Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Real Estate Law Blog

When the Franklin Mint closed a decade ago, it left a hole in Middletown Township. A visibly vacant, 170-acre business park, right along Route 1, with the round museum building a lingering memento of the collectibles company. The site immediately attracted developers, but the economy tanked, residents protested, and the development partnership ran into trouble.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made several major building commitments to the city of Philadelphia in the past few years. One of those developments is a temple currently under construction on the corner of 17th and Vine. On Feb. 12, the city mayor and church officials made an announcement regarding additional church development in the area.

Real estate development can be a tricky business, especially when 150-year-old buildings are involved. And Philadelphia has a lot of those.

According to officials of one Pennsylvania community, a development project promises to bring in around $210 million in investment funds for the city.  The city hopes to finance the redevelopment with financing incentives for private developers that take on various city projects.  The incentives are then to be repaid through revenues generated in the 130 acre developed area.

The tallest building in Philadelphia is currently being proposed as plans for the Comcast Innovation and Technology Center had been announced earlier this month.  The structure is to be built at a height of 1,121 feet and will be considered the eighth tallest building in the United States.

Our Old City is growing up. Once a nightlife destination, the area has become a little more sophisticated, a “design district populated by fashionable people,” as the Philadelphia Inquirer’s architecture critic puts it. A number of projects are underway that will continue to coax the neighborhood into a prosperous middle age.

We are finishing up our discussion of the California-based Sriracha manufacturer that has recently run up against its neighbors and state regulators. The problem is, you have to crush some chilis to make Sriracha, and the fumes from the Huy Fong Foods Inc. plant posed a public nuisance to the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

We have been talking about some legal challenges facing the California company that manufactures Sriracha sauce. Just two weeks after the company, Huy Fong Foods Inc., received a court order for a partial shutdown, the California Department of Public Health started to enforce regulations that would hold the company’s products for 30 days before shipping.

Three years ago, Huy Fong Foods Inc. wanted to expand. A city not far from the company’s location made an offer that included favorable loan terms and tax abatement — the kind of offer that cities like Philadelphia make to growing companies that are looking to relocate or to expand. Huy Fong accepted the deal and was soon producing its world-renown Sriracha sauce at its new California plant.

A hot prospect for Philadelphia may be even hotter now that a judge has ruled against Huy Fong Foods Inc., the manufacturer of the most popular Sriracha sauce on the market. We posted about the dispute between the chili sauce company and its neighbors in early November (see “One city’s ‘chili’ reception could mean a hot deal for Philly“); the neighbors had a problem with the strong odors coming from the plant, especially in chili mashing season.