Why you should sign our petition...
Gettysburg is an iconic community! It's history, character, and heritage hold powerful significance for millions nationally and internationally. The Gettysburg Borough Council has approved a plan to build a 72 foot building (about six stories), one block from Lincoln Square. And, has approved a "modern" architectural design that is not in keeping with the historic character of the town. The videos below include presentations by the National Park Service, The Gettysburg Foundation, the National Parks Conservation Association, and others objecting to the Station Project height and design.
The Gettysburg Planning Commission and other Gettysburg authorities are reviewing the developer's Land Development Plan which was submitted in December 2025. The process is expected to take months during 2026 as it proceeds through the Planning Commission and various other Borough authorities and outside agencies such as PennDOT. The Planning Commission must fulfill its responsibility to protect the health safety, and welfare of Borough residents and provide leadership in the management of growth and change and in the economy, ecology, and unique environment of Gettysburg. It must assure that all aspects of the Land Development Plan follow established requirements to protect residents and the unique nature of Gettysburg. Final approval is vested with the Planning Commission.
The twin needs of preservation and development, to offer services and opportunities to its residents, should not be in conflict, and won't be, unless Gettysburg itself makes poor decisions. As currently proposed the Station Project does not meet that standard. It is for us, beginning with the Station Project, to make decisions that ensure that development moves forward in ways that keep Gettysburg unique.
We need your help! Please sign our petition!
How did this happen?
During the 1800s the 2+ acre “Gettysburg Station” site was home to hardware stores, lumberyards and other commercial uses that needed rail service to transport goods and materials. The station, built in 1858, was the western terminus for the rail service. Warehouses on North Stratton Street shipped farm products to Baltimore. Jubal Early’s troops burned some of the rail cars during their raid of June 1863. The area was the site of significant action during the Battle of Gettysburg.
Abraham Lincoln arrived at what is now the Lincoln Train Station the day before delivering the world famous Gettysburg Address. The station served as a field hospital, and 15,000 wounded soldiers were transported home via this rail line. The Lincoln Train Station is listed in the National Register Gettysburg Battlefield Historic District.
By the early 2000’s there were a few modest buildings on the North Stratton Street side of the site that housed the homeless shelter, and a books and antiques shop on Foth Alley. These buildings were demolished when commercial development on the site (the Reddi project) seemed like it was going to happen. An abandoned gas station faced Carlisle Street.
The York-Adams Transportation Authority received federal funding to raze the gas station and build a sheltered bus station, including the only handicap accessible public restrooms on Carlisle and Baltimore Streets. The Transit Station opened in 2013. Much care was taken by the community, particularly the Historic Architectural Review Board and the Borough Council, to make it architecturally compatible with the Lincoln Train Station. Potential future links to the vacant property behind it were shown on the site plan.
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