Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Council hears market options for McGuinness site as legal limits slow marketing
Summary
At a Sept. 2 Columbia Borough Council workshop, a commercial realtor outlined redevelopment options for the 60‑acre McGuinness Airport site — including 55+ housing, retirement communities and light industrial — while council and staff described state bidding rules and an EDC attorney opinion that could delay marketing through a broker.
On Sept. 2, 2025, Columbia Borough Council workshop members heard a market briefing on the borough’s McGuinness Airport redevelopment site and discussed legal and procedural constraints that may delay a broker-led marketing campaign.
The presentation came from Justin Geisenberger, a commercial realtor with Sable Commercial Realty, who described possible uses for the roughly 60‑acre property, including for‑profit retirement communities, 55+ housing and light manufacturing or small industrial buildings. Geisenberger told the council residential senior projects could yield higher taxable improvement value per square foot than typical warehouse buildings, while noting residential uses can add pressure on local emergency services.
The discussion matters because the borough has prioritized the site to strengthen the tax base and create jobs. Council members and staff raised three linked issues: what the market will support, how different uses affect municipal services and tax revenue, and how state procurement rules and the Columbia EDC’s attorney opinion limit immediate use of an…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
