Long before work ever began to renovate Lancaster's Central Market, the planning began.

And that planning was extensive.

A multivolume planning study went far beyond the bricks and mortar of the historic building.

It looked back to the market's origins as an open square in Lancaster's original 1730 town plan. It looked around at the market's architectural context by studying surrounding buildings. It looked inward at the intricacies of the sales operation. And it looked forward at positioning the public market for the future.

The comprehensive study was considered a regional first that helped guide the $7 million renovation. The project, completed in 2011, was the first major upgrade to the market in four decades.

Gone is the glare from heavy suspended lighting. Long-covered windows were reopened. And mechanical systems were moved underground to preserve valuable market floor space.

All of those were recommendations of the plan, said architect Eugene Aleci, of Community Heritage Partners, who was a lead consultant for the study along with his wife, Linda, of the Local Economy Center of Franklin & Marshall College.

Co-consultant in preparation of the multivolume study was architectural and design firm Paden De La Fuente LLC. Hammel Associates Architects, LLC also contributed to the work.

This week, their work received national recognition.

"The Lancaster Central Market: Assessments, Guidelines, and Recommendations for Preservation and Development" was named the winner of the American Planning Association's 2013 National Planning Excellence Award for Urban Design.

The award, which will be presented at the association's annual conference in Chicago in April, is a top honor in the planning field. The Lancaster market plan is one of 18 projects nationwide which will receive awards.

"In Lancaster, the community and all future decision-makers may use the guidebook to understand and appreciate the critical challenges and opportunities surrounding this historic urban working district," said Ann C. Bagley, chairwoman of the APA awards jury, in a prepared statement.

The importance of the market cannot be overstated, Aleci believes.

In recent decades, it has existed as a downtown anchor. But a century or more ago, before food was readily available, the market was the primary source of food for city-dwellers.

City fathers considered providing a venue for quality food a fundamental role of government, as important as providing clean water and public safety, Aleci said.

With a renewed emphasis on eating fresh, local foods, the market is regaining some of its earlier prominence as a food source, he said.

"It's really the heart of the urban center. Everybody has an interest in getting quality food."

Lancaster's Central Market is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and was designated by APA as a Great Public Space in America. The planning guide was also the recipient of the Lancaster County Planning Commission's 2012 Leadership Achievement Award for Historic Resources; and subsequent work on the Central Market received Preservation Pennsylvania's 2011 statewide award for construction.
bharris@lnpnews.com

CORRECTION (1/11/2013): An earlier version of this article failed to list all study consultants.