HARRISBURG, Pa. — State officials announced a new plan for the future of the Department of General Services Annex, formerly known as the Harrisburg State Hospital.
The history of the site goes back to 1851, when Pennsylvania’s first mental hospital was built there. At the time, it was called the Pennsylvania State Lunatic Hospital and Union Asylum for the Insane.
Capacity at the complex peaked at 2,441 but eventually was whittled down by the development of new psychiatric medicines and deinstitutionalization. The hospital closed in 2006.
Since then, most buildings have sat vacant, despite numerous attempts to redevelop the site.
In 2017, Harrisburg area officials launched an unsuccessful bid to use the land for a new Amazon headquarters.
In 2019, the Dauphin County Redevelopment Authority agreed to develop the site. There would be no down payment, but the authority would split the proceeds of development with the state.
However, the deal expired in January 2022 with no development started.
Dauphin County officials said they did everything they could to move ahead with the project, writing in a statement,
"We feel somewhat put off by the communication, or lack thereof on the state’s part, as the state DGS has gone silent and disengaged from the project. The county outlined requests regarding the property and the state did not comply or even respond to our requests. Those requests included zoning and subdivision requirements essential to the project, which the state declined to address... As we see it, the state disengaged from the project."
In a letter sent to Gov. Tom Wolf in Dec. 2021, Dauphin County officials said they had spent $342,355 in legal fees, master planning, consultation, and other costs associated with the project.
Now state officials have decided to keep the land and use it for official purposes. They announced three main areas of focus moving forward:
The first project will separate the central utility system that controlled steam, water and electricity for the entire hospital complex. Once separated, each building will be able to control its own utilities.
The second project will be a utilization study to determine the best use for the more than 50 buildings spread across the 295-acre property.
The third project will build a scientific laboratory for state agencies such as the Departments of Agriculture, Health, Conservation, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, as well as the Pennsylvania State Police. The scope for the laboratory is expected to be developed next month, then put out for bids.
“Instead of buying five separate buildings, getting the permits for those and so forth, we will use land that we already own and build one state-of-the-art facility that fits everyone’s needs,” said Trop Thompson, director of communications at the Department of General Services.
Maintenance costs roughly $5 million per year for all the buildings. Some will be restored as part of the redevelopment, while others could be taken down and rebuilt.
Officials said the historical significance of the campus and each individual building will be taken into account in future planning. Thompson said the department will work with stakeholders like the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
“Some buildings may be restored. Some may be new construction. There will be a mix, but we will make sure that we talk with our stakeholders,” Thompson said.
The redevelopment of the campus will be a multi-year project.