Capitol View lawyers walk away from developer

The Harrisburg law firm
representing the developer of the failed Capitol View
Commerce Center
in the capital city has withdrawn its services because it wasn’t getting
paid. 

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney represented David Dodd since
April of last year, just before the project broke down mid-build, said Andrew
Giorgione, the chief attorney who represented Dodd for the firm.

The law firm also worked with Dodd when the project was
arranged. It did not work with him again until it started to sink, Giorgione
said. The firm handled 29 lawsuits/liens filed against the developer.

Dodd has yet to pay Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney since
the developer rehired the firm, Giorgione said. He would not disclose how much
Dodd owes the firm. Dodd is aware that the attorneys decided they would no
longer represent him, Giorgione said.

“We tried to do everything we could,” Giorgione said. “We
cannot continue to work for free.”

Contractors walked off the site at Cameron and Herr streets
last spring because Dodd failed to make payments to the companies building what
was to be a 215,000-square-foot mixed use office, retail and printing structure
Dodd owes contractors millions, said local executives from companies that
walked off Capitol View.

Dodd was developing Capitol View under the moniker Cameron
Real Estate.
He was promised more than $17 million in local, state and federal tax dollars
for the project that was going up on a brownfield site. He spent about $8
million before government officials stopped funneling him money.

Commerce
Bank/Harrisburg was the largest private financial backer of the project,
providing Dodd with about $7 million. The bank seized the project from Dodd
last month.

The project  is tied
up in liens and lawsuits.

Dodd owns
Penbrook’s Advanced Communications printing company. He had planned to relocate
his business into 115,000 square feet of Capitol View and lease the remainder
for office and retail use. Dodd did not return interview requests for this
story.