Think Loud receives $5 million state grant for data center

By Hannah Sawyer and Ed Mahon

Daily Record/Sunday News

Think Loud Development, LLC, has been awarded a $5 million state grant for the construction of an office building and data and telecommunications center, Gov. Tom Corbett's administration said Monday.

Think Loud, which includes some original members of the band Live, in 2012 announced plans to renovate the former Bi-Comp building in York, and then in 2013, the group said it would also bring a data center to the area - one of several to be built on a fiber optic line in the Northeast.

A news release from the Corbett administration states that the money will be used for the renovation and construction of a nearly 54,000 square foot office building and data and telecommunications center, which "will cater to enterprise, small to medium-sized businesses, healthcare, as well as carrier and wireless customers."

"That's big, and that's what you want in the city," said Leonardo McClarty, director of economic and community development for York.

Bill Hynes, CEO of Think Loud Development, said in an email that the grant is for the 210 York Street property and the "surrounding campus" near Santander Stadium.

Hynes later said additional state funding is expected for the project, which he described as partially complete. Hynes said the state program provides reimbursement.

The grant comes from the state's Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which awards money to projects "based upon their job-creation potential, their economic impact, as well as their viability and construction readiness," the release states. The 210 York Street project, which has involved converting an old printing warehouse into office space, is expected to transform the neighborhood, as well as "create or retain nearly 700 jobs and infuse more than $2 billion in tax revenue to the community," the release states.

Corbett praised the project, saying in a statement that Think Loud "saw the promise that its involvement in downtown York could bring to revitalizing the community. This project will serve as a technology hub and bring good paying jobs back to the downtown."

Continue reading here:
Think Loud receives $5 million state grant for data center