ULI PHL is recruiting 10-12 members to serve on a two-day Technical Assistance Panel that will provide Columbia Borough (Lancaster County) with recommendations for a potential mixed-use redevelopment project in the heart of Columbia’s Central Business District. As part of this TAP, Columbia Borough has requested that ULI members explore opportunities for an infill mixed-use development that fulfills an identified market need, determine parking solutions for a significant development, and identify partners and resources for their redevelopment efforts.

The area being evaluated is anchored by the vacant Hotel Locust and Hotel Columbia buildings, which includes two adjacent underutilized parcels and a vacant lot next to a thriving antiques market. Columbia Borough leaders believe that a redevelopment effort at this location would serve as a catalyst for other redevelopment in the commercial core of this community,

Interested in serving as an expert panelist? Please complete this short interest form by March 8th. Applications will be reviewed by ULI leadership, and volunteers will be selected based on their experience in the areas listed below. Project will include overnight stays (for those not local to the Lancaster Area) on April 23rd and 24th (TAP will take place on April 24th and 25th). Volunteer panelists should commit to serving two full days on this panel, this includes participating in a site tour, interviewing stakeholders and working with a small team to formulate recommendations. Recommendations will be presented to the public and included in a comprehensive report. Volunteer participants must be ULI members at the time of the TAP and be free of conflicts of interest.

Professional Expertise Needed:

– Retail
– Urban Design and Planning
– Development including parking solutions, costs and planning
– Market Analysis / Economic Development

For more information on ULI Technical Assistance Panels and links to previous TAP reports, please click here.

Questions to be addressed by the TAP Panel:

1. What is the potential for infill mixed-use development that would both fulfill an identified market need and establish an anchor for the downtown commercial district?

2. What parking solutions are possible for a significant redevelopment project at this location in the center of the commercial district?

3. What partners and resources can the Borough leverage to make something happen at this site that has sat vacant and deteriorating?

APPLY HERE