Key Quakertown Project Gets New Partner, Restaurant
A local businessman and entrepreneur will partner with the developer of the 301 Broad Street project in downtown Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
Developer Dave Halliday on Friday announced his partnership with Quakertown businessman and restaurant owner Vince Randazzo, nixing an earlier tie to The Green Parrot Restaurant and Pub in Newtown.
Randazzo will operate the first floor, full-service restaurant which anchors the building.
While the type of restaurant has not been released, Randazzo said it would be open seven days a week, serving lunch and dinner, craft beers, wine and spirits in a family friendly atmosphere. Randazzo is a partner in the project, Halliday said.
“We will revisit the whole design,” Halliday said of the proposed three-story, 30,000 square-foot mixed-use retail space with executive office suites.
Halliday is owner of Village Center Properties Inc., based in Blooming Glen.
Formerly known as the Gateway project, 301 Broad will be built on The Triangle – an under-used parking lot that is considered a key entryway to the borough’s downtown. The lot is on Route 313 (West Broad Street) between Third and Fourth streets.
Construction is expected to begin next year.
Halliday said the footprint would be the same but that the “look and design of the building” could change with his new partner’s input.
“I like Vince’s philosophy and his commitment to the com-munity,” Halliday said.
Randazzo, who lives in Milford Township, was born and raised in Quakertown. As a longtime resident, Randazzo is a good fit because of his knowledge of the area and understanding of the business community, according to Halliday.
Randazzo is the owner and operator of Dominick’s Pizzeria in Quakertown. He also owns The Wooden Match and The Artisan Wine and Cheese Cellar in Bethlehem and is proprietor of Stone Tower Equities, a real estate management company.
“This is a great opportunity for the borough to expand with new jobs and ancillary businesses,” said Bob Cormack, executive director of Bucks County Economic Development Corporation in Doylestown.
Halliday’s firm has developed executive office suites in Souderton, Pipersville, Blooming Glen and most recently the former Main Street Furniture Gallery in Emmaus, anchored by a French restaurant called 187 Rue Principale.
With Randazzo as his new partner in the Quakertown project, Halliday confirmed The Green Parrot Restaurant and Pub deal, which had been announced in April, was off.
Halliday said a $2 million grant in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funds from the state had received an extension.
The project is estimated to cost about $5.4 million, Halliday said in a previous interview.
“I don’t think anyone realizes how long economic development takes, but when it’s done right, it all comes together,” said Tara King, executive director for Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce in Quakertown.
By Melinda Rizzo, Special for Lehigh Valley Business