"This is the first scene of the first act of a Shakespearean play," Edward Lipkin, EBL&S CEO, tells GlobeSt.com. "Nothing is iron clad. We're in the process of continuing conversations with the township about the size and scale." Working under a memorandum of understanding, Lipkin says his company will submit more detailed plans by March 19.

Four other area developers vied for the redevelopment site. They are King of Prussia-based BET Investments, Philadelphia's Dranoff Properties, locally based Mariner Commercial Properties, and Strategic Realty Investments, which is headquartered in Wayne.

"The RFP asked for a vision, and that's what we submitted," Lipkin says. Much of it is based on the US Green Building Council's newly created Neighborhood Development standards, which go beyond green building standards to also address social impact, financial impact and ways to encourage the use of mass transit and car pooling. An EBL&S project in San Mateo, CA is the first US development selected for LEED ND-program certification.