Leader named for Midwest@Work, impacts 9 cities including Pittsburgh

The AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust on Friday appointed Theodore Chandler as managing director of Midwest@Work. The initiative aims to spur economic development, build and renovate housing and increase union jobs across the industrial Midwest, with a focus on nine cities including Pittsburgh.

The others are Minneapolis, Saint Paul, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland and Buffalo.

The MidWest@Work initiative could result in more than 25,000 total new jobs, of which 9,700 would be union construction jobs. The projects are expected to provide $1.4 billion in income paid to local residents in the nine metro footprint, and the total local, state and federal tax revenue generated are estimated at about $400 million.

Source: Pittsburgh Business Times

IBEW Local Union #98 Amps Up Protests on Main Street

Representatives from a local union deployed a giant inflatable rat on Main Street in front of Ursinus last week to protest what they see as insufficient employment standards by the contractor hired to work on the Innovation and Discovery Center (IDC).

Riverfront site of failed Trump Tower Philadelphia for sale as townhouse project

The Delaware River pier where the ill-fated Trump Tower Philadelphia was to have been built is back on the market, with plans for a townhouse development designed by architecture studio Cecil Baker & Partners at the site.

Northern Liberties-based Shovel Ready Projects, which represents the 2.13-acre tract's ownership, has secured permits for a 41-home development on the property known as Pier 35 1/2 at North Delaware and Fairmount Avenues, spokesman

Brandywine Realty has big year with sales, sees lease up at FMC Tower

Brandywine Realty Trust ended its year selling $860 million in properties — handily exceeding its original target of unloading $450 million — and reaching a leasing milestone at FMC Tower, which is now 96 percent occupied.

These were among the updates the company provided Tuesday during a company conference call with analysts to discuss fourth quarter and year-end results.

Toll's two-faced Jewelers Row tower is no gem as architecture

We in the media have been misleading in referring to Toll Bros.’ Sansom Street skyscraper project as the “Jewelers Row” tower. Although its lobby faces the Row, the 29-story monolith will also be visible behind a group of historic Walnut Street townhouses and will directly overlook Washington Square, one of Philadelphia’s most gracious parks.

Too bad Toll’s architects forgot to design that side of the tower.

The lapse barely received any comment last week when Toll presented its plans for the 354-foot tower to the Washington Square West Civic Association, and I can understand why. Until Toll unveiled the renderings at the meeting, the debate revolved around the project’s impact on Jewelers Row, America’s oldest and most intact diamond district. The loss of character will be substantial. Not only will the project gouge out five 19th-century structures, it will disrupt the street’s ecosystem, with its distinctive mix of artisan workshops, wholesalers, and jewelry stores.

Although those structures have no historic protection, Toll still needs to clear several hurdles before demolition can begin, including a Feb. 7 hearing at the Design Review board focusing on the look of the new tower. The Preservation Alliance is hoping to use those hearings to mitigate the worst aspects of the design. It is trying to shrink the tower back to the 16 stories in Toll’s original proposal.

The alliance is also waging a vigorous campaign to get Toll to save the facades of the five targeted buildings, which it believes would help the Jewelers Row ensemble retain its integrity.

But let’s be honest. Even if those facades remain standing, it will be just a token victory. It won’t stop the upscaling of Sansom Street or keep the Row affordable for the artisans who populate the upper floors. And the fight to save the facades distracts from something just as important as Jewelers Row: the tower’s impact on Washington Square.

Giordano: IBEW on board with Trump

WHEN I COVERED the protests of President Trump and the Republicans on retreat in Philadelphia last week, I was struck by the sheer number of signs that were carried by protesters. Many were straightforward about stopping the repeal of Obamacare. Many beat to death the meme of Trump as Hitler. Some were very crude, and others were really clever.

Signs like "We want a leader not a creepy tweeter" were interesting. As a Sixers fan, I think "Trust the protest" was probably my favorite. They mostly reflected anger and desperation.

However, I noticed two signs hanging from a construction site around 11th and 12th and Market that diametrically opposed the anger of the protests. In fact, one sign actually welcomed President Trump to Philadelphia. One sign read "Build Union. Buy American." Another read "Welcome to Philly, Mr. President."

The signs caught the attention of Fox News contributor and pollster Frank Luntz, who tweeted about them and identified that they were put up by IBEW Local Union 98, John Dougherty's union. Breitbart News picked up the story and originally went with a false narrative that union workers put up the signs but were forced to take them down by their union bosses.

Pa. Senate committee revives effort to limit workers' union contributions

HARRISBURG — Republicans in the Pennsylvania state Senate are making another attempt to end the ability of public-sector labor unions to collect full dues and political action committee contributions through payroll deductions from members' paychecks.

The GOP-controlled Senate State Government Committee cast an 8-4 party line vote Tuesday to advance the legislation and a resolution to amend the constitution. The bill passed the Senate 26-23 in 2015, but died in the House last year. It is also opposed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

The bill would bar the state, school districts and local government employers from deducting any portion of union dues that underwrite political activity and union political action committee contributions from the paychecks of unionized workers.

Only deductions that pay for contract negotiation costs and other non-political activity would be allowed.

Source: The Reading Eagle

Brandywine sells stake in Plymouth Meeting apartment development with Toll Bros.

Radnor-based Brandywine Realty Trust has sold its 50 percent stake in its Parc at Plymouth residential-development venture with Toll Bros. for $100.5 million.

The ownership interest was sold to Horsham-based luxury home builder Toll and an unidentified "institutional partner," Brandywine chief executive Jerry Sweeney said in an email.

