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Red Lion Area selling old country club site for $2.5 million [The York Dispatch, Pa. :: ](York Dispatch, The (PA) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) April 23--An old country club that was once designated for a Red Lion Area School District expansion is now being shopped to developers who build retirement communities and personal care homes. The district is selling the 69-acre property for $2.5 million, and Rock Commercial is seeking buyers. Broker Gordon Kauffman said the York-based commercial realty firm listed the property Monday and is marketing it to developers across the Mid-Atlantic region. "We think an assisted-living facility or retirement home would be the best possible use for the property," he said. The former Red Lion Country Club on Country Club Road in York Township is zoned business/commercial, but the residential location is a hike to Interstate 83 and not attractive to certain industries, Kauffman said. "A large, business-office park is out of the question," he said. But the lush greens would be ideal for a retirement community, Kauffman said. A 13,624-square-foot banquet hall and clubhouse are included in the property. "They're in good shape. What's left of the golf course is grown over, but there's still a pond in place and beautiful view," he said. The land was once slated for an addition to Red Lion Area Junior High School. Enrollment studies had showed a possible increase during several years of up to 6,000 students, said Terry Robinson, business manager at Red Lion. An influx of about 500 students would have justified an expansion, so the district spent $5.2 million to buy 80 acres from what was then known as the Copper Beach Golf & Swim Club. The school district used some of that land to build two athletic fields. But the district's enrollment is now about 5,500 students and isn't expected to increase in a "significant" way in future years, Robinson said. Because there are no longer any plans to add on to the junior high school, the district is selling the extra 69 acres, he said. "We have no need for the property or planned use for the property and rather than keep it for us, we felt it best to put up for sale," Robinson said. The board will need to decide what to do with the funds that come from the sale, he said. Though it's not certain, it's likely the board will decide to put the money into reserves to use for future capital improvement projects so they don't affect the tax rate in future years, he said. One of the biggest items on the district's "wish list" is to install air conditioning into several school buildings, Robinson said. The North Hopewell-Winterstown and Windsor Manor elementary schools don't have air conditioning installed, and sections of the junior and senior high schools also need central air, he said. --Reach Nikelle Snader at [email protected] and Candy Woodall at [email protected]. ___ (c)2014 The York Dispatch (York, Pa.) Visit The York Dispatch (York, Pa.) at www.yorkdispatch.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |