Lancaster County Real Estate Blog

Shoppes at Belmont is an upcoming high-quality, unique mixed-use development proposed for the Southeast corner of Fruitville Pike and Route 30. The Shoppes will be located in an existing, vibrant commercial corridor of Manheim Township in Lancaster County.  The developer is Manbel Devco, whose partners are Phil and Nick Frey.  Manbel Devco is partnering with R.J. Waters & Associates and Charter Homes & Neighborhoods to complete the project.

Shoppes at Belmont will transform a commercial-zoned tract of land into a dynamic community featuring retail and residential housing. Smart lifestyle features such as bike and walking trails will connect the community to downtown Lancaster.  In addition, many of the historic attributes of the Mayer-Hess farmstead  will be preserved and utilized to enhance the heritage and style of the development.   This will include the Italianate-style mansion that was built between 1870 and 1874 and could be used for offices, a café, or similar uses as permitted under the Manheim Township zoning. The retail and residential buildings in the development will be based on the farm stead aesthetic. The property’s main barn and smaller farmstead barns will be preserved at another site in Lancaster County and made available for events.

So what businesses can we expect to see in Shoppes of Belmont?  Most notably at this point would be the recent announcement by Whole Foods Market that they signed a lease for a   40,000 square foot building.  Whole Foods Market is a leading natural and organic foods grocer with a commitment to transparency and maintaining the highest quality standards in the industry.  There will certainly be other big name anchor stores finding a home here as well so keep an ear out for the latest developments.

Good news for the local community members and bike-enthusiasts, as Manbel Devco cares deeply about the level and flow of traffic through the area. They are committed to making necessary traffic improvements around Shoppes at Belmont. The project will include extensive roadway improvements such as the addition of sidewalks along Fruitville Pike that will connect Shoppes at Belmont to downtown Lancaster and an existing bicycle corridor. The improvements proposed for this project will help alleviate current traffic and avoid additional congestion, while contributing to the area’s vision for Complete Streets, which focuses on multi-modal accessibility including walkability and biking.

It’s refreshing to know that the Frey family understands and respects the role farming plays in our area as well. Through the Manheim Township Transferrable Development Rights (TDR) program, they will be preserving farmland in Lancaster County through the purchase of 77 TDRs, which equates to approximately 40 acres of preserved farmland.

So the big question remains...when will all this happen?  With a project of this size, scope, and consequence I wouldn't make any plans to shop here in the next year or two.  My guess would be somewhere between five to seven years before this project is completed.  It will certainly be exciting and interesting to watch how it unfolds.  It's unclear when the residential portion of the project will be available to purchase but I'm sure they will be highly desirable and an opportunity that you do not want to miss.

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