East End Area Plan
What is happening with the County Prison Site (625 E. King Street)?
In 2020, the County of Lancaster began searching for a location to construct a new county prison facility, which would also result in the closure of the historic prison located in the East End Neighborhood at 625 E. King St. — parts of which have been operable since 1851. The County has selected the new prison site, which resides right outside the city limits, and facility designs are underway.
The future of the historic prison building and its 4.73-acre site raises significant community planning questions, primarily due to the historic building and its surrounding context. While contemporary prisons are well-buffered from residential neighborhoods, this prison property occupies an entire city block, and the structures feature prominently from all four adjacent city streets (E. Orange St., N. Franklin St., E. King St., and N. Marshall St.). Redevelopment of this scale and complexity requires years of lead time to align partners, financial resources, zoning, and strategic initiatives, and will play a major role in the future of this area.
Project Contact: Lauren Finn, Senior Planner, City of Lancaster, lfinn@cityoflancasterpa.gov
Phases
Community Engagement #3
On November 6, 2025, the City held an Open House to gather community input on the redevelopment of the current county prison site. We recognize that it is not easy to attend events on a weeknight so we are posting the project boards here, on Engage Lancaster, so community members can continue to chime in. Thanks for participating!
The image below reflects the design principles that emerged from the first round of community engagement, including an online survey, several pop-up events, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and charettes with community partners.
Based on these Design Principles, two scenarios were created. In the first, the entire prison is demolished, providing a "clean slate" for a developer. In the second, the historic portion of the prison is preserved. This is NOT intended as either/or, but rather, to help the community envision possibilities. The survey asks for your input on each scenario, as well as housing options, community programming, and designing the public spaces.
Upcoming and ongoing events
Past events
Event date: November 6th, 2025 from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
454 New Holland Avenue
11 registrants