About 500 residential units planned for township

Two Harrisburg-area developers plan to build a total of about 500 residential units in Hampden Township, the most populous municipality in Cumberland County.

Yingst Homes Inc. intends to build approximately 300 townhouses and duplexes near the intersection of Good Hope Road and Interstate 81, said John Murphy, president of Alpha Consulting Engineers Inc. His Lower Allen Township, Cumberland County-based engineering firm is handling the project for Yingst of Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County.

Tom Gaughen Realty plans to develop a 206-unit apartment complex near the intersection of U.S. Route 11 and state Route 581, said company principal Tom Gaughen. The Camp Hill-based developer hopes to begin building in June and have the structure ready for occupancy in spring 2004, he said.

Hampden Township's population increased by 18.4 percent between 1990 and 2000, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. During that period, the township's population rose by 3,751, to 24,135. The township is one of Cumberland County's fastest-growing municipalities.

The township's access to much-traveled highways I-81 and Route 581, its relatively low taxes and the strength of its Cumberland Valley School District have fueled the municipality's growth, said township engineer Jerry Spease.

Yingst Homes' project

Yingst Homes intends to submit land development plans for its project in four to eight weeks, Murphy said. The houses would be built on 56 acres across from Cumberland Technology Park, he said.

Representatives of Yingst Homes did not return calls seeking comment.

Tom Gaughen Realty's project

Gaughen declined to disclose how much money his company's apartments would Tent for, saying that cannot be determined until his business secures financing for its project.

Construction would cost more than $5 million, said Donald B. Smith Jr., president of Conewago Enterprises Inc. His Hanover, York County-based general contracting firm is working on the project for Tom Gaughen Realty.

In November, the Hampden Township Board of Commissioners granted preliminary approval for Tom Gaughen Realty's building to have 228 residential units and five stories. Since then, the company has downsized to a lesscostly proposal. The revised drawings call for a structure that would have 206 units, four stories and about 130,000 square feet, Gaughen said.

The developer soon plans to submit his revised plans to the township, Gaughen said. The earliest the township could vote on those plans is in March, Spease said.

Tom Gaughen Realty has agreed to help pay for a traffic study at the intersection of Route 11, known as the Carlisle Pike, and Sporting Hill Road, Spease said. He said he does not know how much money the company pledged to contribute to the study.