Bids to develop the massive 50-acre Middle River Station were extended one day on Monday after a bidder submitted a $14.1 million offer, which kicked in an extension requirement, according to the federal General Services Administration.
The minimum opening bid was $10 million with an original deadline of 2 p.m. Monday. But by 2 p.m. Monday, the highest bid was $14.1 million, according to www.auctionrp.com, the official Web address for the auction.
“GSA has been impressed throughout the marketing outreach with the number of interested bidders, but more importantly, with the high caliber of the investors,” general services spokesperson MaryAnn Beatty said in astatement.
“According to the published terms of sale, bidding will continue until the next business day if an increased bid is received each business day by 2:00 PM, EST,” Beatty said in the release.
The government has the right to withdraw the sale at any time, according to bid invitation documents from the General Service Administration.
The site, which was originally called the Glenn L. Martin Company Plant No. 2 Middle River Depot, was the birthplace of World War II B-26 Marauder bomber planes built by Martin aircraft manufacturing in the 1940s.
Among its features are 120,000 square feet of unobstructed space, 950 feet of frontage on Eastern Boulevard and 1,600 feet of frontage on Penn Central Railroad tracks, which handles Amtrak train service.
Located 13 miles northeast of downtown Baltimore at Eastern Boulevard and Route 43, the site offers 1.9 million square feet in a two-story warehouse with 320 parking spaces.
Government officials want a developer to bring a retail, commercial, office and possible residential project to the site.
The online auction started June 28 and required bidders to register with a minimum deposit of $500,000, according to bid invitation documents.
Michael K. Day, chief of the preservation services offices of the Maryland Historic Trust, said his department wants potential winning bidders “to be creative” while maintaining the “historic integrity” of the site.
The Maryland Historic Trust must approve any alterations to the site, which is also eligible for historic state and federal tax credits, Day said.
