YORK – This past week, the York County Commissioners met with Lisa Hurley, director of the York County Development Corporation (YCDC), to hear the agency’s annual report and budget request for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
During Hurley’s presentation, she highlighted information regarding real growth experienced in York County that was tied to economic development efforts.
“York County is experiencing strong growth,” Hurley told the commissioners. “Over the past five years, the county has added approximately $2.24 billion in taxable valuation. In 2025 alone, we saw about $95 million in new growth tied to construction, redevelopment, housing and business investment.”
“At the same time, economic development has changed,” she said. “It’s no longer just about recruitment. Today, communities compete on housing availability, workforce, infrastructure, business retention and their ability to move projects from idea to implementation.
People are also reading…
“Over the past five years, York County has invested approximately $390,000 in YCDC,” Hurley said. “In that same period, our housing efforts have supported nearly $9 million in housing investment, with completed projects already generating more than $5 million in assessed valuation. That represents about $22.93 in housing investment for every county dollar invested.”
She noted how those figures do not include ongoing housing projects that are not yet on the tax rolls, but will carry substantial valuation when they are on the tax rolls.
“We also maintain an active business retention and expansion program, which is critical because much of a community’s growth comes from existing businesses. Klute is one example – growing from about 30 employees in 2013 to more than 200 today. Others include York Cold Storage, Preferred Snacks, Nutrition Services, McLean Beef and CVA.
“Over the past five years, YCDC has supported more than $200 million in business investment activity,” Hurley said. “That figure reflects projects where financial impacts could be directly tracked and does not include additional projects where we provided technical assistance but were not directly involved in incentives or financing.
“This work is countywide. We support housing, workforce, business and infrastructure initiatives across York County, while also providing technical assistance to smaller communities through traveling office hours and direct project support.
“The common thread behind all of this is capacity,” she said. “These projects require staff time, coordination, data tools and follow-through. Without that capacity, projects can stall and opportunities can be missed. For that reason, YCDC is requesting a modest 3-5% increase in county investment, approximately $2,300 to $3,800 annually. This small increase helps preserve the capacity needed to keep projects moving and to maintain the momentum we are seeing across York County. We appreciate the county’s longstanding partnership. This momentum is not accidental, it’s the result of businesses investing, communities collaborating and partners working together toward long-term growth.”
Commissioner Randy Obermier noted how there has been a lot of development underway at the York interchange in the last couple of years and asked when a groundbreaking might be happening for the future new hotel by the convention center. Hurley said it will probably happen later this summer.
Commissioner Andy Bowman asked about the board and executive committee structure of the YCDC organization. Hurley explained how eight individuals are on the executive committee – two are government representatives from the city and the county. The others are elected by the membership. The board members of YCDC are all those who have a gold membership or higher – meaning they make at least a $1,000 contribution each year to the organization. The executive committee “does the budget and the day-to-day stuff.”
“The reason we are here is for building for today as well as for the future,” Hurley told the commissioners. “We are an arm of the county, I am your economic developer.”
