LIMERICK PA – As Wall Street celebrates the return of the national economy from a two-year-long recession, interest in local retail commercial development appears also to be on the rise, particularly in the O’Neill Properties Group project proposed for Lightcap and Evergreen Roads in Limerick PA and alternately known as “Sanatoga Springs,” “The Premium Gateway at Sanatoga Springs,” or “The Gateway At Sanatoga.”

The most recent layout available for The Gateway At Sanatoga proposed by O'Neill Properties, including Costco (top left), a Hampton Inn (at "K") and Red Robin ("I") as having committed to the project.

Various Internet search keyword and phrase trackers checked Thursday (Sept. 17, 2009) show a significant increase during recent weeks in Web user traffic for terms like “Sanatoga Springs” and “Sanatoga shopping center.”

Possibly just as significant is the availability of new promotional materials for the project from King of Prussia PA-based developer O’Neill, which offer fresh insight into tenants who apparently have made commitments to be part of the complex.

During hearings conducted in January (2009) by Limerick (PA) Township, O’Neill representatives described what was then simply called “Sanatoga Springs” as a three-phase project that ultimately would include a Costco store and accompanying gas station as an anchor, along with smaller retailers and housing units. Six months later, in a visibly declining economy, O’Neill removed from its web pages several early brochures and flyers touting the project.

They’re back, in revised form. Materials that now label the shopping complex’s second stage as “The Gateway At Sanatoga” can be downloaded from the O’Neill’s retail developments webpage. They continue to list Costco as a primary tenant, with an opening slated for Fall 2010. Costco has not yet broken ground for a building.

They also specifically list a Hampton Inn Hotel and a Red Robin Restaurant as tenants. While plans for a hotel, five restaurants, two banks and other retailers have continually been described as parts of the project, the apparent commitment of franchise brand names other than Costco had not been previously promoted.

Recently heightened web searches for information on Sanatoga Springs is accompanied by:

• More municipal planning. Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick townships, which share a common border and a common interest in explosive commercial growth surrounding the Sanatoga interchange of U.S. Route 422, have agreed to create a common master plan for the area. Lower Pottsgrove commissioners in July authorized a payment of $10,000 as its share of costs for mapping what will be recognized by both townships as the Interchange District.
• Highway worries. Increased driver angst over traffic delays on Route 422, a continuing public debate over its future as a free highway or a proposed toll road, and the prospect of new public transit alternatives like the addition of commuter trains or more bus routes, still garner headlines. A presentation Tuesday (Sept. 15, 2009) about 422 by transportation experts to a breakfast meeting of the Phoenixville Regional Chamber of Commerce resulted in stories run by several area newspapers.
• Economic optimism. The New York Times reported Thursday that “stock markets stampeded higher … and major Wall Street benchmarks touched their highest levels of the year on optimism that an economic rebound was under way.” MarketWatch was more cautious; “Fund managers remain optimistic that the global economy is emerging from recession,” it reported Wednesday (Sept. 16, 2009), but added “most of them believe below-trend growth and below-trend inflation lie ahead.”

Related (to Sanatoga interchange development):

• Board Approves Interchange Mapping Costs
• Sanatoga Springs Promotion In Flux
• Townships Agree To Interchange Planning
• Township Interviews For ‘Bigger Picture’
• Missing Walks Latest Bridge Complaint
• Trying, Trying Again At The Interchange
• Just One Speaker At Sanatoga Springs Hearing
• The Overlooked Users Of Sanatoga Springs
• County Suggests Cooperation On Sanatoga Springs
• Improving The Odds At The Interchange
• More About … Sanatoga Springs (No. 1 In A Series)
• Trial Balloon: An Inter-Municipal Agreement
• Lobbyists Court Lower Pottsgrove
• A New Arrival In “Sanatoga Springs”

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