Merck & Co. Inc has put their 154-acre, Spring House property on the market.  Merck acquired the property at 1201 Sumneytown Pike in 2004 for $45.6 million and had been leasing it to Siemens Industry Automation. Merck did not renew the lease.

Merck has also been marketing the property through a commercial real estate broker, with a deed restriction against residential development, and held an auction for bids on October 24.  The results of that auction are not yet known.

AroundAmbler.com spoke to Lower Gwynedd Supervisor, Kathleen Hunsicker, about the property:

From the township’s perspective, this large site represents a significant asset.  Because the property is privately held, Merck can transfer the property to a new owner, as long as the owner’s use complies with the zoning. ( The property is zoned F1-limited industrial district that allows manufacturing, fabricating assembling of precision instruments)  If the new owner requires zoning relief, the Board will be very careful and deliberate if it considers such requests, in order to ensure the townships’ economic sustainability and vibrancy well into the future.

The Philadelphia Business Journal also wrote an article about the Merck property for sale which can be read here.