State and local leaders gathered to celebrate a huge win for Cumberland County: the total transformation of a long-abandoned industrial site into a vibrant new neighborhood packed with homes, green spaces, a hotel, and local businesses.
For nearly a century, the 63-acre property in Carlisle was home to manufacturing giants like Masland/IAC, Carlisle Tire and Wheel, and Tyco. But when operations shut down in the late 2000s, the area fell into decay—culminating in a massive 10-alarm fire in 2010.
Fast forward to today, and that polluted maze of old factory buildings has been given a brand-new lease on life, thanks to Pennsylvania’s Act 2 Land Recycling Program and technical support funded by the state’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA).
What was once an environmental headache is now a thriving destination. The fully remediated site now features: affordable single-family townhomes alongside dedicated apartments for veterans, public park, green space, a community center, and a brand-new hotel, retail spaces and a soon-to-open restaurant.
“Revitalizing this corner of Carlisle into this thriving space represents what happens when community leaders, planning organizations, and the public reimagine how former industrial sites can be transformed into something new,” said Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Jessica Shirley. “When these industrial sites closed, local leaders thoughtfully planned for the future. Thanks to DEP staff from the Land Recycling Program, what was once contamination has been redeveloped into an important community asset.”
Local leaders emphasized that turning a blighted, complex property into safe, usable land takes serious teamwork—and serious funding.
“None of this—the housing, the hotel, the restaurant opening soon—happens without the Hazardous Site Cleanup Fund,” explained Janet Anderson, Executive Director of the Cumberland Area Economic Development Corporation. “It’s the difference between a site staying dormant and becoming an economic asset. We’re grateful to the PA DEP for keeping that promise to communities like Carlisle.”
Carlisle Borough Mayor Sean Shultz called the effort one of the most significant revitalization projects in the borough’s recent history.
“What was once a vacant, polluted industrial site is becoming a thriving mixed-use destination,” Mayor Shultz said. “We thank the Pennsylvania DEP and its Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program for their support in making this redevelopment possible. Their investment has helped return this property to productive use and create lasting benefits for our residents, businesses, and local economy.”
