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Lancaster County appeals board approves dozens of property tax exemptions, tables nonprofit request
Summary
At its March 11 meeting the Lancaster County Board of Assessment Appeals approved a large package of property tax exemptions — including institutional and 26 disabled-veteran exemptions — and tabled a request from National Action Network pending clarification of property use.
The Lancaster County Board of Assessment Appeals met March 11, 2026, in the county offices at 150 North Queen Street and approved a slate of property tax exemptions covering several institutional properties and a group of disabled-veteran exemptions. The board also tabled a request from National Action Network for 445 E. Strawberry St. until additional information about the property’s intended use is provided.
Board members present were Chairman Lowell Fry, Board Members Chandra Mast and Richard Boas Jr.; staff included Director Kevin Edwards and Deputy Director John Tierney. The board approved the minutes of its Feb. 11 meeting at the start of the session. Most exemption motions were made by Richard Boas Jr. and seconded by Chandra Mast; each recorded motion concluded with the note “Motion passed.”
Notable outcomes included approval for SSMK SEVA LLC at 2301 Columbia Ave., East Hempfield Township (parcel 290-90262-0-0000), with the exemption to be effective beginning in the 2026–2027 school year and the 2027 county and municipal tax years; approval for PCAD College for parcels at 241 & 253 N. Prince St. in Lancaster City (parcels 331-11978-0-0000 and 331-14324-0-0000); and approvals for multiple religious properties, including Clare House at 233 West Chestnut St. (parcel 331-55763-0-0000) and Kinzers Mennonite Church (parcels 490-55030-0-0000 and 490-71567-0-0000). The board also approved the continued exemption for Ephrata Community Church with ownership transfer to another church (parcel 070-86583-0-0000).
The meeting recorded a sequence of 26 disabled-veteran exemption approvals for individual parcels across Lancaster County (examples: Seth Detavernier, 163 Boulder Hill Rd., Brecknock Township, parcel 040-32339-0-0000; Eric W. Itnyre, 385 Furnace Hill Rd., West Donegal Township, parcel 160-42638-0-0000; Douglas Pearson, 6258 Bayberry Ave., Penn Township, parcel 500-61229-0-0000). Where the minutes indicated exonerations, the board noted the specific tax years to be exonerated (for example, some approvals exonerated 2025 county and municipal tax and 2025–2026 school tax). The minutes list each exempted property and parcel number.
Two items were explicitly tabled: the National Action Network exemption for 445 E. Strawberry St. (tabled pending additional information on property use) and the Katartizo matter for 144 West Main St. in Mountville Borough (tabled until municipal confirmation of work on the property). The board adjourned at the close of the session on a motion by Chairman Fry, seconded by Ms. Mast. The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 8, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in the same conference room.
