Hershey West End Development Project Advancing with Updated Approach and Plan

Reimagined spaces are the result of joint efforts between MHS, HTC, and community leaders

Milton Hershey School (MHS) and Hershey Trust Company (HTC) announced today, with the support of Derry Township leaders, a revised approach to completing the Hershey West End development project and providing well-designed residential, commercial, and green spaces to enhance our community by reducing density and expanding green space. This exciting step will help bring to culmination a 245-acre mixed-use area between Waltonville and Bullfrog Valley Roads.

“After listening to the Hershey community and having productive conversations with Derry Township leaders, we are finalizing an improved land development plan that will accommodate the needs of the township while also elevating the West End,” said MHS President Pete Gurt. “While we understand this project has taken time to come to fruition, we are committed to a West End that will make our entire community proud.”

The updated, multiple-phase West End plan will still include high-end commercial spaces featuring both larger retailers and smaller, locally owned businesses. It also will include a premium select-service hotel called Hershey Inn & Suites, owned and operated by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts. The key changes to the plan affect residential development, with the new design creating a combination of for-purchase-only single-family and townhome units while providing more open green spaces, including landscaped parks and walking trails.

In the areas discussed with Derry Township, the plan has been revised to eliminate apartment rentals and reduce the total number of units by nearly 50% from the originally planned 731, allowing more green space and significantly less density. All homes will be available for purchase, and Hankin Group will remain the West End property developer.

“Milton Hershey School and Hershey Trust Company have gathered significant community input and have made thoughtful changes to the West End plan,” said Natalie Nutt, Derry Township Board of Supervisors Chairman.

Aligned with the West End project and going forward, MHS will assume operational and developmental oversight of all Milton Hershey School Trust Real Estate to ensure assets are preserved exclusively for the benefit of the school’s long-term interests, which also will significantly benefit the Hershey community. “Our approach is to be an exceptional neighbor with our community and good stewards of resources entrusted to us by our founders,” Gurt said.