245-acre Dauphin County mixed-use development gets green light from township for revised

Milton Hershey School, the steward of Milton Hershey School Trust Real Estate, has received conditional use approval for its revised plan from the Derry Township Board of Supervisors for its revised plans for the Hershey West End development.

Supervisors approved the updated application for conditional use on Tuesday.

The school said it expects to begin the next phase of the development with building starting as early as the summer. The mixed-use development is located between Waltonville and Bullfrog Valley roads in Derry Township.

“We are grateful to the Derry Township Board of Supervisors for approving this project and helping bring our exciting vision to life,” Peter G. Gurt, president of the Milton Hershey School, said in a news release. “Seven months ago, when MHS assumed leadership of Hershey West End, we committed to meeting the end-of-year deadline while listening closely to the community—which we successfully did.”

Previously, the West End project received conditional use approval twice—first in 2018 and again in 2022 for the full master plan—but failed to progress.

The 245-acre development will include single-family and townhomes, retail spaces and Hershey Inn & Suites, a hotel owned and operated by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, scheduled to open in the spring.

The commercial spaces will include small and large retailers and locally owned businesses.

In May, an updated plan for the West End drastically reduced the number of housing units.

The revised plan includes about 250 for-sale homes and townhouses.

“Notably, this project will provide the most significant new housing inventory contribution to the community in more than 30 years,” the school said in the news release.

The development also includes The Englewood restaurant, Farmers Market in Hershey, U-Gro Hershey daycare center, Hershey Center for Applied Research and McQuaid Blasko, attorneys.

A grocery store is also planned for the site.

The revised plan also includes more green space.

“This project represents a shared commitment to building something enduring and meaningful for Hershey,” said Gurt. “Milton Hershey School is proud to lead the creation of a space that displays the character and spirit of our neighbors. The next chapter of Hershey West End starts today.”

The Hankin Group is the developer of Hershey West End.