May 04, 2015
A bill recently introduced to City Council could put Philadelphia on track for a new prison along the Delaware River, Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
Original plans for the property at 7777 State Road, which was owned by Churchill Development in 2007, had included the construction of a $460 million residential community called Independence Point.
The Bridgewater, N.J. developer sold about one-third of the 100 acres purchased to Waste Management, but never built the residential community on the remaining land.
BNP Paribas of New York now owns the property, which is valued at $7.3 million, according to Philadelphia property records.
The bill, introduced by Councilman Bobby Henon, would give the city’s commissioner of public property the authority to purchase the land if the city ultimately decides to put a new prison on it, said Eric Horvath, spokesman for Henon. It is the first official step that would allow it to be purchased if that is ultimately the site selected, Horvath said. The process to fund and build a new prison is something that the next mayor will need to tackle.
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