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  • $78.6 million Cape May-Lewes hybrid ferry expected to begin construction in 2026

    $78.6 million Cape May-Lewes hybrid ferry expected to begin construction in 2026

    A $78.6 million ferry, slated to join the fleet of vessels connecting Cape May and Lewes is one step closer to getting built. It will be the first hybrid ferry on the three-ship line that operates between the two beach destinations in New Jersey and Delaware.

    The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) announced Tuesday that it had awarded the contract to build the ferry to Rhode Island-based Senesco Marine. The DRBA owns and manages the ferry line, which operates year-round.

    Once built, the diesel-hybrid ship is expected to accommodate up to 75 vehicles and 400 passengers.

    “For sustainable ferry operations in the future, it’s imperative we make this necessary capital investment today,” said DBRA executive director Joel Coppadge. “The ferry’s a critical piece of regional infrastructure, and we’re proud of the ferry’s heritage and link between two historic destinations. The new hybrid ferry is the start of the next chapter in the proud history of the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.”

    A rendering of the $78.6 million ferry that is slated to join the fleet of vessels connecting Cape May and Lewes.

    The Rhode Island firm tasked with building the ferry has been operating since 1999 and works both on new construction and vessel repairs. Construction is set to begin next year and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2029. The project is funded in part by a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

    The new ferry will replace a diesel craft that’s over 40 years old. Currently three ferries operate between Cape May and Lewes.

    The new ship will have fewer emissions and be more cost-efficient, according to the DRBA.

    Annually, the ferry line transports some 750,000 passengers and over 250,000 vehicles, according to James Salmon, a spokesperson for the DRBA. That number has declined over the years — roughly 1.1 million passengers used the ferry line in 2007.

    A rendering of the interior of the new ferry, which is expected to begin construction in 2026 and be complete by 2029.

    “The Cape May-Lewes Ferry is a vital transportation link and an economic catalyst for the southern regions of Delaware and New Jersey,” said Heath Gehrke, director of ferry operations, noting that some passengers use the service to commute to work.

    Adults pay between $14 and $18 roundtrip depending on the season to make the roughly 85-minute trip. For a vehicle, it costs between $39 and $82 roundtrip depending on the time of year and day of the week. Bicycles can be brought onboard for free with the purchase of a passenger ticket, and there is separate pricing for motorcycles and scooters.

    A rendering of the $78.6 million hybrid ferry slated to join the fleet of vessels connecting Cape May and Lewes.
  • King of Prussia Mall is getting a real-life gaming venue with a bar-restaurant

    King of Prussia Mall is getting a real-life gaming venue with a bar-restaurant

    Another experiential retail concept is coming to the region. This time it’s a live social-gaming venue at the King of Prussia Mall.

    Massachusetts-based Level99 announced this week that it plans to bring its next “sprawling adult playground” to the Montgomery County shopping destination in 2027. The move marks the company’s first foray into the Philadelphia market.

    The 46,000-square-foot venue will include 50 “life-size mini games” geared toward adults, according to a news release, and a full-service restaurant and bar serving local craft beer.

    “Level99 goes beyond your conventional entertainment venue — it’s a place to play, explore, and actively connect,” Matthew DuPlessie, founder and CEO of Level99, said in a statement.

    The venue is moving into the ground floor of the former JCPenney, which closed in 2017.

    It will be across the mall from the 100,000-square-foot Netflix House. The immersive experience for fans of the streaming service’s shows is set to open Nov. 12 in the former Lord & Taylor department store.

    Level99 customers race through the venue’s signature “Axe Run” game, one of 50 mini-challenges set to be part of King of Prussia’s location when it opens in 2027.

    “We’re thrilled to welcome Level99 to King of Prussia, further elevating our commitment to delivering dynamic, experience-driven destinations,” Mark Silvestri, president of development for mall owner Simon Property Group, said in a statement. ”This innovative concept brings a new layer of interactive entertainment to King of Prussia and is a perfect complement to our growing lineup of immersive offerings.”

    As more consumers shop online, experiential retail has transformed malls nationwide, helping complexes fill empty spaces and attract new customers.

    In the Philadelphia region, Cherry Hill Mall is set to open a Dick’s House of Sport next year. The 120,000-square-foot space will include a climbing wall, golf simulators, a running track, and batting and soccer cages.

    Cherry Hill Mall is getting a Dick’s House of Sport

    At the Moorestown Mall, an empty department store is set to be filled by a massive entertainment center with axe-throwing and go-karts.

    In Center City, the Fashion District’s owners are considering adding more experiential retail after the success of nearby spots like Puttshack mini golf and F1 Arcade.

    And along with the forthcoming Netflix House, the King of Prussia Mall recently opened the Philadelphia area’s first Eataly, a 21,000-square-food Italian-centric marketplace and wine shop.

