GAP, PA-A prominent portfolio of commercial, industrial and residential property in Lancaster County will go to auction, with both live and sealed-bid auctions set for December 5 and 11.  

The properties on Lincoln Highway (Route 30), located directly across the road from the site where Urban Outfitters announced last week that it will develop a $105 million e-commerce fulfillment center, include:

• three commercial buildings
• 91.4 acres of improved development land zoned for commercial and industrial use, and subdivided into five lots
• two luxury homes on a residential development site.

Madison Hawk, a real estate firm specializing in structured accelerated sales, will conduct the auction for owners Jonas and Anne Beiler. 

The Beilers are founders of Auntie Anne's Pretzels begun as a pretzel stand in 1988 to fund free counseling services to families and couples in their community.  By 2005, the company grew to include over 1,000 franchises in the U.S. and overseas.  The Beilers sold the Lancaster County-based company in 2005 to expand their philanthropic work. 

The Beilers acquired the huge site on Lincoln Highway to develop it as Houston Run, a mixed-use residential complex. The Beilers completed The Family Center of Gap, which is now occupied by a number of nonprofit organizations and a medical office building, community water treatment plant, a self-storage facility and extensive infrastructure to support development of the remaining 91 acres. The open land is close to final subdivision approval for commercial and industrial development.

The Beilers are selling the property in connection with their planned relocation to  Texas next year. 

“This is a unique opportunity for an investor or owner to acquire well-regarded properties with substantial upside in an area experiencing growth and considerable investment,” says Jeff Hubbard of Madison Hawk. 

“The decision by Urban Outfitters, a global retailer, to expand its operations near Gap and create hundreds of new jobs underscores the confidence the business community has in this area and certainly adds to the economic viability of the Houston Run development,” he says.

The developable land, which has Route 30 frontage, is to be auctioned with sealed bidding.

The Family Center of Gap, at 835 Houston Run, has a projected net operating income of $367,000, will also be offered via sealed bid auction. Also:

• 836 Houston Run Drive, a 52,562-square foot medical office building with a replacement cost of $7 million, with a suggested opening bid of $1.9 million.  

• The Ellmaker House, 5380 Lincoln Highway, a 6,000-square-foot restored historic home that currently serves as the Beiler family real estate company's and charitable foundation's headquarters, will be sold regardless of price in an open outcry auction. 

Residential properties included in the offering are:

• 941 Timberline Drive, a six-bedroom, five-bath residence with a custom chef's kitchen that is set on 2.78 acres. Bids start at $300,000.

• A 10.4-acre wooded lot zoned residential, offered separately, with a suggested opening bid of $150,00

• 863 Brackbill Road, a 5,600-square-foot home custom-built within a 19^th century farmhouse; chef's kitchen, custom electronics, four bedrooms, four baths and a finished basement; set on 5 acres, with heated in-ground saltwater pool and spring-fed creek and pond. Also, a restored 9,000-square-foot barn, currently producing $2,900 of monthly income, and a new manufactured home are part of the offering, which will involve sealed bids.

“We genuinely love our community,” said Anne Beiler, a well-known speaker at civic, religious and business group events around the country.  “From here, we launched a company that went worldwide, a feat largely achieved because Lancaster is a great place to do business.”

The Beiler family and the Board and staff of the Family Center will assist in transition through the sale to ensure that the community continues to benefit from its support services, she said. 

Sealed bids must be submitted to Madison Hawk, 575 Lexington Ave, Suite 4017, New York, NY 10022 by Dec. 5. 

The live auction will be Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. at the Doubletree Resort by Hilton Lancaster in Lancaster. Appointments to inspect the property can be arranged online at www.madisonhawk.com/auctions/Gap.