Main Street Hanover is excited for the newest round of hanging baskets for downtown Hanover’s center square.  We are thankful to our donors who support this program.

Main Street Hanover is proud to present this beautification program annually to improve the appearance of the downtown every spring and summer.

We would like to especially thank the Hanover Area Garden Club and the Rotary Club of Hanover for their generous gifts, and we thank all the other donors who financially supported this program.

The 2023 BLOOM Grant Program for Small Businesses Based in Boroughs in York County application portal opens Friday, May 19!

This program will seek to will award grants up to $1,500 to small businesses located and operating in a York County borough for projects that will help them improve productivity, expand their services, or grow to the next level. Grant amounts will be considered based on need and potential impact.

 Please find full guidelines and the application HERE.

 An Informational Webinar will be held on Tuesday, May 23rd at 5:30pm via Zoom. We encourage anyone interested in the program to join us as we walk through the guidelines and answer any questions. Please register HERE.

BBB Flyer

Responding to an outpouring of feedback from residents and local business owners, the Borough of Hanover Council, at its meeting on December 28, 2022, approved a rate change for metered parking as part of the Borough’s 2023 Miscellaneous Fee Schedule. If paying by coin at the parking meter, the minimum session of one hour has been reduced to fifteen minutes allowing customers to pay 25¢ for quick stops at downtown businesses; quarters must be used to register the first fifteen-minute session with any combination of coin thereafter. Mechanical changes to recalibrate the meters are now underway and will be completed by the end of January. Patrons are encouraged to reference informational stickers on each meter to know if that meter has been updated.

Meanwhile, the electronic platform Passport Parking is still active with a required minimum of $1.00 for the first hour and a 25¢ service fee per session. The Passport Parking app is free to download from the App Store or Google Play and enables users to securely pay for and conveniently manage parking sessions through their smartphones. While the Passport Parking system includes all areas of Borough-managed parking, individuals are still able to purchase a limited number of parking permits for the lots associated with that program. Permits are issued quarterly at a rate of $100/quarter or at a discount of $360/year. More information about the parking program is located online at www.hanoverboroughpa.gov/310/Passport-Parking, as well as at the Borough of Hanover office located at 44 Frederick St. or by phone at 717-637-3877 during normal business hours.

The Borough of Hanover, York County, Pennsylvania, was incorporated in 1815. It is governed by the Borough Council, overseen by the Borough Manager, and staffed by administrative, public service, public works, sewer, water, refuse and engineering professionals. Known as the Snack Food Capital of the World, Hanover is home, not only to numerous food industries, but also to manufacturing, technology, and sales and service. Hanover Borough offices, located at 44 Frederick Street, can be reached at 717-637-3877 or online at info@HanoverBoroughPA.gov. More information is also available at www.HanoverBoroughPA.gov.

Main Street Hanover and the Borough of Hanover is excited to be installing new signage to further our effort to create consistent wayfinding throughout the downtown.  The new signage is funded by an Implementation Grant through the Keystone Communities Program with the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Signage will be installed for the next few weeks.  We look forward to sharing the full effort with photos once it is complete.

The Borough of Hanover has announced various changes to its parking program beginning the spring of 2022. The program modernization is a result of a “top down” assessment of the program completed in August 2020 combined with poll responses from various Hanover businesses, Main Street Hanover, and the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce. Unlike previous studies that simply counted spaces, this study looked at how to improve the parking experience by improving the way in which patrons pay for their parking sessions. Like a lot of other communities, the decision was made by Hanover Borough Council to contract with Passport Parking to develop and deploy a cloud-based management / pay parking solution. The new program will offer multiple ways to start (and continue) a parking session. A patron can use the mobile application on their phone, or they can continue to use coins. In addition, there will be kiosks provided at certain locations to provide other ways to pay (cash, credit card, Tap-and-go, etc.).

