Who said it has to be highrises? Can't they cap 676, break up the space with one or two new east-west streets, and build a mix of rowhomes and 4-6 story apartments? That wouldn't be an engineering feat or add building costs. Further, low rise development is actually feasible. Like the Delaware Waterfront, if we opened up all this land to development and restricted it to high rises, it would take a very very long time to fill it up.

A park would definitely not be the answer. Center City has plenty of green space and is not dense enough to absorb more (though the homeless would welcome it). And because of its location, a park over 676 would not be a catalyst for development that Millennium Park was in Chicago. The city would not see any return on investment by turning that space into a park. Further, the Park Commission, as Inga has pointed out many times, is far behind Chicago, NY, and other cities. It's budget is already strained and can't even maintain Rittenhouse Square. How would they ever afford to maintain a park built over the entire length of 676?

I'm not sure exactly where the line is... but remember that at some point... capping a road becomes a "tunnel" and requires ventilation and other infrastructure. Not an engineering barrier, but may be a financial one.

Edit:

Here is a summary of the requirements for a "tunnel"
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/tunne...i09010/02a.cfm

Correct and that's probably why the road was continued as open-cut and not enclosed to being with.

McBane, the idea of breaking the space up with streets is a nice one but I'd think more a pedestrian mall/walkways. The open areas of the highway now are only the size of a regular city block themselves. Some manner of traffic calming, however, is needed on local Vine Street whether it ever gets capped or not. It isn't so much a city street anymore as it is a service road for 676 and people drive it that way.

Phila Zoo and Fergie Tower
 

Coming Attraction: The Philadelphia Zoo Breaks Ground On A Brand New Children’s Zoo And Educational Facility Set To Become The Zoo’s First LEED-Certified Building
By: Allison Stadd From Uwishunu.com published 6/22/11
http://www.uwishunu.com/2011/06/the-...fied-building/
It's very nice to see the zoo expanding and creating modern exhibits. I for one would love to go to it when it opens (despite the fact that it is aimed for children ages 2-13:haha:)
Also,
UPDATE: clearing way for U3's "Fergie Tower"
By: Helen G. Kunda From planphilly.com published 6/22/11
http://planphilly.com/update-clearin...s-fergie-tower
The article also says that more buildings will be demolished to make way for this tower. I really do hope that this project does move forward because it will be great for that area and we really do need a new 'scraper to look forward too

320' at 12th + Walnut? Yaaawwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnn :yuck:

Keep in mind that I phrased the 676 park in the context of an way to help the flow between CC and the loft district. I realize that Philly does have green space; however, that area of town only has access to parks in center city, fairmont, and nolibs. The RV would give some park space, but it would be a thin walkway more like the highline. A series of 676 parks would give that area walkable access to more open space and connect that part of town to the Ben Franklin in a much better way smaller walkways like the one in front of the Convention Center are trying to do.

Regarding money restrictions, it wouldn't cost much more per square foot to build a park over 676 than it would do build pier parks like we just did on the Delaware. And the majority of those funds would come from federal and state government grants (that will be available again in the future). As for the up keep cost, how does Philly afford to maintain Washington Square, Ben Franklin Pkwy Parks, Kelly Drive, or the proposed new Delaware Waterfront parks? That wouldn't really be a issue.

As I stated before, I was throwing out a suggestion about helping the development for the Loft District. Capping 676 wouldn't be a good option unless they were looking to build up to Loft District, and in that case, it would probably be an idea worth considering. I just view a highway cutting straight through the city like a giant surface parking lot...and given that 676 is already at a low elevation, it would make sense to do something above it...especially if the intent is to redevelop that area of town.

:)

I don't get it. What more needs to be demolished? Oh well, who cares... it'll be nice to have a new tall building... 320 ft should put it at about the same height as the nearby Chancellor, which stands out quite a bit in the neighborhood. I hope this thing goes the distance despite NIMBY resistance... I know one neighborhood resident who is convinced that any more tall buildings will be too much for the sewer system :koko: .

