Liberty Property Trust, one of the biggest commercial landlords in the Lehigh Valley, and the powerhouse developer behind projects like Philadelphia’s Comcast building and Navy Yard rehabilitation, will be in Camden on Thursday for an announcement regarding plans for Camden’s waterfront, according to city officials.
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Camden’s Democratic leaders and Republican Gov. Chris Christie are reuniting for another announcement on development in the city, this time focused on a major mixed-used project for its formerly industrial waterfront.
The program, through which more than $1 billion in tax credits have been awarded to Camden projects, has led prominent corporations to announce plans to move there, including Holtec, Lockheed Martin, and Subaru of America.
Redd argued the city is prepared to usher in “a new, world-class Camden” with the project. The plan, which is in the preliminary stages, includes public and private investments for the 16 acres of waterfront situated across the Delaware River from Philadelphia. It would be located between Adventure Aquarium and Campbell Field.
“There’s a momentum and a sense that this is a place that maybe is on the rise and not necessarily a place that’s on the decline or simply, you know, dormant”, Hankowsky said.
If the latest hopes for the waterfront are realized, it will be largely because of a 2013 state tax incentive law that has already sparked a building boom in Camden.
Hankowsky thanked Norcross for introducing Liberty to the opportunity. “Camden is a city where families can come to live and work and do business”.
Liberty CEO William Hankowsky, who began his career over three decades ago in Camden as the city’s director of community development, reflected on the moment being somewhat of a homecoming for him.
Redd thanked Christie and Norcross for their commitments to the city. “We’re putting our money where our mouths are we’re looking forward to being a part of it”.
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“The aquarium, although a wonderful thing for children, I would suggest to you when it was constructed didn’t result in a single thing happening around it”, said South Jersey businessman George Norcross, an investor in the project. John O’Donnell, president of The Michael’s Organization; Sidney Brown, chief executive officer of NFI; and Christopher Gibson, president of Archer & Greiner, law firm, have also pledged to support the project either individually or through their firms.
