The revitalization of a fire-ravaged parcel in Mount Joy's central business district has begun.

The borough on Friday celebrated the launch of the Mount Joy Fire Rebuild Project at 74-76 E. Main St., Mount Joy.

Destroyed by a February 2007 fire that destroyed five properties and took one life, the site will house a new two-story structure with two storefronts and six apartments.

The project is being developed by Emanuel and Tena Hoffer of Mount Joy. Ketterline Builders is the general contractor.

The Hoffers bought the property in June 2009. The couple also owns an adjacent rental property and lives at 82 E. Main St.

"It was a big, blackened building. We looked at it and smelled the smoke every day," Tena Hoffer said.

"We purchased the building when the economic downturn stalled rebuilding efforts," Emanuel "Manny" Hoffer added. "We wanted to redevelop the building to benefit the borough and help revitalize this area."

Stacy Rutherford, Main Street Mount Joy manager, said the missing buildings "was like missing our two front teeth in our beautiful downtown smile."

The blaze on Feb. 14, 2007, killed 63-year-old apartment resident Robert Hatfield and caused an estimated $1.3 million in damage.

Immediately after the fire, Mount Joy Borough and Main Street Mount Joy began meeting with property owners in the affected block. Rutherford said a Borough Revitalization Collaborative consisting of Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities, Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, Lancaster County Planning Commission, Community First Fund and the Building Industry Association provided guidance on the redevelopment effort.

Financing for the $840,000 project is being provided by Northwest Savings Bank, Community Development Block Grant funds loaned through the Lancaster County Housing & Redevelopment Authorities, and an Urban Enhancement Fund loan through the county planning commission to Main Street Mount Joy.

"It's exciting to see a major building like this one get under way," said Matthew Sternberg, executive director of the county Housing & Redevelopment Authorities. "While not a big building, it sits in a key location, one that will help redefine Mount Joy's downtown district. And the fact that it was developed with reliable partners from within the community means it will have added stability in the future."

County Commissioner Craig Lehman, who grew up in Mount Joy, commended the public-private partnership.

"To be able to re-knit your downtown the way this project will do is nothing short of extraordinary, but I'm not surprised — the people here care a lot about their community," he said. "It takes a team effort to move a project like this forward."

Besides the Hoffer building, the neighboring building at 70 E. Main St. owned by Art and Dorothy Breneman, also damaged in the fire, will undergo major façade renovations financed through an Urban Enhancement Fund grant. The renovated property will house one commercial space and one apartment.

Rutherford said the combined projects, which total over $1.039 million in investment in the downtown corridor, will also provide approximately 35 parking spaces accessed from Sassafras Alley, along with streetscape improvements.

The Hoffers anticipate that their project will be completed in March, while Art Breneman said renovations to his building are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Main Street Mount Joy announced that Green Market, one of the businesses in its small business incubator, The Shoppes of Main Street Mount Joy, has signed a letter of intent to relocate to the Breneman building when it's available.