Hershey, Pennsylvania — Construction equipment and fencing to begin site work for the new Hershey Hotel on the long awaited development of Hershey West End is underway. A fuel storage tank has also been set up on site.
The Hershey Trust Co. is building Hershey West End, a mixed-use development between Waltonville Road and Bullfrog Valley Road adjacent to the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
A land development plan submitted to Dauphin County Planning now calls for a 75,380-square-foot hotel with four floors. The proposed hotel is to be located along West End Avenue, near the Englewood Barn and Cocoa Beanery. Original plans called for a hotel with five floors and an attached convention center.
Township officials initially approved a land development plan for West End in 2022, with Phase J consisting of more than 300 multi-family apartments with a dog park and an extension of the Eshenour trail system.
However, market conditions forced yet a third time extension to be approved in May of 2024. At that time, the board of township supervisors had been vocal in their disappointment with the Hershey Trust, stating that the lack of development was “shocking,” as covered by Paige Dalto of The Sun.
A scaled down version of the hotel’s original plan that eliminated the hotel’s fifth floor and the attached convention center was then proposed.
In November 2024, the board of supervisors approved a fourth time extension for the Hershey West End development.
At the November board meeting, township supervisors addressed entity leaders for the Hershey Trust, saying, “Our conversations have focused on adding more green space, significantly increasing home ownership opportunities at that property and assuring that any retail component is aligned with community needs and provides opportunities for local business participation.”
Harrisburg100 