More information on the parking modernization program is available at the Borough office and online at:

https://www.hanoverboroughpa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1214/Parking-Program-Modernization?fbclid=IwAR3ASsX9XQkpoIdK4gbHmo4F4dXyVaNvXSNlrKZN_kw88c_VXkrtT7snqRc

March 25, 2022

Main Street Hanover Program Report – Presented to Borough Council January 19, 2022

In recent years Main Street Hanover has played a number of roles in the improvements in downtown; leading initiatives, collaborating on regional projects, building relationships, and fostering collaboration. To best tell this story, we have put together a summary of that work in our most recent program report, presented to Borough Council in January of this year.

We are excited to share that the most astounding figure from this program report is the return on the investment. For every dollar the Borough of Hanover spent on Main Street Hanover over the past five years, the Borough has seen $8.50 return in economic development activity.

That return on investment is only one measure of our programs worth, but it is one we are thrilled to share.

2022 is shaping up to be another incredible year for the Main Street program and we are excited to have your support in this next year of programming.  Please consider supporting the revitalization effort through an annual gift this year. Event sponsorships are also available.  Justine Trucksess can help you with either form of giving. Email her for more information at jtrucksess@mainstreethanover.org.

Full Report Document: MSH Program Report 1.19.22

Main Street Hanover supports the 5C option for the Eisenhower Extension project as it provides the best outcome for the greater Hanover community.

We believe the 5C option is the only way to improve the area’s roadway system because it will improve the traffic and roadway system in the community, address traffic congestion, reduce drive times for the area on already heavily congested roadways, improve safety within study area which experiences higher-than-average crash frequency when compared to similar roadways within the Commonwealth

This project has been studied and supported by local leaders and regional transportation planning organizations for the past 30 years.  The Eisenhower Drive Extension Project is located in York and Adams Counties. Eisenhower Drive, SR 94 (Carlisle Street), and SR 116 (Hanover Road, West Elm Street, 3rd Street) are main traffic corridors through McSherrystown, Hanover, Conewago Township, and Penn Township. These roadways are heavily congested, do not move traffic as efficiently as needed, and experience higher-than-average crash frequency when compared to similar roadways within the Commonwealth.

This project involves extending Eisenhower Drive through Conewago Township, from where it currently ends at High Street to Hanover Road (SR 116) west of McSherrystown.

Our Main Street Program has done a great deal to improve the downtown, boosting its charm and preserving its character. A project like what is proposed in the TSM alternative would effectively decimate the downtown corridor by increasing traffic in our historic Center Square. The downtown district’s character would drastically change if the primary arteries were widened to accommodate four lanes of traffic on Carlisle St. The 5C option is the only alternative that will support safer roadways and provide traffic congestion relief in the area.

It is our opinion that the TSM Alternative or No Build are not appropriate or safe options for the Hanover Community. The 5C option is the only alternative that will support safer roadways and provide traffic congestion relief in the area. We support the 5C Alternative as the best option to address the current and future needs of the greater Hanover area.

Learn more about the project from Eisenhower Extension for Hanover Flyer or the PennDOT website. 

If you are interested in supporting the project please consider writing a letter to PennDOT.  Information on how to send a letter of support can be found Cover Letter of Support and template letter of support is available for download Draft letter of support.

August 6, 2021 –

Downtown Hanover was happy to welcome Congressman Smucker for a small business visit and tour.  The Congressman started his day with the Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce for their Legislative Roundtable event held at the Markers of Hanover.  Following that visit, Main Street Hanover coordinated a meeting with local elected officials and school district leaders to share updates and have discussions around how the work the Congressman does can support our local community.

Following the visit with local leadership, Main Street Hanover’s Executive Director, Justine Trucksess coordinated small business visits.  As part of Lloyd’s Listening Tour throughout his district, he was able to hear from small businesses in downtown Hanover. This opportunity allowed for the small business owners to share their triumphs and struggles, and how COVID has impacted them.

We are glad to have our elected officials visit. It provides an opportunity to share all the great things happening in our community and specifically downtown Hanover.  Thank you to Congressman Smucker for visiting.