New Restaurant Planned for Horsham Plaza

A “high-quality” local chain restaurant is coming to The Elements Horsham and could open its doors early next year, the site owner told Patch. 

That is if both parties finalize the impending lease. And, until “the ink is dried,” Mark Korman, president of the commercial division of Korman Communities, said he could not disclose which restaurant was opening at the former Italian restaurant, or say what type of food the business specializes in.

“It’s full service with a bar,” Korman said. “It’s delicious and it’s unique. It will be a favorite for happy hours.”

Korman has been promising since February that a “higher end” restaurant was coming to the Horsham Road plaza. That deal, he told Patch this week, was for a brew pub that was to be situated in one of the two newly built buildings where 5 Star Gardens was previously located.

“That restaurant deal fell through,” Korman said.

So, it’s back to the drawing board.

“Now we’re not going to limit it to a restaurant,” he said of the 15,000-square-foot space, which could be used as one giant space, or broken into smaller buildings. “It could be anything … An Apple store. A Trader Joe’s.”

Besides building the new stone façade buildings to replace 5 Star Gardens, Korman, during a tour of the 7.5-acre center, showed off some of the “several million dollars in renovations” that have been carried out recently.

The front entryway was redone, more efficient parking has been put in place and reflective or “green” roofs have been installed, as well as thicker glass panes in windows, according to Korman. The buildings are not fully LEED certified, but his company “follows protocols” of the energy-saving initiative of the U.S. Green Building Council.

At Plenti Grand Café, Korman said he worked with the owner to “make it a little more contemporary,” adding a new food station and new cabinetry, tables, chairs and ceiling tiles and an upgraded kitchen.

Before the “presentation was just ok,” Korman said, adding that Plenti Grand needed a way to differentiate itself from neighboring Subway. “We contribute to tenant improvement dollars. You’re really partners.”

As such, Korman, a fourth-generation player in his family’s residential and commercial development companies, said he chose to have spaces at The Elements Horsham vacant in 2008 and 2009 rather than lease to businesses that he could not see remaining in 10 to 20 years.

Korman said it’s been worth the wait.

“It was quiet everywhere for a while,” he said. “It’s all starting to pan out.”

In addition to opening a Starbucks Coffee at The Elements Horsham last weekend, an independent branch of Charles Schwab opened last month.

Those new businesses could attract other quality tenants and help Korman fulfill his vision of creating a “neighborhood version” of developer Bruce Goodman’s Horsham Gate. A Babies R Us/Toys R Us, The Fresh Market and other national chains anchor the Welsh Road shopping center.

“This is a non-traditional center,” Korman said of The Elements Horsham. “It’s not a strip mall. It’s got real stone.”

And, in the near future, Korman said, “Lots of good food is coming here.”