Rendering of the unfortunate new 12th & Arch hotel here, at the bottom of the article.

Truly horrific. My 6 year old could have come up with a more creative design. Just brutal.

Ew. :yuck:

676 Eh who cares...just a pipe dream and now we have real projects to talk about! :banana:

Fergies Tower Pennsgrant, really? 320 ft is pretty good height. But I think the developers made the mistake of publicly proposing a reasonable height. They should have proposed 500 feet, met with the NIMBYs, and then said, okay, how's 320 feet? While the height is decent, this will be very good for the street. Any renderings? This isn't that really cool Dubai-like proposal from a few years ago is it?

12th and Arch I get a kick out of that blog! 12th and Arch - very ugly but very Quaker-Philadelphian (as in boring, quiet, subdued). I do like the fact that there appears to be strorefronts but wonder what kind of retail would sign up for that location. I like that more and more garages and buildings are incorporating storefronts, but many of them sit empty. A good example is that Jefferson garage at 9th and Chestnut which took years to get a Kinkos and a bank.

12th and Arch - I complete agree that it could be a million times better. At same time it could be worse (parking garage on the first few floors, no retail, etc).

So... got me thinking. We can't expect every project to be a ACC, Comcast Center, PSFS, etc...

So, you have an empty or parking lot in Center City Philly (we got a few of them)... What's the minimum you expect to see?
- First floor retail?
- At least __ number of floors?
- etc...

I'd say first floor retail is important because it helps maintain a vibrant sidewalk/city life. But is there enough demand for every new development to have first floor retail... ehh... the Murano is still empty...

I'd also say that since it's center city, it needs some density... so some height is important.

Aesthetics... I want the majority (>51%) to look pretty good... but I know we can't expect every one to be a looker... Plus... as ugly as the 12th and Arch proposal is... it's better looking than an empty lot.

What do you think is the minimum that should be supported? You know there's enough NIMBYs out there to battle everything.

This can't happen in that area. The Renaissance Hotel should look in that location. A 30 story building primarily used for Hotel space would be ideal - 300-350' makes perfect in that location. A squat building in that area? No.

Younger Center City Pop.
 

Center City gets younger by: Jeff Gammage, John Duchneskie, and Dylan Purcell published: 6/23/11
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20...s_younger.html
This is very positive for the city and hopefully not just Center City's but whole city's younger population will continue to grow.

East Passyunk neighborhood shines in national press

By CBS Philadelphia cbs Philadelphia – Thu Jun 23, 9:05 am ET
John Ostapkovich, KYW Newsradio 1060

It's a happy time along East Passyunk Avenue in South Philadelphia. The "Singing Fountain" at Tasker Street will be rededicated Thursday night after restoration, and that section of town got a profile in a major magazine.

The profile of East Passyunk is part of a two-page look at Philadelphia in the July-August issue of National Geographic Traveler. Overall, it's about what to do in Philly in only 48 hours and writer Caroline Tiger chose East Passyunk for the "On Foot" subsection.

"It's a traditionally Italian neighborhood that has been sort of taken over by the quote-unquote hipsters who have put their own stamp in it," Tiger says.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_localp...bouchon=504,pa

Awww yeahhh
 

One again, the ravings of stodgy knitting-circle types are justly ignored. Some good news for a change.

The hotel @ 12th: Disgusting - but nobody with power has the balls/concern to address it. Additionally, remember what's been said about building here in Philadelphia - very little upside to breaking the bank on a medium-sized project from a developer's point of view so why do it in a 'non-marquee' type of destination? It's sad but reality.

Well said as usual V.Z. Another reason why we'll never see Philly's version on the High Line.

NYC opens new High Line section with lush lawn

Hillel Italie

Associated Press

http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/...lush_lawn.html

52nd St and Philly Live!
 

