Officials in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, are hoping that an online auction for the Colonial Park Mall yields a buyer interested in redeveloping the roughly 31-acre site.
As a reminder of the site’s potential, they held a press conference June 19 to note that the retail property was zoned in 2020 to encourage mixed-use development along the lines of the King of Prussia mall outside Philadelphia and the Shoppes at Belmont near Lancaster.
Some residents have balked at the idea of demolishing the Colonial Park Mall, which has been a township staple since 1960, township supervisor chair Robin Lindsey said in an interview following the press conference.
But, she said: “It’s time and I just keep telling them, once it’s sold and it’s redeveloped, it’s going to be absolutely gorgeous.”
The rezoning allows a range of uses at the site, including residential, retail, entertainment and institutional, which could include medical buildings.
The auction could yield a buyer with different ideas, or no buyer at all.
But Lindsey said she was staying positive. “I’m just excited that something is going to be done because, right now, it’s an eyesore,” she said.
Officials also pointed to recent legislative proposals designed to encourage the redevelopment of ailing malls, including a bill to create a specialized grant and loan program.
“I believe we can transform these drains on our economy into thriving places to live and work,” said the legislation’s sponsor, state Rep. Justin Fleming, a Dauphin County Democrat.
What’s next: The three-day auction, which had been scheduled for next week, has been pushed to July 15, according to a listing with the Ten-X auction site.
The starting bid is set at $2.1 million.
The roughly 344,000 square-foot mall at 4600 Jonestown Road is currently more than two-thirds empty, according to the listing.
The auction does not include several retail properties often seen as part of the mall: a Boscov’s store, a former Sears store, a former Sears Auto location, a former Enterprise Rent-A-Car location, Mountz Jewelers and two restaurants: Red Lobster and Longhorn Steakhouse.
