4 minute read
Building York's Future
Tackling the Housing Challenge with Vision and Cooperation
By Megan Kreiser | Assistant Vice President, Events
York County is at a crossroads. As industrial development accelerates and the demand for labor intensifies, a critical challenge has emerged: Where will this workforce reside?
Real estate professionals and economic development leaders are sounding the alarm that the availability of attainable workforce housing is becoming a bottleneck in York County’s continued growth. "It's not always framed as a housing issue," says Kevin Hodge, brokerage advisor with ROCK Commercial Real Estate, "but when employers say they can’t find people, housing is absolutely part of that conversation." For example, fulfillment centers and warehouses now employ thousands where they once employed hundreds, compounding housing pressure in already tight markets
The YCEA identified similar concerns through the recently conducted housing study as part of the York County Economic Action Plan. Along with our partners, we’ve created a quarterly Housing Developers Roundtable to provide a forum for information sharing and issue identification amongst the public and private residential development and construction community. Another key action step is engaging employers in supporting housing access to support workforce development.
The housing study also identified the need to invest in workforce training to support indemand construction careers, as material and labor costs have skyrocketed, making it harder to build affordable homes under traditional models. In that same vein, there is a need to educate and promote the need for middle housing development through local zoning recommendations. For decades, local zoning ordinances have favored large-lot, single-family developments. But the math no longer works.
“Unless you're adding capacity, you're just rearranging the chairs on the Titanic,” mentioned Kevin Hodge. Indeed, new highend units contribute to a “trickle-down” effect, freeing up more affordable apartments as people move up the housing ladder.
Yet outdated local ordinances are still a barrier. Parking mandates, density caps, and a default to “no” rather than “let’s figure it out” stifle innovation. Municipalities are urged to reevaluate long-held requirements and instead find ways to say yes. In some cases, developers are proposing creative solutions, like basement parking, to meet regulations while still building needed housing.
Zoning reform is especially crucial for unlocking “middle housing” options like duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes, which are both more affordable and more aligned with shifting demographics and household sizes.
A central solution lies in increasing the capacity of the housing market—specifically, allowing for greater residential density. Fortunately for York County, we do have developers in York focused on these high-density residential projects. Jordan Ilyes, owner of Ilyes Holdings LLC, has focused on revitalizing small towns such as Red Lion and Hanover. Most recently, Ilyes completed a 190unit apartment complex on Franklin Street in York, demonstrating that demand exists when municipalities cooperate. “YoCo has a rich heritage of beautiful architecture and industrial buildings,” shares Ilyes. “Red Lion with all of its cigar and furniture factories is ripe for redevelopment of these buildings. I’m honored to be able to pioneer these projects and partner with the community to be a catalyst for the economy.”
Adding to the complexity are community concerns, often around schools, traffic, or changes to neighborhood character. But as Kevin’s expert explained it, “People don’t want a warehouse behind them, but they want their package faster.” Reconciling these tradeoffs requires educating both residents and local leaders on the economic benefits of smart growth and higher density.
York is also increasingly serving as a bedroom community for higher-cost cities like Baltimore and D.C., especially in areas like New Freedom. The challenge will be ensuring that new residents also support local economies, not just sleep in York but shop, dine, and invest here too.
The road ahead requires strategic cooperation across the private and public sectors. As York County leaders look to the future, the path is clear: promote zoning flexibility, encourage employer engagement, allow density to meet demand, and reframe housing as economic infrastructure. That’s how York can remain not just a place to work, but a place to thrive.
To learn more about the York County Economic Action Plan, visit yorkcountyeap.org.
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