A failed commercial center on Philadelphia Pike could become a prototype for Claymont's revival.
The former Continental Ballroom, which sat vacant for much of the last six years, is being redesigned as what developer H.J. Lopes envisions an upscale shopping plaza that will anchor the southern gateway of the Claymont Renaissance district.
The 13,000-square-foot building near intersection of Philadelphia Pike and Harvey Road, has been empty for nearly 18 months after the Rogue’s Den, an interactive gaming store, went out of business.
Workers are adding a new stucco and stone façade that will give the center, dubbed Grubbs Landing, a more upscale look than some of the older strip centers in Claymont.
“I’m looking at a smaller, boutique type operation,” Lopes said. “I’m feeling bullish on this location and I think its going to be one of the first steps of giving Claymont a totally new face in the next few years.”
Lopes said he wanted to steer clear of Chinese takeout stores, nail salons and check cashing places that are plentiful in other nearby strip centers. Instead, he is in negotiations with a bank, a coffee shop, a brewpub, a pizza shop and what he described as a unisex clothing store.
“I’m thinking high-quality merchants,” he said. “I’m looking for something that’s going to match the upscale look, and that’s going to be a benefit to the community.”
The building could be subdivided into four, five or six storefronts, Lopes said, depending on which tenants ultimately lease there. Tenant contracts are expected to be finalized within two months, with the first shops slated to open for the Christmas shopping season.
George Lossé, president of the Claymont Community Coalition, said he was pleased with Lopes' efforts at the site.
“I’m happy to see the building being used again,” he said. “To have an empty building sitting there was not good.”
Lossé said the site was a headache for the community and law enforcement officials because teens were frequently breaking into the building and partying there.
Brett Saddler, executive director of the Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation, said he was hopeful the Grubbs Landing project would spark similar efforts at other strip centers in Claymont.
“The project is an example of the type of investment that is coming into Claymont at this time,” he said. “Mr. Lopes has worked closely with stakeholders and he is an example of the type of investor that is moving into Claymont because of what we have achieved and what is expected here.”
Lopes said he would not have made the kind of investment he has in the property if it weren’t for the ongoing efforts of Saddler, Lossé and others to reinvent the community. He said there are signs, like the mixed-use community Renaissance Village planned for the former Brookview site, that Claymont was making a comeback.
“Claymont’s been a sleeping giant,” he said. “I’m doing this because I’m confident in the future of Claymont. I think its going to be a beautiful addition to the community and hopefully, in turn, the community will support the stores here.”
