of public and private interests. “We’ve been following the tremendous economic expansion of Franklin County and the I-81 corridor over the last few years and see a situation where growth and opportunity will only be limited by the ability of those who want to live here to find a place to call home.” 

Housing is a concern shared by local leaders and interest groups including the Franklin County Area Development Corporation (FCADC). According to FCADC statistics, there is 5 million to 7 million square feet of distribution space planned in Antrim Township alone in the next few years and an anticipated need to fill as many as 6,000 jobs regionally. According to Mike Ross, President of the FCADC, “National employers have identified Franklin County as a regional hub. We desperately need labor to fill the jobs and housing to keep up with growth.” 

Franklin County was the 10^th fastest growing County in Pennsylvania according to 2020 US Census data, growing by 4.2% and adding more than 6,300 new residents over the last 10 years. 

The proposed development would consist of ten 30 unit, three story, predominately one and two bedroom, garden-style apartment buildings; a swimming pool and community clubhouse; walking trails; and off-street parking in excess of typical demand. Consistent with the Antrim Township Master Plan, Inch & Co. has included an extension of Moss Spring Avenue to Route 16 in the initial concept.  

Eisenhauer touted the local benefits of a project of this scale: “We provide amenities and a sense of space sufficient to give our residents a state-of-the-art onsite living environment, however with pedestrian connectivity and our location on the periphery of downtown Greencastle, this is a tremendous investment in local small business as well.” 

“We’ve built developments like this in communities throughout the region and pride ourselves on blending into the local area and being good neighbors.” Added Jeff Inch, CEO of Inch & Co., “The nature of housing has changed. Our residents, in many respects, could easily afford their own home but chose not to. Maybe they’re retired, or looking for maintenance free living, but they’re predominantly single individuals or couples and accordingly we’ve found that the impact on schools—traditionally one of the first concerns we hear—has been shockingly low compared to public perception.” 

Inch & Co. recently completed a 172 unit multi-family community in Marietta, Lancaster County, and is currently under construction on a 120 unit project in Hampden Township, Cumberland County. Additionally, the company anticipates breaking ground on 170 units in Mt. Wolf, York County this fall and has close to 1,500 units moving through plan approvals throughout the region. Inch & Co. is additionally engaged in a partnership to redevelop Fort Ritchie, the historic military base located in Washington County, Maryland, closed in 1998. 

Inch & Co. has assembled a design team of Frederick, Seibert & Associates, Inc. as civil engineer, and Traffic Planning & Design, Inc. as traffic engineer. Concept plans were presented at the September meetings of the Antrim Township Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.  

According to Eisenhauer “The goal is to submit full land development plans by the end of the year and break ground in late fall of 2022.”