York College offers incentive to live in city

York is not as vibrant a city as George Waldner would like it to be. Ultimately, the state should address that problem, he said, by creating incentive programs that would reward people for buying houses or starting businesses in the city.

In the meantime, Waldner and his employer, York College, have introduced such a program. Full-time employees of the college who buy a house just north of the campus are eligible to receive $2,000 from the college, said Waldner, the college's president. The buyers can use that money for their acquisition or closing costs, he said.

Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster runs a similar program.

Up to 10 employees can participate in the York College program each year, Waldner said. The money would come from the college's operating budget. The program began in March when literature about it was included in workers' paychecks, he said.

So far, two of the college's 317 full-time employees have inquired about the program, Waldner said. None have bought a house yet, he said.

A top priority for York Mayor John Brenner's administration is to increase home ownership, said Abe Amoros, director of community development for the city of York.

The goal is to raise the percentage of homeowners in the city from 41 percent to 50 percent within five years, Amoros said.

Pennsylvania has a 72 percent rate of homeownership, which compares with a nationwide rate of 64 percent, Amoros said.

"I understand the concerns about public safety, taxes and the schools, but by buying a house in the city you get more bang for your buck," Amoros said. "We're working very hard to re-institute community policing in our neighborhoods. We're also looking to build a restaurant district downtown, like in Harrisburg."

In January, York increased its property taxes by 17 percent. Some people worry that tax hike might cause people to leave. The city's population has dropped during each of the past five decades. In 2000 the population was 40,862, a decline of 3.2 percent from 1990, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Susquehanna Real Estate Co. is another York company that is weighing what it can do.

The company might offer discounts to its workers who buy housing on city properties that it is redeveloping, said Tim Fulton, vice president of Susquehanna Real Estate.

The company also is considering an incentive for employees who buy other city residences, he said. No decisions have been made yet, he said.

Susquehanna Real Estate is working on two residential redevelopment projects in the city. One will break an old warehouse into 16 residential lofts and two commercial spaces.

The other is the development of a long-vacant lot into 12 condominium-style townhouses. The company is a division of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co., a Yorkbased media and manufacturing company.