A "quintessential pre-war suburb” in Lancaster County, the historic Grandview neighborhood has been home to Pennsylvania families since before World War II. “When you ask people, ‘What’s a great old neighborhood in the county?’ people often reference Grandview,” says Rob Bowman, president of Charter Homes & Neighborhoods. When Charter started planning its Grandview Preserve development on a tract of land in the beloved community, the first thought was “How can we finish such an iconic place?” Bowman says.

Whenever the Charter team embarks on a new development, especially one attached to an existing neighborhood, “one of the first things we do from a community standpoint is think about how we can add to a community in such a way that makes it seem like it’s always existed,” Bowman says. Along with their subsidiary, CH+N Site Construction, the team drafted plans for a 14-acre park adjacent to Grandview’s existing three-acre Jaycee Park. The new park is currently under construction and upon completion will be donated back to Lancaster County’s Manheim Township.

The piece of land includes an unnamed tributary to the Conestoga River, a tremendous environmental asset to the region. As Charter worked through the best way to complement the original Grandview neighborhood, according to Bowman, “it became clear that adding to this existing park and extending it to encompass more than 16 acres of preserved natural gathering space was the way to go.

“The whole Grandview neighborhood is walkable, and there’s a bike route that goes through the area as well,” Bowman continues. “And so having a destination for people to walk to and bike to, we thought that was a great way to provide a tremendous community asset. One of the things we learned through the pandemic is that being outdoors is the new luxury amenity. In the height of COVID, people were sitting outside in the snow around their fire pits drinking wine, and all of sudden, Pennsylvania became a four-season resort. We want to capture that sense of natural luxury for the residents of Grandview and give the community a cherished gathering space.”

The park will be left in a mostly natural state, with the stream corridor as the centerpiece. After removing several invasive plant species, Charter is working to thoughtfully reforest the land, including the recent addition of 40 sycamore trees, each between 20 and 25 feet tall. With wildlife expected to be a central draw for birders, hikers and children playing along the stream banks, Charter also plans to incorporate an extensive network of trails and scenic overlooks throughout the park’s meadows, lawns and wetlands.

Charter has a long history of giving back to the communities it serves. In addition to projects such as the under-construction Grandview nature preserve, Charter incorporates community involvement into each one of its projects through company-sponsored Make-a-Difference initiatives, restoration of landmarks and preservation of natural spaces. “Over the years, we've built a team that cares, and have really worked hard to develop a culture of ‘caring more,’ and it’s evident in the way that our team steps up to serve the communities in which they work,” Bowman says. “The opportunity to provide a community asset today that will far outlast our company and our team—that’s part of what gets us up every morning.”