“West Philadelphia’s Main Street”, 52nd Street, to become a main attraction by: gabrielcgottlieb published 6/22/11 on philadelphiaheights http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress...in-attraction/
Hopefully 52nd St will become a much nicer and safer place to be a shop.:)
Also...
Philly Lives Goes Up! by: phillyshark on phillyshark.blogspot.com published: 6/24/11 http://phillyshark.blogspot.com/2011...s-goes-up.html
I wonder how this complex will turn out. Hopefully it will look like the pretty awesome renderings:shrug:

Posted on Sun, Jun. 26, 2011

Users want more say in expansion plan for Schuylkill Banks park

By Inga Saffron
Inquirer Architecture Critic

If a good park is defined by the variety of users it attracts, then Schuylkill Banks in Center City is one of the best. On any given day, the narrow waterfront trail is crammed with strollers, joggers, cyclists, dog walkers, Segway riders, sunbathers, and people just trying to find a quiet spot to read a book.

So perhaps it is no surprise that some of those users want a bigger say in how Schuylkill Banks handles its first major expansion since it opened 10 years ago as a no-frills asphalt strip linking Martin Luther King Drive to Locust Street.

With only days to go before the city starts construction of the first of several improvements - a 680-foot pedestrian bridge over the CSX rail tracks at Locust - various constituencies are mobilizing to stop, or delay, the $5.8 million project.

Some fear the bridge's concrete ramps will loom like a wall over the recreation path. Others say the span should be rerouted to spare mature trees in a community park adjacent to the waterfront trail. The loudest opposition comes from pet owners, who complain the bridge will compromise their dog park. They have hired a lawyer and say they will seek a temporary injunction against the project.

"Many people bought houses in the neighborhood because of the dog park," said Damon K. Roberts, attorney for the pet owners. "There are not adequate provisions for what happens during two years that the pedestrian bridge is being built."

Anticipating the boisterous free-for-all, the city already had scheduled a public meeting for Monday evening at the Trinity Center for Urban Life to discuss the connector bridge. Construction is to begin Tuesday.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20...anks_park.html

12th and Arch is a boring proposal as-is, but as to what I would want to see, thenbagis...

(a) Retail wraps along main streets. Residential streets and service alleys, not so much.
(b) At least as many stories (or sum height of) as the average of its immediate neighbors put together. So, for example, a proposal is surrounded by a 3 story building (trinity?), a 10 story building, a 5 story building, an 8 story building, a 25 story building, another 5 story building, another 10 story building, and finally a four story building. That is (3+10+5+8+25+5+10+4)/8, for at least an eight-to-nine (8.75) story building for that particular lot.
(c) Parking. No more than .75 spaces per unit/1000 ft. of commercial space; no more than .33 spaces per in proximity to rail transit. Bike parking considered an acceptable substitute for auto parking. No parking best of all.
(d) Structured parking. If parking is to be provided, underground parking is preferential. Decks are permissible only in circumstances where underground parking is physically or logistically impractical, such as construction over top existing infrastructure (inclusive of existing urbanized parking decks), or construction where the water table is high (such as along the riverfront).
(e) Lot coverage. The building should be expected to be built up to the street wall with plaza or courtyard space in the center or rear. Few, if any, gaps should be expected to present themselves between neighboring buildings.
(f) Plazas. No plaza should go without seats or trees. (I'm looking at you, American Jewish Museum plaza!) Ideally, the plaza should set off the main entrance to the building while at the same time being a public gathering space. In larger spaces, water features are also desirable. "Transparent" plazas (open to sidewalk traffic) are preferable.
(g) Special cases. Buildings along the Center City underground corridor network should be expected to front it as well as the street. Retail management at corridor level will be handed over to whoever is in charge of leasing that particular section of corridor (e.g. Metromarket). Arcading, when necessary, should be done with corbelling or vaulting along the ceiling: this architectural feature dissipates the psychological sensation of overbearing weight.