Two redevelopment teams propose differing adaptive‑reuse plans for William Penn campus

Two developer teams presented competing plans for adaptive reuse of the vacant William Penn High School campus at a special meeting of the Harrisburg City School District and receiver on May 21.

The presentations — one from Capital Rebirth in partnership with the Shades of Greatness Foundation and another from The Bridge (led by Gary Gilliam) — proposed mixed‑use projects intended to combine vocational and career training, health services, housing and sports/rec center space. Both teams described multi‑phase builds and said they expect to rely on a mix of private investment, grants and tax‑credit financing. No formal board action was taken; the district’s receiver said the board will resume discussion at its May 27 meeting when the district’s architect of record presents options.

Why it matters: the 100‑year‑old William Penn building sits in a high‑visibility, low‑income part of Harrisburg and has been under study by a task force. Both teams said redevelopment could create new training opportunities for students and jobs for area residents, and both teams framed their work as a way to stabilize and stimulate nearby commercial corridors. Board members repeatedly asked how student safety, traffic, phasing and long‑term district interests would be protected.

Capital Rebirth presentation

Michael Simpson of Capital Rebirth and a partner who identified himself as Wendt described a plan that would demolish the rear portion of the building, restore the façade and redevelop roughly 12.9 acres while preserving green space. Simpson said the project would encompass vocational and technical education space, an indoor sports complex, a childcare center, a community resource center, a medical facility, restaurants/retail, playgrounds and housing.

Simpson said the proposal envisions roughly 260,000 square feet of developed space on about 6 acres for the sports complex and associated facilities, with around 80 one‑ and two‑bedroom housing units on about 2.2 acres. He listed square‑foot figures during the presentation: a roughly 100,000‑square‑foot training facility, a 10,000‑square‑foot medical clinic, a 25,000‑square‑foot resource center, a…