The Philadephia Inqurier’s Ariana Perez-Castells recently interviewed Jim Marcum, the CEO of David’s Bridal, about the company’s recent bankruptcy and eventual purchase by CION Investment Corp.
As it pertains to whether the company will continue to be headquartered in Conshohocken, Marcum responded:
We’ve had a long history in Conshohocken. We do have our corporate office facility on the market for sale. We are going to remain local. There’s so many communities that are very close by that I think are actionable communities, so we’re looking for the best location for our employees.
As MoreThanTheCurve.com has extensively reported, Whitemarsh Township conducted a study on the Spring Mill area of the township where David’s Bridal is located (it is in the Conshohocken zip code, but in Whitemarsh Township). That study had several recommendations, which included the township purchasing the David’s Bridal property or coming to an agreement to knock part of the building down.
The building dates back to the mid-to-late 1980s before anyone knew what would become of the Conshohocken riverfront. Forty years later, because of the growing density along the river, there is a need to complete Washington Street and connect it to Lee Street. However, the now David’s Bridal building was built close to the tracks, preventing two-way traffic at a juncture very close to the potential intersection with Lee Street, where there is a crossing over the tracks.
If Whitemarsh Township is pursuing the property it is being kept quiet, which is one of the few items a municipality’s elected officials are allowed to discuss in executive sessions. This is allowed to keep details of any offer and/or negotiations private due to others competing to purchase the same property. However, a public vote would be needed to finalize the purchase.
Whitemarsh doesn’t really need to purchase the property to achieve its goal of fully opening Washington Street. It could also be discussing the property with developers interested in purchasing the property and ways any plans they might have could result in the roadway being fully realized.
More to come.