HERSHEY, Pa. – November 06, 2026 -- Milton Hershey School (MHS) has broken ground on Phase J of the Hershey West End development, a 138-unit for-sale residential community named Founders Grove.
MHS is acting as steward of MHS Trust Real Estate. The 138 homes are only the initial phase of development and will occupy 12 acres of Hershey West End.
Hankin Group joins MHS as joint-venture partner on the project
Hankin Group, a family-owned Pennsylvania real estate company based in Exton, will partner with MHS. Hankin Group President and CEO Bob Hankin credited collaboration between Derry Township and the school for the project's progress.
Founders Grove is the first residential development in Derry Township in decades
MHS President Peter G. Gurt described the project as the "first residential development in Derry Township in decades." Homes will use Colonial and Victorian architecture to match the aesthetic set during Milton S. Hershey's "Great Building Campaign" in the 1930s.
MHS took over Hershey West End leadership with an updated 2025 proposal
The school assumed leadership of the broader project in 2025. Hershey West End currently includes:
- Hershey Inn & Suites, a hotel owned and operated by Hershey Entertainment & Resorts
- The Englewood Hershey, a hospitality venue and cafe
- The Farmers Market in Hershey
- U-Gro daycare center
- Hershey Center for Applied Research
- McQuaid Blasko Law Offices