Philip C. Pulley, owner of the Abington Township-based SBG Management Services, Inc., which manages Jenkins Court at 610 Old York Road in Jenkintown and the former Old York Road Skating Club in Elkins Park, was recently profiled by the Philadelphia Inquirer in an article titled “The law finally caught up with notorious Philadelphia landlord Phil Pulley … but for voting fraud“.

On August 9, United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero’s announced that Pulley has been charged with falsely registering to vote, double voting, and election fraud.

In terms of ownership practices, Pulley, 62, who lives in Stonewall Manor, a gated estate in Huntingdon Valley, “has been cutting corners, ignoring the rules, and dodging lawsuits for years, as evidenced by an ever-growing mountain of unpaid tax and utility bills, building code violations, and complaints from tenants, ex-employees, and contractors,” according to the Inquirer’s article.

In July 2023, The Office of Attorney General filed suit against SBG and Pulley. From Attorney General Michelle Henry’s announcement:

Tenants living in SBG properties — including Lindley Towers and Cresheim Valley Apartments in Philadelphia — allegedly experienced repeated, serious problems, including deteriorating interior and exterior surfaces, rodent and cockroach infestations, broken and unsecured doors and locks, excessive leaks and water damage, and exposure to raw sewage and mold. Last year, many tenants at Lindley Towers were present in their homes when the facade of the building collapsed.

A brief rundown of Mr. Pulley’s activities in greater Glenside:

• In February, WHYY published an article detailing the conditions at Oak Lane Court Apartments, which are also owned by SBG Management and exist just beyond Elkins Park on W Chelten Avenue. According to the article, the apartments’ residents rallied outside the building due to “a lack of heat, a broken elevator, roach infestations, and mold.”

• York Road Realty Co., another Abington-based, Pulley-owned company, manages 8116 Church Road, the former Old York Road Skating Club in Elkins Park. In November 2023, the Cheltenham Township Board of Commissioners outlined the background of a settlement agreement for the property. That month, Ward 6 commissioner Mitch Zygmund-Felt emailed Glenside Local the following regarding the agreement:

There are some accommodations made by all parties that may surprise the community. The owner, Mr. Pulley, received sufficient concessions that he may be able to surrender the ‘excessive’ debt he secured on the property when he develops or flips it. In exchange, the Township will have secured some needed accommodations that will fix a longstanding issue (the bridge/walkway) and introduce a recreational component that may be a precursor to what had been potentially proposed as a ‘recreational campus’. … All parties get something and that’s the outcome we strive for in development proposals that generate a mix of opposition and yes, even support.

• SBG Management submitted a conditional use plan for 610 Old York Road to Jenkintown’s Zoning Heard Board last year. Plans for a Starbucks and a frozen dessert shop in Jenkins Court were made public in June 2023 after Jenkintown Borough received a conditional use application that May. The Starbucks is expected to be housed by a 2,500 sf building with a drive-thru lane. The dessert shop’s building will be around 1,000 sf, according to their application. In October 2023, Starbucks project’s developer Jenkins Court Realty Co, LP appeared before Jenkintown Borough’s Zoning Hearing Board to request a variance so that its drive-thru windows won’t face a public street.

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Photo: Loopnet.com