Hoping for movie magic to save Norristown

The Montgomery County commissioners are having some relationship issues lately, but on one thing they all agree: Norristown needs help.

While the other county seats in the Pennsylvania suburbs are charming and quaint, Norristown is tattered and seedy.

"Shameful" is how Commissioner Joseph M. Hoeffel describes Norristown's physical condition. It is especially grating in light of Montgomery County's affluence.

But sometime this spring, what sounded not so long ago like an outlandishly exotic solution to Norristown's persistent woes will begin to become reality.

Developers have secured permits and financing to build Norristown Studios at Logan Square, a $55 million movie- and television-production facility at the down-at-the-heels Logan Square shopping center, says movie producer Jeffrey Erb, a partner in the project.

"We have everything we need," says Erb. "We plan to break ground in the coming months and be up and running by the end of summer or fall of 2009."

Along with a movie studio planned for Delaware County, this could be the start of turning the Philadelphia region into "Phillywood," a movie-making mecca, boosters crow.

Sharon Pinkenson, executive director of the Greater Philadelphia Film Office, who has been tracking the two studio projects, says everything is "full steam ahead." Both projects enjoy the strong support of Gov. Rendell, and each is slated to receive a $10 million grant from the state capital budget.

In recent months, developer Charles Gallub, of Develcom in Bellmawr, Camden County, and his associates have been meeting with municipal officials, local businesspeople, and neighbors to discuss plans for the Norristown site, solicit comment, and address concerns.

"The feedback has been extremely positive," Erb says.

"Charles is committed to building a place, not just a project," says Lee Soltysiak, a government-affairs consultant to the developer.

The complex, to be constructed in phases, will feature eight soundstages, together offering 100,000 square feet of space. There also will be 80,000 square feet of support space for offices, dressing rooms, screening rooms, equipment storage, and postproduction facilities, as well as a vocational school for training film and media students from local universities.

Owing to generous state tax credits (25 percent of a film's production budget), Pennsylvania has become an attractive place for moviemaking. Representatives of major studios have toured the site, Erb says, and the makers of one television series have expressed interest in setting up shop in Norristown soon.

In full operation, Norristown Studios has the potential to create from 300 to 700 direct jobs and generate $60 million in local revenue, says Frank Custer, a spokesman for the project.

"This will be a catalyst not only for Norristown but the whole region," Erb says. "Every time you make a movie, you're building, running and tearing down a small city." That means work for a huge range of occupations - carpenters and electricians, painters and set designers, camera operators and lighting technicians, hairdressers and makeup artists, caterers and tailors, actors and writers, agents and lawyers, to name a few.

"The sense of optimism about this project and its impact on Norristown is stunning," says Soltysiak. "You almost get chills listening to people talk about something that has the potential to do so much good. Plus, it's a lot of fun."

It may be a while before residents of Norristown bump into Denzel Washington or George Clooney, but there's no question the project and its cinematic glamour have caused a stir.

"I'm excited about it," says Mila Hayes, president of the Norristown Municipal Council. "It's a creative, innovative project that will put Norristown on the map again."

And Norristown is beginning to show some moxie. The project was originally named Logan Square Studios. But town leaders requested better billing. Now it's Norristown Studios at Logan Square.

The other studio planned for the area doesn't yet have a name, but it does have a location - Concord Road in Aston, Delaware County, just minutes from the airport, I-95, the Commodore Barry Bridge, and the Delaware state line.

Pacifica Ventures, based in Santa Monica, Calif., plans to build a $90 million entertainment complex on the 33-acre site. It will feature a movie studio with two 20,000-square-foot soundstages, an indoor tourist attraction with a movies-and-television theme, and an event center for parties, celebrations, meetings and retreats.

"Everything's on schedule," says Hal Katersky, chairman of Pacifica Ventures, which recently opened a movie-making complex in Albuquerque, N.M. The Concord Road site is now occupied by Tri State Sports at the Sun Center, an athletic and fitness facility. Ground-breaking is to take place this spring.

The soundstages are designed so they can be joined to create a 40,000-square-foot space. "We'll be able to take anything Hollywood throws at us," Katersky says.

"We're putting together something very special," says Jeffrey Rotwitt, a partner in the venture and a real estate lawyer at Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel L.L.P. "This will be the only operating studio with a tourist component."

Compared with New York, Philadelphia has a way to go. New York boasts 900,000 square feet of soundstage space; Philadelphia has only 30,000, Erb says. About 40 films are ready to begin production in the Philadelphia area, says Erb, so there should be plenty of business for both studios.

Together, they will give the region critical mass as a filmmaking venue, attracting skilled technicians and craftspeople who will stay in the area because they can find steady employment. Says Rotwitt: "The more, the merrier."

Norristown, Montgomery County

Name: Norristown Studios at Logan Square

Developer: Charles Gallub of Develcom, Bellmawr, Camden County. His firm builds shopping centers, office complexes, and commercial projects.

Studio operators: Jeffrey Erb, 38, movie producer; founder and CEO of Feverpitch Pictures. Grew up in Pottstown.

Kelly Wolfington, 43, president of Wolfington Productions, an independent production company. Grew up in Merion.

Aston, Delaware County

Studio not yet named.

Partners: Hal Katersky, chairman, Pacifica Ventures, which acquires, develops and operates production facilities for movies and TV programs. Headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif.

Jeffrey Rotwitt, 57, partner, Obermayer, Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel L.L.P.; active in real estate development; owner and president of Kixx, the professional indoor soccer team.

EndText