Inspira opening radiation oncology center in Woodbury

Inspira Health Network will open a $6.9 million radiation oncology center on its Woodbury campus this spring, the South Jersey health system said Tuesday.

Inspira, which had operating income of $86.5 million on revenues of $681.23 million last year, plans to build a $326 million replacement hospital for Inspira Medical Center-Woodbury in Harrison Township.

The health system employs 5,700.

Source: Philly.com

PA grants final permits for $2.5B Mariner East pipeline

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on Monday approved water-crossing and sedimentation permits for the hotly contested Mariner East 2 pipeline, which would transport natural-gas liquids across Pennsylvania to a terminal in Marcus Hook.

The permits are believed to be the final regulatory hurdle for Sunoco Logistics to begin construction of the pipeline, though environmental groups that oppose the project, including the Clean Air Council and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, are expected to appeal their approval to the Environmental Hearing Board.

DEP conducted five hearings and spent more than 20,000 hours reviewing the permit applications and responding to 29,000 comments on the project, Acting DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell said in a statement. Approval was delayed last year after DEP rejected the application to address “technical deficiencies.”

Proposed Toll Bros. development on Chesco farm plows ahead -- with conditions

To residents, 322 acres of rolling hills on the eastern edge of Chester County are iconic and invaluable to preserving the agrarian history of a county that is undergoing rapid growth.

To developers, the Crebilly Farm tract has been ripe for development for decades and is an ideal spot for nearly 400 homes.

The Westtown Township Planning Commission has recommended that the township's board of supervisors accept the bid by Toll Bros. to build up to 397 single-family homes and townhouses on the property.

Penn Medicine plans new medical technology tower

The University of Pennsylvania Health System plans a new office tower at the current site of a mostly empty lot at 3600 Civic Center Blvd. to be built in phases beginning in early 2017, an official said.

Artist’s rendering of University of Pennsylvania Health System campus with proposed Center for Healthcare Technology building.

The 540,000-square-foot, 18-story Center for Healthcare Technology building is to be constructed beside an existing patient parking garage that opened in 2015, Penn Medicine spokeswoman Susan Phillips said in an e-mail on Wednesday.

The building's first phase of construction will result in a 250,000-square-foot, eight-story office building for Penn Medicine corporate functions, including information technology and human resources, and a childcare center for the institution's employees, Phillips said. A second phase of 290,000 square feet will be added later, she said.

Philadelphia's Civic Design Review board, which makes nonbinding design suggestions for the city's biggest development projects, is scheduled to consider the proposal on Aug. 2, according to the panel's website.

Plans posted to the site name Perkins & Will as architect for the glass, aluminum and precast-concrete structure.

Penn Medicine's development plans also include a new hospital building at 300 S. 33rd St. to take the place of the university's Penn Tower structure once its demolition is complete.

Philadelphia's planning commission has approved plans for the 343-foot-high, 1.1 million-square-foot New Patient Pavilion being designed by architecture firm Foster + Partners at a meeting in May.

The building will serve as a patient-intake hub for surrounding medical facilities, a Penn Medicine representative said at the time.

Source: Philly.com

Pa. Senate passes bill to restrict union dues, contributions

HARRISBURG — Republican senators are trying again to restrict how Pennsylvania's public-sector labor unions collect dues and political action committee contributions.

The GOP-controlled Senate voted 28-22 on Wednesday to send the bill to the House. Six Republicans voted against the bill, while two Democrats voted in favor of it. The Senate passed a similar bill in 2015, but it died in the House amid opposition from labor unions. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf also opposes it.

Vanguard chooses 2300 Chestnut Street offices for Center City R&D facility

The Vanguard Group will open a 16,000-square foot research-and-development facility over two floors in Center City at 2300 Chestnut Street, the company said in a release on Thursday.

The Malvern-based investment-management company's so called Innovation Center will initially accommodate a team of 20, but up to 100 staffers and contractors are expected to eventually use the facility, the firm said.

No protections for Jewelers Row buildings while Toll Bros. has demo permit, panel rules

The Philadelphia Historical Commission has decided not to rule on historic protection for two Jewelers Row properties slated for demolition as long as developer Toll Bros. has permits to carry through with its plan for a 29-story condo tower on the site.

Greater Philly region shows highest mega-warehouse growth since 2010, report finds

Areas surrounding Philadelphia have seen the country’s fastest growth of jumbo-sized warehouses, thanks to nearby concentrations of online shoppers, according to research from real estate services firm CBRE.

The greater Philadelphia region, which includes Delaware, South Jersey, and a large swath of Southeastern Pennsylvania, added more new warehouses of at least one million square feet between 2010 and 2016 than any other region in the United States, CBRE said in a report on Monday.

Adding 2 stories of apartments to Christian Science building in Ardmore under consideration

Construction in and around the Suburban Square outdoor shopping mall and the Ardmore station on SEPTA's Regional Rail line shows no signs of slowing down – with officials discussing Tuesday a project that would add two stories to the Christian Science Reading Room.

Located on Rittenhouse Place – not far from Lower Merion Township's offices, the one-story Christian Science Reading Room would be topped with two floors of apartments, according to Main Line Media News.

Pittsburgh developer plans mixed-use project in Lancaster City

A Pittsburgh-based developer is planning a mixed-used project designed to bring life back to a neglected corner of Queen Street in downtown Lancaster.

Zamagias Properties is converting the former Bulova building at 101 N. Queen St. into a mix of retail, office and residential space.

