Former York tobacco warehouse being turned into luxury rentals 

Susquehanna Real Estate is spending about $2.9 million to convert an office building at 50 N. Duke St., York, into 18 one- and two-bedroom luxury apartments known as Courthouse Commons. 

Sherman Property Management will handle the leasing.  

A former tobacco warehouse close to the York County Courthouse, it most recently housed The Sides Group (an RBC Wealth Management firm) and a division of WellSpan Health.  

“The units are designed to offer a lot of amenities and conveniences for those seeking the advantages of an urban lifestyle,” Jack Kay, president and CEO of Susquehanna Real Estate, said in a release. “It really presented an opportunity for us to creatively imagine what the next phase of life could be for this location.” 

Courthouse Commons is within walking distance of numerous restaurants and such venues as Central Market York and the Appell Center for the Performing Arts. Kay wrote in a follow-up email that the company has a history of “new and innovative developments” in downtown York. “We developed 96 S. George in 1984, which at the time was the only new Class A multi-tenant office complex, raising the bar for amenities and features including being able to drive up to your floor in the King Street Garage.” 

In 2003, he said, Susquehanna also developed the Lofts on George Street, “the first upper-end residential condo project downtown.” In addition, “we developed the Susquehanna Commerce Center in 2007, which remains as one of the best commercial office campuses structured as a commercial condo.” 

 For the 50 N. Duke project, “we are incorporating the latest technologies, giving tenants the ability to utilize their phones for remote access and security, as well as ‘tuneable’ bathroom mirrors that allow light configuration and heating elements to prevent fogging,” Kay explained.  

All units come with designer kitchens; washer-dryers; high-tech security and access systems; secured, interior parking; and storage areas.  

The large two-bedroom, two-bath apartments feature separate bedroom suites with attached bathrooms and a common living, dining and kitchen space, Kay said, “making it ideal for a shared roommate arrangement.”  

Paula Wolf is a freelance writer.