McGinness Innovation Park Plans Still in Conceptual Phase

No final plan for the McGinness Innovation Park currently exists. Instead, there are only concepts of a plan.

At the December 17 Columbia Borough Planning Commission meeting, officials confirmed that plans for the McGinness Innovation Park are only in the conceptual stage. Engineer Derek Rinaldo recommended that the Planning Commission collaborate with borough council to establish deadlines and objectives, a process he estimates will take 6 to 9 months.

According to Rinaldo, major earth-moving operations are scheduled to begin in the spring, with no immediate plans for lot creation in the next six months. 

“The bulk of the earth-moving is slated to start in the spring,” Rinaldo said, “so there isn't any plan in the next 6 months to be creating lots.”

Once earth-moving commences, the project team will transition from their current focus on environmental permits, earth-moving, and demolition to developing more detailed plans for the site's future. A house at 700 Franklin Street is slated to be demolished. 

A house at 700 Franklin Street (shown above) is slated for demolition as part of the process of developing the innovation park. 

According to Rinaldo, the next phase will involve creating subdivision and land development plans, including decisions about street layouts and lot sizes. After that, the project team will begin serious discussions with the “economic development core” and potential buyers or tenants, according to Rinaldo. 

Borough council previously approved submitting subdivision plans to the Lancaster County and Columbia Borough planning commissions at its May 14, 2024 meeting to lock down the outer boundaries of the business park.

Two conceptual plans have already been prepared by ELA Group, a Lititz-based engineering company:

- One that accommodates a runway

- One that focuses on business park expansion

Rinaldo emphasized that these plans are preliminary, noting that the final layout and lot sizes will be determined by the types of businesses and uses the borough aims to attract.

At the December 23 borough council meeting, when resident Frank Doutrich inquired about whether the parcels would be sold or leased, Heather Zink, council president, indicated that while no final decision has been made, the preference is to sell the parcels. “We have not come to a final determination yet on any of that,” Zink said. “The hope is that they'll be sold, and I don't think that's going to be an issue.”

Columbia Borough paid $1.5 million (plus closing costs) in August 2021 to buy the 58-acre former airport property, looking to turn it into a business and technology center. The cost to develop the site has been estimated at $10-12 million.