It plans to renovate more than 150,000 square feet of the four-story building, with retailers, restaurants and other service-oriented businesses on the first floor, and office space on the second and third floors. Luxury condos are planned for the top floor.

Union leader John 'Johnny Doc' Dougherty gets a radio show on 1210 AM

Powerful Electricians union leader John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty now has a radio gig.

The politically connected labor leader will cohost Saturday Night Live w/PhillyLabor on 1210 AM–WPHT with Pat Eiding, president of the Philadelphia Council, AFL-CIO; Joseph "Joe Doc Jr." Dougherty Jr. of PhillyLabor; and Joe Krause of Jakib Media, PhillyLabor.com announced. John Dougherty and Joseph Dougherty are not related.

The show will air at 7 p.m. Saturdays on the CBS affiliate. The show began in 2014 and gives what it calls an "insider's look at everything labor" in the Philadelphia region, including conversations with labor, political, business and professional leaders.

Besides being business manager of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Dougherty is business manager of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council and a major player in Democratic politics.

Source: Philly.com

Market Street building collapse civil case ends in $227M settlement

Real estate developer Richard Basciano, the Salvation Army and several others will pay out $227 million in damages in the civil case over the deadly June 2013 building collapse at Market and 22nd streets that led to the deaths of seven and injured a dozen others.

The settlement came down Wednesday, and marks a record for the largest personal injury settlement in Pennsylvania history, according to the attorneys who represented the collapse victims in the case.

Pa. Senate passes 'paycheck protection' measure

HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday approved legislation to stop public employers from deducting political contributions from workers' paychecks.

The Senate voted by 28-22 to send the bill to the House, which will not return to session until mid-March. A spokesman for the House majority leader said the chamber would review the bill.

Supporters of the proposal argue that the state, school districts, and other public employers should be barred from deducting political contributions from wages.

"Creating a firewall between politics and our official business is critical," Sen. Scott Martin (R., Lancaster) said during floor debate.

Union officials have said the contributions are voluntary. Senate Democrats say the proposed law is intended to silence workers.

"It is a measure to shut down the voice of teachers," said Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Phila.). "It is a measure to shut down the voice of others who work in schools, in our public schools, to limit their ability to speak up and speak clearly about the issues that they have concerns with."

Deductions of political contributions could continue under existing collective-bargaining agreements, but future contracts could not require the deductions.

Source: Philly.com

Hotel to rise at former Odette's site in New Hope after lease for state land

Owners of the former Chez Odette restaurant site in New Hope plan to move forward with plans for a boutique hotel on the property after gaining control of about a half-acre of surrounding state-owned land.

The lease, signed two weeks ago with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, grants use of the public lands to the hotel for 35 years, said Ron Gorodesky, managing director of the development project.

The DCNR-owned property was needed to allow public access to the landlocked parcel where the 36-guest-room hotel at 274 S. River Rd. — to be called Riverhouse at Odette’s — is planned, Gorodesky said.

The lease terms require the hotel’s development team to fix deteriorated canal walls and perform other improvements on the public lands, he said.

Chez Odette closed about a decade ago after suffering damage from flooding and storms. A historic structure on the site that previously accommodated part of the restaurant has been donated to the DCNR, which will move the building to another location to serve as a public-information center, Gorodesky said.

The Riverhouse hotel will include accommodations for weddings, a restaurant, and a rooftop bar, he said.

Source: Philly.com

Vanguard picks historic Center City building for satellite office

Vanguard Group has leased 16,000 square feet at 2300 Chestnut St. for a Center City satellite office that it is calling an “innovation center.”

The mutual fund company, which will maintain its vast headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, will occupy two floors at the building and start out with 20 employees in the space.

Vanguard expects to eventually have 100 people working from 2300 Chestnut and even have “external partners” co-locate in the building with it. It expects to occupy the space during the second quarter.

Temple University: Schools plan for, need construction

On Main and Health Sciences campuses, several schools have ongoing or planned projects.

Coming on the heels of recent plans for construction, enacted as part of Visualize Temple, several schools and colleges have plans to update their facilities in the next several years.

Of Temple’s 17 schools and colleges, The Temple News found eight sponsoring ongoing and future construction projects.

Dauphin County unveils plans for 411-acre Middle Paxton park: Detweiler Park will be named for prominent midstate business owners

A new park opening this spring in Middle Paxton Township will be Dauphin County's largest, thanks in part to the generosity of a family well known in midstate business circles.

Detweiler Park, named for the former owners of Stackpole Books and the Harrisburg Telegraph, will cover 411 acres off Peters Mountain Road along Clarks Creek.

Members of the Detweiler family, who owned the land for four generations, donated $897,500 of the land’s $2.4 million purchase price to the county. The sale was completed on Dec. 30.

Budget: DCED to tighten job-creation rules, add apprenticeship grants

Companies that receive state funding for job creation would face stricter oversight under Gov. Tom Wolf's 2017-18 budget proposal, with revenue collected from companies that fall short helping fund a new apprenticeship program.

That effort is one of several that would affect manufacturers and other employers under Wolf's ongoing "Jobs that Pay" initiative, which also includes a proposal to hike the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 an hour.

Real estate investor Equus leaving Center City for Newtown Square

Real estate investment firm Equus Capital Partners Ltd. is moving its 110-member Philadelphia office from Center City to a new headquarters building it plans at Ellis Preserve, a mixed-use development site it owns in Newtown Square.