Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Departments of General Services, Human Services and Office of Administration today announced that 2525 N. Seventh St. will be the site of a new commonwealth office building. Once constructed, nearly 900 commonwealth employees will relocate to the building from the DGS Annex, the former Harrisburg State Hospital Grounds, and state offices on Herr Street and the Office of Medical Assistance Programs space in Camp Hill.
“We are glad to be able to announce the award of this lease that will put nearly 900 employees into a physically and technologically advanced workspace,” General Services Secretary Curt Topper said. “In addition to being the lowest-cost option, this new building will bring those employees into the downtown area where they can contribute to, and enhance, the local economy.”
Through a build-to-suit lease, Hudson Asset Advisors, LP will demolish the D&H Distribution Co. building at the new site to make way for a 120,000 square-feet, three-story building, with more than 1,000 employee and visitor parking spots.
Pricing and terms of the lease will be finalized once the lease is executed in mid- to late- fall of 2019. At that time, design and permitting would begin with the demolition and groundbreaking for the new facility to take place in early 2020. The move-in of the state employees is expected begin in the first quarter of 2021.
The modern office space will house employees from the Office of Administration’s Office of Information Technology and the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, including staff from offices of Medical Assistance programs, income maintenance, administration, and children, youth and families and its 24/7 ChildLine operations.
“Currently, Human Services employees at the DGS Annex are spread across multiple buildings. Moving to a centralized, technologically advanced space creates opportunities to improve processes and create efficiencies that can strengthen our work,” said Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “I am excited to see this site come to fruition and look forward to seeing how the new location and its technological benefits can help DHS continue to improve services for people around the commonwealth.”
The new space will be built with energy conservation in mind with features including, LED lighting, water conservation measures, site design to manage glare and heat gain and the use of recycled materials where practical.