Columbia weighing another round of bids for former McGinness property

CHRIS REBER | LNP Staff Writer

Columbia Borough Council will decide Tuesday night if it wants to again seek bids for the sale of McGinness Innovation Park, two weeks after rejecting a widely unpopular proposal that included a data center.

The agenda for the 7 p.m. meeting at Borough Hall, 308 Locust St., includes a possible vote on authorizing borough staff to advertise the property for sale for the second time this year.

It would come two weeks after council rejected Saadia Holding LLC’s lone, $6.35 million bid for the property at a meeting packed by residents concerned that the buyer was considering a data center.

Council Vice President Heather Zink told LNP | LancasterOnline on Monday that Saadia’s submitted proposal called for a data center. But because the property is only 41 acres, she said it wouldn’t approach the size of the largest data centers being built across the country, known as hyperscale data centers.

Council rejected the bid in part because of a state law requirement that the borough receive full payment within 60 days of awarding the bid. Saadia wanted to wait until site plans got approval.

Zink said she expects the second request for proposals to be similar to the first, requiring a minimum bid of $6.2 million, and a detailed proposal on the developer’s plans, but it will ultimately be up to the full council.

Under state law, if council puts the property out for bid two times and neither one draws an acceptable offer, it can negotiate directly with buyers, she said.

“We have been marching toward the same goal since we purchased the property in August of ‘21, and that is to expand the tax base and create jobs for people in our community,” she said.