Developers Unveil $30 Million Complex In Allentown Arena Zone

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Roy

English: City of Allentown from east side (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Developers announced plans today for a five-story apartment and retail complex to be built across Seventh Street from the hockey arena.

Shouting above the construction of two office building a hotel and an arena already under construction, officials from City Center Corp. and Pennrose Properties announced plans for $30 million, five-story building that is to include 160 upscale apartments, as many as 10 shops and a 125-space underground parking lot.

Located on Seventh Street, between Hamilton and Linden, the new building will also extend the city’s existing Artswalk by converting a small parking lot into a pocket park that will include colored and pattern concrete pathway, seating and sculpture displays.

“This project is another significant step toward making downtown Allentown a fun, exciting, vibrant, walkable community,” said J.B. Reilly, CEO of City Center Lehigh Valley. “We plan to create a lively environment adjacent to the arena and hotel by blending dynamic retail, great restaurants with outdoor seating, park space and stylish apartments with the culture of the artswalk.”

More Than 89 Acres Sold At Berks Park 78

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Roy

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Berks County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A Reno, Nev.-based real estate development company has purchased 89.22 acres in Berks Park 78 for $7.5 million, the Berks County Industrial Development Authority announced Tuesday.

Gene Preston, partner for the eastern region with Dermody Properties, said the company does not have a prospective tenant for Berks Park 78.

“That’s not atypical for us,” he said. “We are investors in real estate. We like to buy good land sites. This is an outstanding site, we are going to aggressively market the site and we feel fairly confident.”

Pennsylvania and the Berks Park location, in particular, provides strategic infrastructure to be able to move goods to the population base in the northeastern part of the country, Preston explained.

Wynn Project Could Shake Up Philadelphia Waterfront

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Roy

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Philadelphia County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Where North Beach Street twists and turns into Richmond Avenue in Fishtown, the old William Cramp & Sons shipyard has been the envy of developers and dreamers alike.

It’s 60 open acres of Delaware River waterfront, a vast blank canvas.

And the man with all the paintbrushes is Las Vegas resort-and-casino developer Steve Wynn.

Two weeks ago, Wynn finally released his plan for developing the site. Local reaction has run hot and cold.

Everyone agrees that the Wynn project could be a game-changer for the waterfront, finally giving purpose to land that has been idle since after World War II.

Developer To Buy Former Harley-Davidson West Campus In York County

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Roy

A developer has signed a sales agreement for Harley-Davidson‘s 58-acre west campus.

Earlier this month, the York County Industrial Development Authority approved the deal with Hillwood Development Company, a Texas-based venture chaired by Ross Perot Jr., the son of former presidential candidate H. Ross Perot.

“The IDA’s goal is to have jobs on that site and employment,” said Blanda Nace, senior manager of development for the York County Economic Alliance and project manager for the authority. “We aren’t real thrilled about it being a parking lot or a storage area. We want real jobs created there. Hillwood recognizes that. They have the same goals in mind … that’s part of the reason why they were selected.”

Center City Allentown Construction To Bring 900 Jobs

Posted on January 21, 2013 by Roy

English: City of Allentown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The concrete foundation of Allentown‘s $272 million arena complex has begun to rise at Seventh and Hamilton streets, along with the number of yellow-vested construction workers.

It is a welcome sight to an army of local tradesmen whose livelihoods took a beating in the Great Recession.

For ironworker Carl Graves, 33, of Easton, the arena project didn’t just put him back to work in a tough construction market, it gave him his family back.

With construction in the Lehigh Valley at a near halt the past four years, Graves has had to accept jobs as far as 100 miles away. During his six months working on a job at New York University Medical Center last year, the four-hour round-trip commute left him little time to spend with his wife and sons, ages 5 and 1.

Lehigh County Lands In Economic Growth Top 10

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Roy

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lehigh County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A national economic development firm says Lehigh County is poised for rapid future economic growth and investment.

The Pittsburgh-based company, Fourth Economy, ranked the county seventh in the U.S. among “large-sized” counties with populations between 150,000 and 499,999.

The company ranked counties based on investment, talent, sustainability, place and diversity, and looked at wage and employment growth, education levels, drive times, home values, minority business ownership, agricultural and manufacturing capacity and population density.

Lehigh Heavy Forge Deal Could Bring 100 Jobs To Valley

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Roy

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Northampton County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As the U.S. moves forward in bolstering its nuclear technology and power grids, one of the Lehigh Valley‘s longest-standing manufacturing companies stands to benefit in terms of job creation and expansion.

Bethlehem-based Lehigh Heavy Forge, the only remaining super heavy forging operation in the country and the largest open die forging process in the Western Hemisphere, will see more jobs come on line in the next 10 years as the result of a partnership announced Wednesday with the Babcock & Wilcox Co., a provider of clean energy technology to nuclear and renewable power markets.

At a press conference Wednesday at the company facility adjacent to the Sands Casino on grounds once occupied by Bethlehem Steel, company President Jim Romeo said Lehigh Heavy Forge will see about 100 engineering and manufacturing jobs created by 2022 as a result of the contract with Babcock & Wilcox to provide forgings for small modular reactors.

“It is with great anticipation that we look forward to our partnership with B&W,” said Romeo, who was joined at the podium by Christofer Mowry, president of Babcock & Wilcox mPower, and Gov. Tom Corbett.

Sharp Corp. Wants To Expand In Upper Macungie Township

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Roy

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lehigh County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Sharp Corporation wants to expand its operations at its pharmaceutical packaging location in Fogelsville, company represenattives told the Upper Macungie Planning Commission on Wednesday.

Sharp plans to add floor space to its existing building where it will build multiple clean rooms used to package drugs for a variety of clients.

Paul A. Szewczak, an executive with Liberty Engineering, Inc., Sharp will also remodel an adjacent 25,000 square foot building on Keebler Way and use that additional space for production.

According to Szewczak, Boyle Construction Management will build the addition to the structure formerly occupied by the Keebler Company. He said construction would be done in two phases, with remodeling of the existing building being the first phase. Work on the project will start after Jan. 1.

Redesigned Fulton Bank Project Gets Lancaster Board Approval

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Roy

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Lancaster County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A redesigned street-level facade for the planned Fulton Bank expansion won approval and praise from members of Lancaster city’s Historical Commission this week.

But the eight-story office building project was not greeted as warmly by a dozen members of the public.

“Is there any way to make it look less like an eight-track player?” Marty Hulse, owner of Building Character, asked project architect Rick Beck.

Beck, of the Philadelphia firm Francis Cauffman, explained the contemporary office building draws from the mid-century modern style popular about 60 years ago. Large windows capping the building on the top two floors are a currently popular style of architecture, he said.

A Tip Of The Hat To Berks Park 78

Posted on October 13, 2012 by Roy

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States with township and municipal boundaries (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Equipment from area construction companies pointed to the reason Gov. Tom Corbett was standing Friday in an open field in Bethel Township.

PetSmart Inc. was about to begin work on a new 870,000-square-foot distribution center in the Berks Park 78 industrial center.

The $50 million project is expected to be completed by early 2014 and eventually create 500 permanent jobs in the region by 2016.

The site off Interstate 78 and Route 501 is ideal because it’s within one long day’s ride of 60 percent of the eastern United States, Corbett said.

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