Plans for Delaware Station Call for Event Spaces, Two Restaurants and Guest Rooms
Delaware Station | Photo: James Jennings
The eyes of Bart Blatstein are not solely fixed upon Atlantic City these days. You may recall that he owns a few high-profile sites in Philly as well, including the historic Delaware Power Station in Fishtown.
Blatstein has partnered with Joe Volpe, of Cescaphe Event Group, to redevelop the station near Penn Treaty Park, and more information about their plans has been made known this week, according to PlanPhilly’s Jared Brey.
Volpe presented plans to the Central Delaware Advocacy Group last week (CDAG) that call for two private event spaces (for weddings, corporate events or the like), two restaurants open to the public, and guest rooms in the upper floors specifically for events held at the revamped station. Previous reports said the pair were looking to add a hotel component to the property, so these private guest rooms are a new wrinkle to the plans.
News broke in January that Blatstein and Volpe had entered into an agreement to purchase the property, which includes a large swath of land immediately to the north of the building, a spot the developers eye as a surface parking lot. The deal was finalized in August for $3 million.
Though it’s still early on in the redevelopment/community meeting process, Brey reports that there is already one sticking point that could prove to be a difficult situation for both the developers and CDAG: the proposed surface parking lot for the event space. It is a use that is “discouraged” in the Central Delaware Master Plan, and would require legislative rezoning to get the green light.
“[Surface parking] is not something that we would promote,” said Matt Ruben, the chairman of CDAG. “But it’s proposed as an accessory use to the restoration and preservation of a massive structure that is one of the most important structures in Philadelphia, so we have to look at the parking in a larger context because it’s so significant.”
Blatstein could not be immediately reached for comment on the group’s plans, and we’ll be sure to give you an update once we know more.
