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Have you ever been to Gettysburg?
It's a very special place, unique in the world and in American history.
Over 160 years ago, this charming small town was under attack by southern rebels. Well, it is under attack again. This time by its manager and elected borough council officials.
In 2018, the Gettysburg Borough Council by one vote decided to rezone a large part of the borough just one block from Lincoln Square for high-rise construction.
Shocking, right?
Thus, we have the pending Station Project east of Carlisle Street: Seven stories in one building and two other buildings with 186 apartments and retail space, which will generate 1,756 vehicle trips per day according to the developer.
We are still waiting for PennDOT's traffic study.
And this year, borough council is planning to rezone a huge section west of Carlisle Street for even more high-rise development.
In fact, the borough manager and his sycophants on the council are pushing for massive construction and development within the borough of Gettysburg, one of the most charming historic towns in America.
Aside from the horrific traffic gridlock and the burden on our infrastructure, the Station Project alone, without any additional downtown development, will completely destroy the charming small-town appearance of Gettysburg.
One need only look to State College where there are seven 12-story buildings.
Look at downtown State College, York, Lancaster. Is that what we want Gettysburg to look like?
The borough council president has said that there must be "balance," as if Gettysburg is just another small town in Pennsylvania.
No. Here, in this place, in this Gettysburg, there must be preservation. Millions come to this Gettysburg and return throughout their entire lives to experience the historic small town that this Gettysburg is today.
They come because of how it looks, how it feels, how it has been preserved. They don't come to see -- and don't want to see -- modern high-rise buildings. And if that is what Gettysburg becomes, they will stop coming.
Because it will no longer be this Gettysburg, a precious historical site in America.
If you care about Gettysburg, please call, write, email the Borough of Gettysburg and Destination Gettysburg to voice your opposition to this terrible plan to destroy Gettysburg.
Call, write, email your state and U.S. congressional representatives.
We have one chance to stop this. They want to vote these zoning changes in no later than this October and once they have done that, the destruction will begin and Gettysburg will be ruined forever.
Peggy Rock lives in Gettysburg.