The transformation of the Armstrong World Industries property in the city's northwest corner keeps chugging along.

With demolition of the former Armstrong floor plant recently completed, Lancaster County Planning Commission today is scheduled to review the infrastructure development plan for the 47-acre site.

The lion's share of the property between Dillerville Road and West Liberty Street is in the city, but a sliver sits in Manheim Township.

Armstrong sold the century-old industrial site in September to EDC Finance Corp.

Armstrong has consolidated production of residential flooring on 20 acres the company kept in the northwest portion of the property.

EDC Finance is overseeing the $33-million site conversion project.

Once the infrastructure for the site is in place, EDC will sell the property to Lancaster General Hospital and Franklin & Marshall College.

LGH, F&M and Armstrong are contributing $6 million each toward site preparation, with state and local government money covering much of the rest.

F&M plans to use 26 acres to relocate its athletic fields, possibly including its football stadium.

LGH plans to convert roughly 20 acres into a commercial and mixed-use development, including a new nursing college. The hospital has said it could spend up to $100 million on new facilities there.

In reviewing EDC's infrastructure development plan, county planning staff noted, "This project is perhaps the most significant redevelopment in the history of Lancaster city and its sister municipality, Manheim Township.

"The work of EDC and its partners .... to disassemble and then clear the abandoned flooring factory is a remarkable achievement that promises to yield benefit lasting hundreds of years into the future."

EDC's infrastructure plan for the 47-acre site, which is equal to four city blocks, sets forth a layout of streets, lights and lines for water, sewer, gas and electricity, among other work.

"This project is a 'once in history' opportunity to rebuild a 50-acre piece of Lancaster," planning staff wrote in their review of the plans.

Among their comments on the infrastructure plan, the planning staff suggested developers explore the possibility of capturing and storing rainwater for irrigating the athletic fields.

Also, staff endorsed the plans for "back-in" parking spaces in some areas.

These diagonal spaces are angled so that motorists on the street stop and then back in, rather than pulling in head first.

"Visibility leaving the space is superior to head-in parking, where exiting drivers are likely to have their view of on-coming traffic obscured by the adjacent vehicle," the planning staff wrote.

The infrastructure for the site is expected to be in place by the second half of 2008, according to EDC's timetable.

Building by F&M and Lancaster General could take up to 10 years.

The planning commission will consider EDC's plan at 4 p.m. today in Southern Market Center, 100 S. Queen St.

E-mail: preilly@lnpnews.com