The former site of Neil A. Armstrong Middle School in Bensalem is scheduled to be sold by the sheriff on Aug. 9, thwarting grand plans for a glitzy commercial/residential development called “The Hub.”
The Hub failed when owner “2201 Street Road LLC” filed for bankruptcy on June 13. The company is owned by Jignesh “Jay” Pandya, owner of the Boston Market fast food chain. Pandya intended to bring the Boston Market headquarters to Bensalem, locating it at The Hub, located at 2201 Street Road.
An attempt to contact the LLC, which property records show has offices at 121 Friends Lane in Newtown, was unsuccessful Friday.
Previously Bensalem Armstrong School Sold to Boston Market Owner
However, the future of the 35 acres of prime real estate, valued at $20 million in court documents, will likely be delayed until a private buyer is found, said a source familiar with the bankruptcy who spoke off the record. .
“The sheriff’s sale will likely be delayed,” the source said.
The high school, originally Bensalem High School from 1953 to 1969, has been closed and largely unused since 2011. The Bensalem school district sold the property to Pandya’s LLC in 2020 for $7.3 million. The building was demolished.
The center Armstrong Middle School has been closed for years. Here are the plans to make it a hub for Bensalem
In November 2021, city council greenlit plans for “The Hub at Bensalem.”
Pandya, also the owner of Boston Market parent company Rohan Group, owes $11.2 million to her creditor, according to bankruptcy records published in a local business newspaper.
Plans for Bensalem’s flashy downtown called for 40 residential units mixed into a total of 11 buildings that would also house commercial and office space, a restaurant, gas station and convenience store.
One of the office buildings is expected to serve as headquarters for Newtown Township-based Boston Market and Corner Bakery, both owned by Pandya.
The project required council to approve a parkway mixed-use (SRM) zone. It was approved, although Council President Joseph Pilari opposed the project, expressing concerns about additional traffic.
Some nearby residents also opposed the plans, saying it would congest their neighborhoods and that the new zoning would attract similar development with heavy vehicles nearby.
JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or email at jmullane@couriertimes.com.
This article originally appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times: Former site of Armstrong Middle School in Bensalem for sale by sheriff
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