EPA-560-F-08-296 brownfields September 2008

at-a-glance

Lancaster County, PA 

GRACE LEASE PROPERTY Assessment Grant 

ADDRESS: River Road, Manor Township, PA 17512 

PROPERTY SIZE: 25.31 acres 

FORMER USES: Wooded lot and trash dump site 

CURRENT USE: Wild forest lands for recreation, hiking, and picnicking 

EPA GRANT RECIPIENT: PROJECT PARTNERS: 

Lancaster County received 

a $400,000 EPA Brownfields 

Assessment Grant. 

Lancaster County Conservancy; Lancaster 

County Commissioners; Manor Township; 

Pennsylvania Department of Conservation 

and Natural Resources 

Removing Trash Reveals Nature’s Treasures 

For additional data and geographic information for this and other 

Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s: 

Envirofacts - www.epa.gov/enviro/html/bms/bms_query.html 

Enviromapper - www.epa.gov/enviro/bf 

PROJECT BACKGROUND: 

The 25.3-acre property—perched on the banks of the Susquehanna River close to railroad tracks—sat idle under the 

ownership of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1905-1957. The property was purchased from the Pennsylvania Railroad 

in 1957 by Grace Lease, a local woman; however, it continued to remain idle for nearly 50 years. As a result, many 

county residents not wishing to pay removal fees to the adjacent landfill, illegally created a solid waste disposal area on 

the property. Due to the past history of the property, the community perceived it to be contaminated with remnants of 

a petroleum drum, bottles, trash, and general refuse items in the soil. A Phase-II site assessment—funded by the EPA 

Brownfields Assessment Grant—was conducted in November 2005 and found no contaminants of concern exceeding 

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection levels, thus playing an integral role in removing the environmental 

stigma attached to the property. Following successful Phase I and II assessments, Lancaster County Conservancy 

purchased the property in May 2006 in order to put it back to productive use. 

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: 

• Created 25.3 acres of green/open space and habitat for wildlife 

• Leveraged $270,000 in funding for cleanup and redevelopment activities 

• Stimulated Lancaster County Conservancy’s interest in purchasing 

property for managing conservation 

OUTCOME: 

The Grace Lease Property will continue to enhance Lancaster County’s share 

of the community’s most revered natural resource, the Susquehanna River. 

Redevelopment planning began on December 22, 2005, and to date 25.3 acres of 

open space has been created in Manor Township. Thus far, Lancaster County Conservancy has blazed a trail to reintegrate 

the property into the community by linking the small parking lot on the property as an active extension to the popular 

Turkey Hill hiking trail. Future amenities include creating picnic grounds and a scenic overlook of the Susquehanna River 

Corridor to protect and manage natural resources and wildlife habitat. Some species have already begun to see progress. 

The reemergence of the bald eagle symbolizes the property’s strong recovery through county-wide initiatives to preserve 

woodlands and open space. As an untapped open space resource, the formerly desolate Grace Lease Property will soon 

serve as meeting grounds for migratory birds, wildlife, tourists, and nature lovers alike. 

The Grace Lease Property’s scenic overlook of 

the Susquehanna River. 

© Rettew Associates, Inc. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit the EPA Brownfields Web site at http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/ or call EPA Region 3 at (215) 814-3129