Bensalem middle school property up for sheriff’s sale after bankruptcy filing

The former site of the Neil A. Armstrong Middle School in Bensalem is slated for sheriff’s sale Aug. 9, dashing grand plans for a glitzy retail/residential development called “The Hub.”

The Hub flubbed when property owner, “2201 Street Road LLC” went into bankruptcy on June 13. The company is owned by Jignesh “Jay” Pandya, owner of the Boston Market fast food chain. Pandya intended to bring Boston Market’s headquarters to Bensalem, locating it in The Hub, located at 2201 Street Road.

An attempt to contact the LLC, which property records show has offices at 121 Friends Lane in Newtown, were unsuccessful on Friday.

Previously Bensalem’s Armstrong School sold to Boston Market owner

However, the future of the 35-acres of prime real estate, valued at $20 million in court documents, will likely be delayed until a private buyer is found, said a source familiar with the bankruptcy, and who spoke off the record.

“They sheriff’s sale will likely be postponed,” the source said.

The middle school, originally Bensalem High School from 1953 to 1969, was shuttered and largely unused since 2011. The Bensalem School District sold the property to Pandya’s LLC in 2020 for $7.3 million. The building has been razed.

The Hub Armstrong Middle School has been closed for years. Here are the plans to make it a Hub for Bensalem

In November 2021, the township council green-lighted plans for “The Hub at Bensalem.”

Pandya, also owns Rohan Group, parent of Boston Market, owes $11.2 million to his creditor, according to bankruptcy records reported in a local business journal.

Plans for the flashy Hub at Bensalem called for 40 residential units mixed in a total of 11 buildings that would also host retail and office space, a restaurant, gas station and convenience store.

One of the office buildings is expected to serve as the headquarters for Boston Market, headquartered in Newtown Township, and Corner Bakery, both owned by Pandya.

The project required the council to approve a Street Road Mixed Use (SRM) zone. It passed, though Council President Joseph Pilari opposed the project, expressing concerns of additional traffic.

Some nearby residents also opposed the plans, saying it would congest their neighborhoods and that the new zoning would attract similar vehicle-heavy development in the vicinity.

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Former Armstrong Middle School site in Bensalem up for sheriff’s sale