Development Archives

Large development projects can often present many challenges. However, once a project is completed, it is often a boon to the local area. One such development project is being considered in Philadelphia right now for the 30th Street Station. While it is only in the proposal stage right now, the project has the potential to improve car and pedestrian access to the area as well as add more commercial space.

Philadelphia Councilman at-Large Jim Kenney recently invited a company to relocate here, prompted as much by his dedication to the public interest as his dedication to his cheesesteaks. The company manufactures the very hot, in all senses of the word, Sriracha sauce, and it is in the midst of a court battle with its home city.

If city officials are worried about attracting new businesses, especially new manufacturers, to Philadelphia, they should be relieved to know that Councilman at-Large Jim Kenney has a hot prospect: the company that manufactures Sriracha sauce, the extremely popular chili sauce. The company has run into trouble in its current location, and Kenney believes that relocating to Philly would solve everyone’s problems.

After protesters were escorted out of a recent Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board hearing, it became clear that the Philadelphia casino debate is not quite over, though the volume has been turned down. City officials were at the hearing to discuss the pros and cons of the six proposals for the project when a group of people started to chant “No casino! No casino, no matter what!” They carried signs that said “Addiction,” “Crime” and “Poverty.”

It is time, according to Cherry Hill Township, to put 10 acres of prime real estate to good use. The developer who purchased what had been the Garden State Park racetrack originally had plans to turn it into an off-track betting establishment. That was more than five years ago, though. With the project stalled, local officials, weary of watching the grass grow on the vacant lot, have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Land developers may be able to put together very attractive plans to help bring certain parts of a city to life. However, along the way, a number of land use issues can obstruct investment and construction if proper preparations aren’t made.

Philadelphia’s Main Line used to be one sprawling estate after another. The Great Depression, according to local historian John Marshall Groff, put an end to that lifestyle. Families lost their fortunes; the houses were sold or fell into disrepair. By the time prosperity returned after World War II, the land was too valuable to hold on to, so the estates were broken up into housing developments. The Main Line became the suburbs.

We are picking up the discussion about Radnor Township and Ardrossan Farm from our Aug. 10 post. The farm is the last open space on Philadelphia’s Main Line and has been the subject of more than a few development proposals — including the town’s own proposal to maintain the farm as open space.

Radnor Township has a dilemma. Ardrossan Farm is that rarest of things along Philadelphia’s Main Line: open land, more than 300 acres-worth. And the most pressing question about open land these days — especially open land so close to the city — is whether to preserve it or to build on it.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is months away from making a decision, but the applicants for the Category 2 Slot Machine License and Table Games Certificate have been waging campaigns for the popular vote that we usually only see in presidential election years. Most of the activity is taking place in Philadelphia, where, according to the GCB’s website, the casino must be located.