Monthly Archives: September 2012

Corbett Administration appealing court’s rejection of controversial Act 13 provisions

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Land Use & Zoning on Sep 30, 2012.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia City Council approved a resolution opposing Philadelphia’s natural-gas drilling law, which was passed earlier this year. That law, as our readers know, superseded local zoning controls. The resolution, which has been endorsed by anti-drilling activists, supports a recent decision by the Commonwealth Court that overturned the section of the law which restricts municipalities’ ability to zone for oil and gas drilling.

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Developer and city work out agreement on empty lot as city prepares to open up bidding process

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Development on Sep 29, 2012.

In our last post, we wrote about a local real estate developer by the name of Ori Feibush, who got himself into trouble with the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority after he made improvements to a vacant lot next to his new coffee shop that had long been neglected.

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Redevelopment Authority threatens to sue developer for improving dilapidated lot

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Development on Sep 21, 2012.

Philadelphia real-estate developer Ori Feibush had an article published in the Daily News last week in which he recounted how the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority had ignored him after he made numerous calls expressing interests in purchasing or leasing a run-down vacant lot next to his coffee shop. Frustrating with the long-time non-responsiveness and the harm being done to his business, Feibush went ahead with some improvements on that property.

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Developer faces opposition to building tall tower in Old City

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Land Use & Zoning on Sep 20, 2012.

Earlier this week, the Philadelphia Planning Commission approved the development of several new apartment buildings within walking distance of a new park at the Race Street Prier. The projects have reportedly been criticized due to their deviation from standards set out in the new waterfront master plan and zoning code. The projects were approved, however, on the premise that they would help stimulate the new neighborhood near the waterfront.

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Trade unions agree to drop labor protest and work with developer on workforce issues

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Development on Sep 14, 2012.

Experienced developers are not strangers to controversy and legal spats. Because of the nature of their work, there is often a lot of competition, disagreement in how to make use of limited space, labor disputes, and various other issues that come up.

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Philadelphia developer is an up-and-comer in downtown Pittsburgh

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Development on Sep 13, 2012.

According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Philadelphia developer PMC Property Group is quickly becoming a leading property owner in downtown Pittsburgh. The developer recently bought a 30,000 square-foot building downtown for $525,000. The purchase pushes PMC very close to the 1 million square feet mark in terms of real estate ownership.

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Construction contracts in Philadelphia decreased from last year

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Construction on Sep 5, 2012.

According to a recent article in the Philadelphia Business Journal, the number of construction contracts in the Philadelphia area fell in July compared to the same period last year, even though year-to-date construction activity is at roughly the same level.

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Development project provides flexibility for natives and visitors of Philadelphia

On behalf of Kaplin Stewart Meloff Reiter & Stein, P.C. posted in Development on Sep 5, 2012.

A number of recent changes in Philadelphia have been positive from the perspective of land use planning and development. As we’ve written, a new zoning code promises to make development easier for businesses. To take another example, a new public space outside the city’s train station, named The Porch, has been quite an improvement over what was in its place before.

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