Developer Michael Samschick is betting big on the city’s waterfront. So much so that he has gobbled up several blocks — yes blocks — along Delaware Avenue, which he plans to redevelop for residential and commercial use. One particular property in his portfolio is the historic, sprawling and abandoned Ajax Metal Works complex near Frankford and Delaware avenues, which he hopes to bring back to life with all the accouterments fit for contemporary urban living as we know it. Plans call for building a live music venue, several restaurants, a bowling alley and a distillery, all under one roof.
According to PlanPhilly, Samschick met with the Fishtown Neighbors Association’s zoning committee this week to discuss his plans for the facility, and was met with a mostly favorable response. At the “screening meeting,” nothing was set in stone, but committee members determined that the plan was fit for a more public presentation at the neighborhood association’s general meeting in September. An “informational only” meeting with the city’s Planning Commission is scheduled to take place the following week. Here’s hoping the project gets the go-ahead.
