Former downtown bank building to get new life

An historic building on the square in downtown York is getting new life after a high-tech surveillance company bought the property for $550,000 with plans to open a regional headquarters there. 

Steve Teachout, owner of Ocean 10 Security, Ashville, North Carolina, said he also plans to bring a 1920’s themed restaurant, a pizza shop and workspace to the former Citizens Bank building, 1 N. George St., which has been vacant for almost a decade.  

Teachout said his company plans to spend between $3 million and $5 million on renovations.  

“We had no plans to move to York, he said. “We were looking for space in Pittsburgh when I got a call from Benjamin Chiaro (senior brokerage advisor for TRUE Commercial Real Estate, Lancaster), who told me about the building.” 

The property, which is actually three buildings, has been owned by the York Redevelopment Co. since 2014. Teachout said he didn’t want to get into the YDC bidding process because he didn’t want to get into the “bureaucracy.” But when he saw the space, it was “magnificent”, he said. 

So, Ocean 10 Security bought the buildings outright. “We want to work with the people of York to see what they want,” he said. But early plans are to open a modern casual restaurant along with a “trendy” pizza shop like one in Ashville. “It will be a millennial-type place with music going all the time,” he said. 

Teachout, who bought a house in York so he can be part of the community, said while he is looking for community input, he plans to open part of the concrete façade and replace it with glass. “It will complement the old arch which is part of the 1925 structure and get rid of the 1970s façade,” he said. 

Over the next 60 days, Teachout plans to engage the public on what type of food, beer and wine they want. Plans then include completing the architectural phase in nine months with completion of the primary floors within three years. 

Ocean 10 Security manufactures the TSUNAMI, a state of the art, plug & play security camera surveillance system that can be deployed anywhere in the world and begins working in minutes.  

Teachout said he sells mainly to government entities and with the growth of the company, needs to expand his reach, thus opening a regional headquarters. 

 He said a small group from Ashville will relocate to York to get the operation up and running, but he plans to hire locally to staff the operation. 

“Sales will drive us,” he said. “Everything we do is organic so we will build out space on the third floor with light staff and see how it goes. We have space to grow, and that growth will be with new employees from this area.”