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Lancaster EDC updates Columbia council on McGuinness Airport redevelopment, recommends stabilizing site first
Summary
Lancaster County economic development officials updated Columbia Borough Council on the long-running McGuinness Airport / Innovation Park project, outlined funding already secured, and recommended bidding site stabilization (phase 1) before deciding whether to fully develop or sell parcels.
John B. Miller, vice president of business retention and expansion at EDC Lancaster County, told Columbia Borough Council on March 27 that the borough now controls land needed to redevelop the former McGuinness Airport site and that the project has cleared many predevelopment hurdles.
Miller said the borough’s ownership and site-control work are the project’s most important near-term accomplishments and that consultants have completed design, permitting and studies required to reach the next stage. “The most important thing that has happened over the years ... is the borough bought the site and got site control,” Miller said.
Why it matters: the site is large and technically complex, and the borough has already applied for and received preliminary state funding commitments. Miller said the borough’s Business-in-Our-Sites (BIOS) application was approved, with the Commonwealth awarding a $3,300,000 grant and a $5,000,000 loan for the redevelopment. Council and staff discussed multiple options for using those funds to move the project…
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