Costco, Whole Foods Shopping Center Groundbreaking Set For This Week In Lower Macungie Township

A Whole Foods executive is slated to join Hamilton Crossings developers and local officials this week for the shopping center’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Whole Foods Market Executive Coordinator David Pinkney will be on hand for the Thursday afternoon event to be held at the future site of his company’s first Lehigh Valley store, developers announced Monday.

Representatives from The Goldenberg Group, of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and TCH Development, of Staten Island, New York; state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie; a representative from state Sen. Pat Browne’s office; Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller; Lower Macungie Township Board of Commissioners President Ryan Conrad and Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. President Don Cunningham are expected to attend the 2 p.m. ceremony, as well. It will be held at 4972 Medical Center Circle near the Wescosville Recreation Center.

Read more:

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/lehigh-county/index.ssf/2015/05/costco_whole_foods_shopping_ce_5.html

For Colony Of Merchants, Gallery Makeover Is Painful

Every day, Miss Anna comes to the Gallery – and on Tuesday, she was particularly elegant, in a long purple sweater, fashionable hairstyle, her eyebrows etched in darkly, perfectly arched.

“Her brother died two years ago,” said George Thomas, who owns the Creative Silver jewelry kiosk on the ground floor. “She was crushed. If I don’t see Miss Anna for two days, I worry. I call her.”

Who will worry about Anna Mazella, an Aramark retiree in her 80s, when Thomas closes his business – not by choice – at the end of the month?

In November, the Gallery’s owners, the Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust and the Macerich Co., began to tell dozens of merchants that they would have deadlines to leave – some by the end of December, others at the end of January or February.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20150121_For_colony_of_merchants__Gallery_makeover_is_painful.html#SEk4SQJIJbQS6D4o.99

Birdsboro To Possibly Get A Grocery Store

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

Birdsboro will be getting a new shopping center, and perhaps a grocery store.

M.B. Investments, a J.P. Mascaro & Sons business, signed an agreement of sale with St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Birdsboro, to acquire 5 of the church’s 9 acres to build a small strip mall. The purchase price was not disclosed.

The cornerstone of the site at 5 Brooke Manor would be a 25,000-square-foot grocery and space for additional shops, according to Steve Lusky, Birdsboro borough councilman.

Lusky said he has worked with borough officials for several years to bring a small neighborhood center with a high-quality grocery to the community of about 5,100 people.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=519839

Lehigh County Commissioners Kill Costco TIF

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

The Lehigh County commissioners on Wednesday night rejected tax financing for Hamilton Crossings, possibly closing the door to popular retailers Costco and Whole Foods in the Lehigh Valley.

Developers of the proposed $140 million Costco-anchored shopping center in Lower Macungie Township have said they will walk away without tax increment financing, which required support from the county, township and the East Penn School District.

County commissioners were considered the most significant hurdle to the TIF proposal, which would allow up to $7 million in tax dollars generated by the shopping center to be used to finance the work.

Commissioners shot down the TIF in a 6-3 vote that broke from their usual voting blocs and surprised many. Commissioners Tom Creighton, Percy Dougherty and David Jones voted in favor of the proposal; Commissioners Scott Ott, Lisa Scheller, Mike Schware, Brad Osborne, Vic Mazziotti and Dan McCarthy voted against it.

Read more: http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-lehigh-county-costco-tif-20130626,0,2078873.story#ixzz2XQao9y4y 
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Developer: Whole Foods Would Join Costco In Lower Macungie

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

Whole Foods Market has agreed to join Costco and Target as an anchor at the proposed $140 million Hamilton Crossings shopping center in Lower Macungie.

Jeremy Fogel of the Goldenberg Group of Montgomery County, one of two developers planning the project on the Route 222 bypass, confirmed Tuesday that the grocery store chain is the “high end” food store that he and Tim Harrison of Staten Island, N.Y., plan to bring to the shopping center.

“We have been working with Whole Foods for some time, but only yesterday have been authorized to announce that we have an approved deal with Whole Foods,” Fogel said.  “We are currently negotiating a lease for them to become part of the Hamilton Crossings Shopping Center.

