Andrew McCool, of McCool Properties, presented an artist drawing of how the Famous Building will look once
renovated and turned into condominiums
Coatesville council approves plans for Famous Building condos
by Allen Davis
Staff Writer
Posted: Tuesday, 25 Sept. 07; 11:45 a.m.
Andrew McCool got the go-ahead from Coatesville council last night to begin converting the old Famous building which has become home to mostly Latinos into a upscale condominium with units priced as low as $149,000.
Andrew, a partner in McCool properties with his father, Ray, and brother, Chris, said work on gutting the six-story building will begin as soon as possible. He said only three of the building's 20 apartments are now occupied.
McCool properties purchased the building in the 300 block of East Lincoln Highway in 2001 with the purpose of developing it. But along the way they ran into difficulty. First, Carl Chetty, of Chetty Builders, was given preferred developer status for developing the building. Then, the Janssen Administration ruled the building unsafe, causing the McCool family hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. At that time, the McCools felt they were being penalized because they were refusing to sell the building to Chetty. Meanwhile, on the same 300 block as the Famous Building, lot where Chetty says he will build Pennock Place, a seven-story condominium tower, has sat empty for almost two years.
The final approval council last night unanimously gave McCool properties allows them to gut the Famous Building and erect a second, five-story building to the rear facing Harmony Street, the site of the Manley Fence Building which is to be demolished. When the project is completed there will be 28 condominium units. The smallest units will be 800 square feet.
The plans approved last night also call for 4,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor. Currently, a Mexican restaurant takes up the majority of that space. Andrew McCool said last night that space will be completed gutted to make room for a upscale, family restaurant.
According to approved plans, the number of off-street parking spaces would be increased from 40 to 56. The parking lot would be resurfaced and landscaped, he said. McCool said a family oriented restaurant is envisioned for the first floor. That space, he said, could either be rented or purchased.
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