CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — The redevelopment of Chambersburg’s Southgate neighborhood is continuing and the former JCPenney will be coming down soon.
State officials awarded a $500,000 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant to raze the vacant store which most recently housed a Big Lots store.
“This dilapidated structure stands in the way of community revitalization and was determined to be impossibly expensive to renovate or reuse as a part of the community revitalization project,” Chambersburg Borough Manager Jeffrey Stonehill said. “While demolishing it is also very expensive, with the assistance of the Commonwealth, we will kickstart economic growth and clear the way for future replacement opportunities that will help the neighborhood become a vital and revitalized source of future tax and utility revenue for the Borough.”
The building, borough officials said, has a leaking roof, mold, and a poorly-accessible second floor, among other issues.
The demolition is part of a larger project to redevelop the area. It’s been on the borough’s docket for at least the last five years and the Chambersburg Area Municipal Authority bought the Southgate Mall in 2022.
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Borough officials announced plans last month to flatten the former Chambersburg Beauty School building across the street.
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