Pocono News Section

Penn Street Armory Expansion Approved

Penn Street Armory Expansion Approved - Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 5:33PM EST

Reported by: Jeremy Deebel
Thursday, Oct 15, 2009 @ 05:33pm EDT
Williamsport, Lycoming County-

It took two tries- and nearly three hours of testimony this time around- but plans are moving ahead to expand the Penn Street Armory in Williamsport.

A 3-2 vote by the city's zoning hearing board approved a special exception for the nearly $20 million dollar project.

Colonel Wilbur Wolf, Commander of the 55th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, explained, "We will have a very nice, new, state-of-the-art facility in what is really now an old legacy armory."

The project includes a new 67,000 square foot building and a new 8,000 square foot building in an area zoned for residential use.

Rebecca Renner, who lives just a few blocks from the armory, said, "I don't have a problem with them improving what they've got. It's just when it becomes so massive. There are other sites in Williamsport that would be far, far more suitable for this."

The new complex will allow both National Guard and Armed Forces Reserve troops to train here- mainly on weekends only.

Some residents voiced concerns about guardsmen parking on streets around the armory. Officials plan to remedy that situation by building a parking lot that will hold more than 300 vehicles.

Renner noted, "It's being cast as something that's necessary for the development of Williamsport. I don't think that's been demonstrated. It's not really going to bring jobs to our area."

Rep. Garth Everett (R-Lycoming) suggested building on a larger site in Muncy Township, but the Department of Defense has mandated that the training center remain in Williamsport.

Army officials here say they will continue striving to be good neighbors.

Wolf added, "Our soldiers are the community. They come from the houses next to the armory. What we hope is in this newly constructed facility, we'll have an even better place that we can interact. Have the community that we come from be a part of us all the time."

We’re told the armory expansion issue will next go before Williamsport's planning commission. If it clears all hurdles, officials hope to have the new facility completed by the end of 2011.