The Parc at Plymouth development, consisting of 398 high-end rental units, is located near the Pennsylvania Turnpike's junction with Interstate 476 in Plymouth Meeting.

Source: Philly.com

Developer takes over Hotel du Pont; country club for sale

Wilmington-based developer and hotelier Buccini/Pollin Group has agreed to acquire the struggling city's landmark Hotel du Pont from DuPont Co.

Buccini/Pollin's PM Hotel Group will continue to run the 217-bed hospitality complex, with its ornate Gold Ballroom and fancy Green Room restaurant, under the Hotel du Pont name. The parties declined to disclose terms of the deal.

The property transfer, scheduled to close Feb. 28, will end the last of DuPont's former headquarters operations in its longtime hometown, as the company consolidates to suburban offices in preparation for its merger with Dow Chemical Co. DuPont says it's also looking for buyers for its country club and three golf courses near its recently consolidated headquarters and labs just west of the city.

Development group sees return of creative users to 915 Spring Garden St. building

The old Reading Railroad building at 915 Spring Garden St., which once accommodated about 100 artist studios, has been acquired by a local development group that plans a return of creative users to the property.

Arts & Crafts Holdings, which has snapped up a number of other properties in the immediate area north of Center City, paid $6.5 million for the 75,000-square-foot building, according to records filed with the city.

Craig Grossman, an Arts & Crafts general partner, said in an email that office tenants from creative fields are being sought for the more-than-100-year-old building, which will also accommodate studios for artists and craftspeople.  

All defendants found liable in deadly '13 Philly building collapse

Reviewing 15 weeks of trial testimony in just four hours, a Philadelphia jury on Tuesday found that all five defendants, including the Salvation Army, bore responsibility for the 2013 building collapse that crushed the charity's thrift store in Center City, resulting in the deaths of seven people.

Kinsley Construction breaks ground on $50M mixed-use project

The midstate's largest general contractor, Kinsley Construction Inc., has started construction on a roughly $50 million mixed-use project in southwest Baltimore.

York Township-based Kinsley said the Park Square Homes 1 project, which it is building for PSH 1 LLC, a subsidiary of New York-based La Cite Development and BRP Development Corp., will consist of two mixed-use buildings that border the University of Maryland BioPark.

Stewart & Tate building distribution center for HVAC manufacturer

York-based Stewart & Tate Construction said it is building a new distribution center in Maryland for TRUaire, a parts manufacturer that serves the residential and commercial HVAC market.

The 150,000-square-foot warehouse is being built at Principio Business Park in Cecil County, Md. Along with storage space, the facility will feature 28 truck docks, 30-foot ceilings and office space.

Stewart & Tate said the project is expected to be completed by July 1. Construction kicked off in December. Sister company Stewart Properties is developing the site for TRUaire.

Cost of the construction was not disclosed.

Source: Central Penn Business Journal

Are Philly's many hiring laws really driving employers away?

Donald Trump's triumph in the presidential election and voter support for Republican control of Congress and the General Assembly in Harrisburg seem to have encouraged Philadelphia business to speak out more against a City Hall that keeps setting new rules for employers. 

Philadelphia's building boom has been led by apartments, nonprofits, and some publicly subsidized corporate musical chairs. Big for-profit employers aren't flocking here or boosting wages. Center City can feel a bit like a bedroom suburb in the morning, as trains carry workers to jobs out of town as well as in.  

  

Pa. Senate GOP targets union contributions

HARRISBURG — Republicans in the Pennsylvania state Senate are making another attempt to end the ability of public-sector labor unions to collect full dues and political action committee contributions through payroll deductions from members' paychecks.

The GOP-controlled Senate State Government Committee cast an 8-4 party line vote Tuesday to advance the legislation and a resolution to amend the constitution. The bill passed the Senate 26-23 in 2015, but died in the House last year. It is also opposed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Philly school buildings need nearly $5B in repairs, new report says

For the first time in 14 years, the Philadelphia School District has assessed the state of its aging buildings, and the results are staggering: The system identified more than 12,000 outstanding repairs.

It would cost nearly $5 billion to do the work. Officials predict that they will need to spend $3 billion in the next 10 years to address urgent problems.

Updates: Philly's top office landlord seeks tax reform, says Council drives off jobs

(Update re Council position on tax reform below) Add Jerry Sweeney, CEO at Brandywine Realty Trust, which owns most of the high-rise offices in Center City and University City, to the business people who say Philadelphia's progressive wage and hiring initatives are doing more harm than good to the city's slow-grow workforce. (See my column in Sunday's Inquirer.)

Family Court hotel project on the Parkway gets boost from renovation-plan action

Plans to convert the former Family Court building in Center City into a boutique hotel have been declared eligible for a federal tax credit aimed at supporting historic-preservation projects, offering a boost to the long-stalled proposal.

The National Park Service approved developer Peebles Corp.’s renovation plans for the 76-year-old building at 1801 Vine St. on Dec. 29, said a spokesman for the agency, Jeremy Barnum.

The Park Service had rejected an earlier plan for the building from the Coral Gables, Fla.-based developer, ruling that the then-proposed renovations would "severely downgrade" the court building’s historic character.

Mack-Cali selling portfolio of 26 South Jersey properties in shift of focus

Mack Cali Realty Corp. is selling 26 office and light-industrial buildings in Burlington County, as it sheds suburban office-park assets to focus on mixed-use properties within its core markets surrounding New York City.

The for-sale portfolio comprises 1.2 million square feet in the Moorestown West Corporate Center, which straddles Moorestown and Burlington Townships, real estate services firm Holliday Fenoglio Fowler L.P., which is marketing the properties, said in a release.