Fogel said the addition of Whole Foods enhances the appeal of the proposed development.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/local/eastpenn/mc-lower-macungie-wholefoods-hamilton-crossings-20130604,0,1882822.story

Lehigh Valley Planners’ Review Of Costco Shopping Center On Hold

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

The developers planning to bring a $140 million Costco-anchored shopping center to Lower Macungie asked the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission Thursday to postpone their formal review of the project to allow them to better explain their traffic improvements.

The sudden change in plans came two days after Lehigh County Commissioner Percy Dougherty told his board that he expected the planners to oppose the project’s traffic plan during their Thursday meeting.

Jeremy Fogel of the Goldenberg Group, one of two developers proposing the shopping center, said Friday that he and partner Tim Harrison of Staten Island wanted to meet with planners before they finalize their review and make recommendations. The shopping center, billed as a center modeled after the Promenade Shops of Saucon Valley, is planned for 63 acres to the east and west of Krocks Road, between Hamilton Boulevard and the Route 222 bypass.

“While they have some information that we submitted to the township, they do not have anywhere close to the full file of information related to transportation issues that has been created during the two-plus years that we have been working with [the state Department of Transportation],” Fogel wrote in an e-mailed response to questions.

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/local/eastpenn/mc-lehigh-valley-planning-commission-hamilton-cros-20130426,0,7797015.story

Pottstown Walmart Supercenter Taking Shape

Location of Pottstown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

POTTSTOWN, PA  – By the end of summer, the Pottstown Walmart store is going to be a whole lot bigger.

In fact, it’s going to be super.

For the past four months, construction crews have been working on the expansion of the Walmart store in the Pottstown Center, Route 100 and Shoemaker Road, into a Supercenter. In addition to work being done inside and outside the store to grow the Walmart by 55,000 square feet into a SuperCenter – basically a Walmart that includes a full grocery store – the shopping center’s parking lot is also under construction.

That will mean 55,000 square feet of new construction will be added to Pottstown’s tax rolls after the property is reassessed when the construction is complete.

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-times-herald/story/pottstown-walmart-supercenter-taking-shape-3/1

Target Eyes Valley Forge Shopping Center For Possible New Store

Image via Wikipedia

UPPER MERION — A new development at the Valley Forge Shopping Center goes before the planning commission next week. If approved, a new Target department store and Starbucks Coffee could come to the township in a few months.

The Valley Forge Center Associate are planning to redevelop the eastern portion of the Valley Forge Shopping Center, to include a Target department store, a Starbucks and an inline commercial building.

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/article/20120203/NEWS01/120209817

Costco To Anchor The Gateway At Sanatoga Shopping Center

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Costco is coming to Limerick Township!  The new store will be an anchor in the Gateway at Sanatoga Shopping Center, which is now under construction, next to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets.

According to the website, the center will be 412,000 square feet and feature a Costco, 170,000 square feet of in-line retail space, 6 restaurants, 1 cinema, 2 banks and a hotel.  When combined with the Philadelphia Premium Outlets there will 1,000,000 square feet of retail space, upon completion, at this location.

http://www.oneillproperties.com/pdf/51149-Sanatoga-Fly-Sheet-050709_proof.pdf

Limerick Twp. Supervisor Gets Hat Tip For Showing Some Gumption

I am giving Limerick Township Supervisor Ken Sperring a tip of the hat for thinking outside the box and asking mega developer O’Neill Properties Group to pay the salary for an additional township police officer.

O’Neill is building another shopping center next to the Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick featuring Costco and other stores, which will further strain the township police department.  Sperring is requesting that the developer pay the salary ($102,000 per year) for an extra police officer for the first three years after the project is completed.

Hopefully this becomes a trend!

14-Screen Movie Theater Planned For Upper Pottsgrove

http://www.pottstownmercury.com/articles/2009/10/01/business/srv0000006525173.txt

This must be the empty field across from Highland Park… Have been wondering how long it would take for something to go in there.  Those houses sold across from Pottstown Plaza.  Not sure this is a great idea logistically.  Pottstown Plaza needs tenants!  Wonder why they didn’t revamp their current cinema in Norco or use already vacant space in Pottstown Plaza… Guess that’s politics etc…