    At Level99 venues, customers can choose from 50 mini-games that test mental and physical skills.

    Level99 has been riding this experiential retail wave, opening its flagship location in 2021 at the Natick Mall in suburban Boston. The company opened another location in Providence, R.I., in January 2024, then added a third this summer in the Washington suburb of Tysons, Va. It has projects under construction in Hartford, Conn., and at Disney Springs in Orlando.

    At existing Level99 locations, pricing starts at $29.99 per person for two hours of play, according to its website. Prices increase on weekends and holidays, and if a customer wants more time.

    Level99 is supported by Act III Holdings, a $1.5 billion private-equity investment firm led by Panera Bread cofounder and Cava chairman Ron Shaich. Last month, Act III executives announced a $50 million commitment to the chain’s expansion into new markets, including Philadelphia.

    Unlike some other Philly-area malls, King of Prussia is thriving, with more than 450 stores occupying 2.9 million square feet of retail space.

  • N.J. sues Amazon twice in three days over treatment of workers

    N.J. sues Amazon twice in three days over treatment of workers

    New Jersey officials have sued Amazon twice in three days, saying that the e-commerce giant has exploited delivery drivers and discriminated against warehouse workers who are pregnant or have disabilities.

    The first lawsuit, filed Monday, marked the Garden State’s latest move to dispute companies’ classification of drivers as independent contractors, not employees who are legally entitled to certain benefits and rights, including minimum wage, overtime pay, earned sick time, and family leave.

    At the heart of the latest suit are Amazon’s “Flex” drivers, who use their personal vehicles to deliver packages, according to court documents filed in Superior Court of Essex County.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo began investigating after some Flex drivers applied for unemployment and disability benefits, toward which Amazon has not been contributing.

    “Amazon calls its drivers ‘Delivery Partners,’ but they are simply Amazon’s employees,” the complaint reads. “Drivers are workers who, in exchange for remuneration from Amazon, perform the discrete, repetitive work of picking up and delivering packages from Amazon’s warehouses, or other Amazon locations such as Whole Foods stores, to their final destinations — a necessary function for Amazon’s business operations. “

    Philly shoppers have a ‘love/hate relationship’ with Amazon but can’t stop spending — as much as $2,000 a month

    Amazon spokesperson Mary Kate Paradiso said the lawsuit “is wrong on the facts and the law” and misrepresents how Flex works.

    “For nearly a decade, Amazon Flex has empowered independent delivery partners to choose delivery blocks that fit their schedules, giving them the freedom to decide when and where they work,” Paradiso said in a statement. “This flexibility is one of the main reasons many drivers say they enjoy the program.”

    Amazon advertises the Flex program as a way for people to make money on their own schedules. On the Flex website, Amazon says most drivers earn $18 to $25 an hour. A disclaimer underneath reads “actual earnings will depend on your location, any tips you receive, how long it takes you to complete your deliveries, and other factors.”

    A worker boxes up an order to be shipped at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in West Deptford in this 2019 file photo.

    Since at least 2017, thousands of Flex drivers have worked in New Jersey, according to state officials.

    “Amazon is taking advantage of Flex drivers and enriching its bottom line by failing to obey our labor laws and offloading its business expenses for the benefit of shareholders,” Platkin said in a statement.

    New Jersey is stricter than some other states when it comes to independent contractors, and outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy has made combating worker misclassification a priority of his administration.

    In a similar case, Lyft recently paid $19.4 million to the New Jersey Department of Labor & Workforce Development after it found the rideshare service had misclassified 100,000 drivers as independent contractors.

    New Jersey said Lyft drivers aren’t independent contractors. Now the company is paying $19.4 million

    In a separate lawsuit filed Wednesday, Platkin and the state’s Division on Civil Rights say that Amazon discriminated against pregnant workers and workers with disabilities, including by putting them on unpaid leave or firing them after they requested reasonable accommodations. The lawsuit was the result of a yearslong investigation into the working conditions of about 50,000 workers at dozens of Amazon warehouses across New Jersey.

    State officials said they found that sometimes workers’ accommodation requests were accepted, but then those workers were terminated for not meeting productivity goals.

    “Amazon has exploited pregnant workers and workers with disabilities in its New Jersey warehouses,” Platkin said. “In building a trillion-dollar business, Amazon has flagrantly violated their rights and ignored their well-being — all while it continues to profit off their labor.”

    An Amazon spokesperson did not respond Wednesday afternoon to a request for comment on the second lawsuit.

  • A vacant South Philly Walgreens is set to become a supermarket

    A vacant South Philly Walgreens is set to become a supermarket

    South Philadelphia is set to get a new supermarket in early 2026.

