Columbia Borough on Jan. 13 approved staff’s plan to advertise a request-for-proposals (RFP) for the borough-owned McGinnis property, setting the first public advertisement for March 30, 2026, a mandatory pre-bid meeting the week of April 13, and a bid closing on May 15. Council agreed to consider award at its May 26 meeting.

The draft procurement document uses a redevelopment model adapted from Lancaster City and includes a scoring rubric staff said will weigh track record, financial readiness and purchase price. Heather, who drafted the RFP document, said she “used the model from Lancaster City when they did a redevelopment project” and that commercial realtors acting as owner’s representatives would be eligible for a commission. Councilmembers discussed commission and deposit amounts; several favored a 3–5% initial deposit, with 4% proposed in the draft as the deposit due within 10 days of award.

Members debated statutory advertising windows and practical marketing. Legal and procurement staff cautioned the borough code limits the formal bid advertisement period to 45 days, so officials recommended an initial marketing push ahead of the formal ad to increase interest while complying with advertising rules. Council settled on the March 30 ad date to balance outreach and statutory limits.

The RFP will require bidders to attend a mandatory pre-bid site tour, submit information demonstrating capacity to complete the project, and include purchase price in the scoring rubric. Staff proposed adding points for higher offers relative to an evaluated price; council advised keeping the method objective (percentages or discrete bands) to avoid litigation risks and to include a stated reserve that would render bids below it nonresponsive.

Council also raised financing and timing issues. Staff said the borough purchased the site for about $1.4 million; it appraised around $2.1 million and the last cited assessed value on record was $607,900. Members pressed whether Lancaster County EDC-administered BIOS funds could transfer to a buyer; staff said such funds are typically applied to development (not purchase) and that transfer would require state and program approvals that could delay closing. The draft includes contractual expectations that an awardee provide a 4% deposit within 10 days and execute a purchase agreement within 45 days.

Heather and legal staff said the borough will reserve the right to reject bids and to require evidence of bidders’ financing readiness to reduce risk of award delays. Staff will finalize the RFP language incorporating council feedback and present a final draft for approval at the next meeting.

The next procedural steps are to finalize the RFP language, issue a public notice on March 30 and begin the pre-bid outreach immediately to maximize potential respondent interest. The council directed staff to circulate a press release and to coordinate marketing with the EDCs, business journals and the borough website.