Big Retail Coming to Franklin Mint Site

What’s next for the long process of putting the Franklin Mint site in Delaware County to higher and better use? (Perhaps turn it into a giant store that only sells gourmet mints. The marketing writes itself.) Attract some heavy-hitting retailers, according to Zommick McMahon president Ryan McMahon, whose company has been tasked by developer McKee Group as retail agent for the project.

Now called Middletown Commons, the site has the necessary zoning in place for 300k SF feet of office or retail space, 350 residential units, and a 150-room hotel. Ryan, snapped with his wife Susan, says that the site’s got the goods, as far as retailers are concerned: a location in one of the most densely populated parts of Delaware County that’s currently underserved by regional and national retailers. Eventually, SEPTA regional rail will also extend the Media/Elwyn line directly to a Wawa station at Middletown Commons.

Zommick McMahon VP Matt DiGiulio says the property has received interest from a number of national players, including grocery stores, restaurants, hotels, and financial institutions. The push to attract retailers is just the latest in the long-running saga of the site that kicked off when the Franklin Mint Museum closed more than 10 years ago. If all goes to plan, construction will begin on Middletown Commons in early 2016. (Rendering shows the larger section of the property, including retail, residential, and a train station; more residential is proposed to northwest.)