    New York-based Met Fresh is on track to open its first Philly location in January inside the former Walgreens at Broad and Snyder Streets, said owner Omar Hamdan.

    The 13,000-square-foot supermarket will include a pharmacy, a fresh-cut produce department, and a deli counter, Hamdan said, and will offer free grocery and prescription delivery to area seniors. It is also applying for a license to sell beer and wine.

    The former Walgreens at 2014 S. Broad St., where Met Fresh’s first Philly location is set to open in early 2026, photographed on Wednesday.

    “We try to bring the human factor back into the market,” Hamdan said, adding that the company’s philosophy hearkens back to a simpler time: “That store owner who had the apron and was sweeping outside of his store, who said ‘good morning’ to everyone? That is what we do.”

    Met Foods, a family-owned company, has been operating markets in New York City for 15 years, Hamdan said. It currently has locations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and northern New Jersey.

    When the South Philly grocer opens, it will mark Met Fresh’s first location outside the New York City area, Hamdan said.

    In 2019, Met Fresh had been in talks to move into a mixed-use development in Philadelphia’s Mantua section, but Hamdan said those plans fell through.

    Since then, Hamdan said they continued to look for potential Philadelphia locations. The store at 2014 S. Broad Street seemed like “a perfect fit,” he said, due to the area’s walkability, dense population, and a demand for more grocery stores and pharmacies.

    The “pharmacy” lettering is seen on a former Walgreens on South Broad Street, where Met Fresh plans to open a supermarket in early 2026 after “extensive” renovations, its owner said.

    From the Broad Street store, the nearest supermarket is seven-tenths of a mile away. As for chain pharmacies, the Walgreens closed last year, and a Rite Aid across the street shuttered this summer as the Philly-based company went out of business. So the nearest large drugstore is a CVS off Passyunk Avenue, also seven-tenths of a mile away.

    What happens after a Philly neighborhood’s last chain pharmacy shuts its doors

    The Met Fresh will soon start hiring in South Philly, with Hamdan noting that his stores typically need 30 to 40 part- and full-time employees from the surrounding communities. The new location will open after “extensive” renovations, Hamdan said, and once the team gets ahold of refrigeration equipment, which has been impacted by tariffs on steel and aluminum.

    Hamdan said he’s excited for Philly consumers to be introduced to Met Fresh, calling the Broad Street spot “a test pilot to see how we do in the Philly market.”

  • The wooded Malvern-area home of a famous Main Line builder is for sale for nearly $2 million

    The wooded Malvern-area home of a famous Main Line builder is for sale for nearly $2 million

    A Chester County home full of beautiful woodwork and secluded on five acres of land is for sale for nearly $2 million.

    Advertised as the “McElroy House” in an ode to the late builder Robert McElroy, the 4,300-square-foot property near Malvern hit the market last week for $1.99 million.

    This Willistown Township home, for sale for nearly $2 million, was designed by Robert McElroy and has a wing that was devoted to his wife Annamaria’s art studio.

    McElroy, who is credited with building more than 200 homes around the Main Line, designed and built this home for his own family in 1975, according to Marion Dinofa, Compass RE Realtor and modern home specialist.

    Tucked far off Rabbit Run Road in Willistown Township, McElroy’s three-bedroom, 3½-bath home features a contemporary design and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in abundant natural light.

    “I see a lot of really cool houses, but this one, almost more than any other house, is truly like you’re living in a work of art, between the craftsmanship of the woodworking, the views through the windows that are ever changing with the seasons, and the design of the home itself,” Dinofa said.

    Wooden details make Robert McElroy’s former home in Willistown Township unique, said Realtor Marion Dinofa.

    Almost every piece of wood in the home was crafted by Horace Hartshaw, who collaborated with the renowned sculptural furniture maker Wharton Esherick. This includes everything from the wood doors to the custom kitchen cabinets to the staircases, including a spiral one at its center.

    McElroy wasn’t the only artist who resided in the home: His wife, Annamaria, a painter and sculptor, also left her mark, showcasing her artwork on the walls and using a wing of the home as her studio.

    Dinofa noted that the house also includes a detached two-story garage that could be converted into more creative space.

    The secluded home features custom wood features that were crafted by renowned artist Horace Hartshaw and lots of windows.

    Between Robert’s vision and Annamaria’s artistic touches, their home “was a labor of love,” Dinofa said. “And it’s really well preserved. You can tell it hasn’t changed much.”

    Annamaria and Robert lived at the home into their 90s, Dinofa said. They died in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Dinofa said the home is being sold by their daughter, Loretta.

    Dinofa said she could see the property being bought by artists or by adventurous young parents who want to raise their children amid nature.

    “It would be such a fun place for kids to play outside,” with a stream in the backyard and plenty of space to run around, Dinofa said. “I can only imagine the wildlife that they have viewed from that house.”