Monthly Archives: September 2015

In our last post, we spoke a bit about developer Chancellor Hotels’ Hudson Hotel proposal for downtown Philly and its decision to seek zoning reclassification for the project. Zoning issues are common in real estate development and developers need to know how to navigate zoning laws when problems come up.

Next week, the Philadelphia City Council will reportedly be voting on a proposal to change the zoning classification for the Hudson Hotel, a project planned by Chancellor Hotels which was approved back in February. The hotel, which is to be located at 17th and Chancellor Street, was most recently planned to stand 12 stories tall, with 310 rooms.

We have posted about easements many times before — our series last summer, “Dune Look Now,” is just one example. Landowners use easements as a way to settle property disputes without anyone having to sell. Private companies, individuals, the government and every other property owner use easements for all types of land uses. A government may need an easement for road construction; a power company may need an easement to gain access to power lines; a homeowner may need an easement to access his home from the main road. Easements allow a certain amount of flexibility in the sometimes rigid area of real estate law.

A new report commissioned by the Philadelphia Growth Coalition estimates that the city will add 18,000 new jobs over the next 10 years — if the city does nothing about commercial real estate taxes. If the city acts, though, the number of new jobs would more than quadruple to about 79,000. The Growth Coalition is hoping the report will add a greater sense of urgency to the business community’s efforts to change the way real estate taxes are levied in Pennsylvania.

In our earlier post, we focused on the terms of a commercial lease. As we mentioned, negotiating a commercial lease is not only an acceptable tactic, but it is almost expected that a business owner will attempt to negotiate a better deal. 

When shopping around for a commercial space, while cost is often top of mind for many, keep in mind that commercial leases are negotiable. In fact, it’s almost expected that a business will attempt to negotiate before signing anything. For a business owner, this concept is welcoming, as the terms of a lease can have a rather large impact on a business, both now and in the future. 

The next Haddon Township Board of Commissioners meeting may finally decide the fate of the Dy-Dee Diaper Service property. About 250 rental apartments — some of which will be set aside as affordable housing — and 12,500 square feet of retail space make up the proposed seven-building complex.