Independence Pointe
moving forward

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

Despite a lawsuit alleging he unrightfully took ownership of Independence Pointe, New Jersey-based developer Joseph F. Logue Jr. says he’s moving forward with his plans for the Tacony riverfront project.
Logue, who operates Churchill Development Group LLC, says he will break ground on the residential site planned for 7777 State Road in June.
"I’m really looking forward to it getting started," he told the Times.
The businessmen who originally presented the plan to Northeast residents, Philadelphia Waterfront Partners, have filed a lawsuit against Logue.
Charles Kamps, a principal with Transactionable Property Solutions, claims that Logue purchased the land in January in the name of another entity rather than in the name of PWP, as he was obligated to do.
Independence Pointe is the former site of Northern Metal Co. Northern Associates sold it to Logue for about $23 million.
Logue, who also operates Castle Title Co. in New Jersey, said he’s made some tweaks to the $400 million project, including changing the number of each type of home to allow more space for amenities including a swimming pool and recreational area.
The community will be adjacent to the Pennypack on the Delaware park, and will also include a hotel and retail spaces. Barton Associates is the architect for the site, Logue said.
Logue, a Philadelphia native, plans to build the development in eight or nine phases. The first will include a mix of 82 brownstones, 80 flats and 44 back-to back townhomes.
The developer, who says he’s worked on residential projects in several southern states, wants to layer the buildings so that the taller ones are at the back, not in the front, where they might obstruct views of the Delaware River.
More importantly, however, is that Logue plans to reduce the price of the homes — the most expensive originally was set for $500,000 — by about $150,000.
"This project is for families," he said. "We’re building for everyone to buy."
Environmental remediation needed on the site includes cleaning up the lead and arsenic in the present soil, filling in with new soil and raising the site out of the flood plain.
Logue said the project would take between eight and 10 years to develop, not the four to seven years that PWP had estimated.
He believes, though, that the site will be worth the wait.
"This part of the site is being built so that the everyday person can have a nice home to come home to," Logue said.
Logue said he has not yet met with local community groups or politicians regarding his ownership of the project.
Meanwhile, Kamps said in an e-mail that PWP and its legal team feel "solidly placed" in regard to the litigation filed against Logue. PWP is still hoping to develop Tacony Pointe, another residential development on the river, with Kaplan Companies.
Logue said he prefers to post updates on the Independence Pointe Project on PhillyBlog.com, so that he can respond to inquiries directly and not funnel information through the media.
He also has a Web site at www.churchillDevelopmentGroup.com ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com