May 15–Plans for a 100-room hotel and a retail complex are in the works for the former Sears building in Upper Darby Township, a key piece in the revitalization of the 69th Street, officials announced Thursday.
Standing outside the empty building, they said a $7.5 million grant from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program would help pay for a project that would provide an economic boost for Delaware County’s largest municipality.
Ashkenazy Acquisition, based in New York City, owns all the buildings in the shopping district along 69th Street. The company is working to bring more major retailers to the area, said Greg Alderfer, a representative for the company.
The building, at 150 S. 69th St., previously was home to both Sears and the Turf Club, an offtrack betting parlor. It has been vacant since Sears closed in 2012, and the large building is now deteriorating.
Officials are negotiating with two hotels that may be interested in coming to Upper Darby, said state Rep. Margo Davidson, (D., Delaware) who pushed for state assistance for the project.
The project has no set designs or timeline, but officials are confident that it will come to fruition.
“It’s not a question of if,” said Upper Darby Mayor Thomas Micozzie. “It’s a question of when it’s going to happen.”
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