A portion of the former Hershey Co. factory at 19 E. Chocolate Ave. , the factory built by Milton Hershey himself , is being torn down. 10/23/2012 SEAN SIMMERS,THE PATRIOT-NEWS
The smoke stacks at least, will still be there.
So too will much of the office space.
But a large portion of the former Hershey Co. factory at 19 E. Chocolate Ave. — the factory built by Milton Hershey himself — may be razed.
The Hershey Co. has filed a petition with Derry Township to demolish part of the 19 E. Chocolate Ave. plant. The plant was shut down this year as production moved to the new company's new factory in Hershey.
Next Monday, Oct. 29, the Derry Township Design Review Board will meet at 6 p.m. at the townships offices off of Hersheypark Drive to hear a petition from The Hershey Co. to demolish a portion of the chocolate company's former factory.
Hershey declined to discuss specifics, saying it would provide an update on its plans for the property at the meeting.
Last year, Hershey sold the property for $50 million to Chocolate Realty, a Delaware statutory trust established by Net Lease Capital Advisors, a New Hampshire-based real estate investment firm.
Net Lease then turned around and leased the property back to The Hershey Co. for 40 years. Under the terms of the sale, some parts of the factory are protected, including the smoke stacks and Hershey Cocoa bushes must be maintained.
The western end of the former factory — the portion with stone walls — is being used as office space. Hershey has stated it plans to use a large portion of the site for offices that will eventually house roughly 1,000 workers.
But the company has largely been mum on plans for the remainder of the building.