(Fort Collins, CO) – In response to a report that New Belgium spokesman, Bryan Simpson, simply referred to as “cryptic,” he stated, “As far as I know, Philly and Asheville are both still in the mix and we hope to announce in the next couple weeks.”
An anonymous source informed Jack Curtin today that the city of Philadelphia “had dumped” the New Belgium project over to the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. The wording implies that New Belgium is on the city’s backburner though the agency’s primary role is to help the city handle incoming business development deals. A request for clarification is out to the PIDC (though it is currently after-hours for the agency).
As for Asheville, a representative with the Planning and Zoning Commission confirmed that the Craven Street property, rumored to have been purchased by New Belgium, was rezoned for industrial use at a meeting last month. The rep didn’t confirm any association between New Belgium and the property.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, this will all clear up within the next month.
I think you’re correct in noting that PIDC is an organization (non-governmental) that facilitates these deals. I doubt PIDC involvement is a negative and it could indicate a deal is close to being closed.