PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY-READING | Metro Development Thread

[jsbrook]

When was the last time you were at the PHL airport? I get the sense not since it was extensively renovated. Terminal B is very nice. I would say one of the nicest in the country, and I travel a decent amount for work. New York, Chicago, LA, and Miami, principally.

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

Firstly, when did I ever say "international" airport number one. I never said it had to be an international airport and number two, when did I ever say that it should be a priority for Delaware to have an airport. My point was that I want Wilmington to have its own.

There is also way more of a difference than 11 minutes. The only Wilmington suburb that is more convenient from PHL is Claymont. Also keep in mind of rush hour. From where I live, ILG is a third of the drive that I have to take to PHL for both distance and time wise.

Also, have you or anyone on this forum been to ILG when it did have commercial air service? It was a thousand times cleaner than Philly, way better area, free parking, smaller, so much quicker, and overall, cheaper! You want to know why we don't have that anymore, because Frontier screwed themselves up and decided to cut costs and transform into an ultra-low cost carrier, which caused flight cancellations which caused mad people which caused a decline in popularity which then made it improfitable for Frontier so they left. I'm going to be honest, imo, PHL is possibly one of the worst airports I've ever been to. The area is ugly, dirty, and filthy and parking is way overpriced compared to other airports. BWI is nicer but further away and when you consider that you have to drive through Baltimore to get to the airport, that alone especially during rush hour will take much longer than 1 hour!

I would like ILG to have commercial air service because PHL sucks imo and there is no other convenient option. If PHL was like SFO, then fine. Delaware residents are only satisfied because PHL is basically the only option, but I can say that there are plenty of other Delaware residents that hate PHL too.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

When was the last time you were at the PHL airport? I get the sense not since it was extensively renovated. Terminal B is very nice. I would say one of the nicest in the country, and I travel a decent amount for work. New York, Chicago, LA, and Miami, principally.

And this is just the beginning of a $900MM renovation for Philly airport, that is mostly going to be footed by the airlines and not taxpayers.

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...-20170522.html

I'd be all for an enhanced Wilmington airport if it made financial sense and the demand was there. But it doesn't, and it's not. The best approach, including for Northern Delaware residents, is to fix the Philadelphia airport.

[Trich]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

And this is just the beginning of a $900MM renovation for Philly airport, that is mostly going to be footed by the airlines and not taxpayers.

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...-20170522.html

I'd be all for an enhanced Wilmington airport if it made financial sense and the demand was there. But it doesn't, and it's not. The best approach, including for Northern Delaware residents, is to fix the Philadelphia airport.

I travel every week - mainly through PHL. Term A (international) is solid, Term B like he said is really nice, Term C is getting the update treatment. D and E I believe are on the list, and Term F is nice enough for a regional terminal.

Let's not forget that PHL consistently gets Top 5 in food options/quality every year.

SFO is really nice and spacious, I know because I'm there monthly bc my HQ is there. I also know Logan, all NY metro airports, Chicago, Miami, ATL, DFW, and Raleigh extremely well and I would prefer PHL over all.

My point is not to contend your desire but to illustrate that PHL is a fantastic airport not just by comparison but overall. Take into consideration it is an East Coast airport with limited space and periods of rapid expansion - they've done a really solid job. Part of the land expansion coming that jsbrook mentioned is to expand the cargo capacity. PHL cargo revenue is so minimal that it is trying to prep for the future and leverage the shipping boom. With the deepening of the Delaware is it critical to take advantage of the shipping boom and continue to evolve - something PHL is working on immediately.

Disclaimer: I am not an employee of PHL or have anything to do with the airport other than a frequent flyer.

[Jawnadelphia]

Congrats to Villanova basketball, Jay Wright, and Wilmington's own Donte DiVincenzo (the pride of Salesianum School).

Speaking of Wilmington --

On the Riverfront, phase one of the Avenue of the Arts apartment project by Capano is nearly complete.









Phase Two will be around 11 floors:

https://www.apartments.com/101-avenu...on-de/pb9hlht/

[jonesrmj]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

When was the last time you were at the PHL airport? I get the sense not since it was extensively renovated. Terminal B is very nice. I would say one of the nicest in the country, and I travel a decent amount for work. New York, Chicago, LA, and Miami, principally.

I was at PHL last week and I still stick to my claim. It actually took me more than an hour to get home because of PHL traffic. And I'm sorry to bash Chester, but that area is just awful looking and makes I-95 from the DE Stateline to Philadelphia just awful with all of the trash and abandoned structures with graffiti everywhere. and it doesn't help that there are smokestacks everywhere in Philadelphia I'm sure there would be more demand at ILG if the airlines there would put effort to attract customers when they were there. And I assume you haven't been to ILG when it had commercial air service based on your wording.

[jonesrmj]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

Congrats to Villanova basketball, Jay Wright, and Wilmington's own Donte DiVincenzo (the pride of Salesianum School).

Speaking of Wilmington --

On the Riverfront, phase one of the Avenue of the Arts apartment project by Capano is nearly complete.









Phase Two will be around 11 floors:

https://www.apartments.com/101-avenu...on-de/pb9hlht/

Looks nice! Especially to see a 10+ story building in the plan! My only complaint with this project is that when you look at the Riverfront Market sign, there is now a building blocking the sky background with makes the sign look worse imo. But I really like the design of this project!

[JohnIII]

I looked at the counties and the Philadelphia Metro Region including the Cultural Market Area and Media Area and combined the three (even though census allocations say some counties are in or out of the area cultural they are in the area and transit wise they are as well politics excluding). These are the counties I have included:

Caroline and Cecil Counties in Maryland; Kent and New Castle Counties in Delaware; Mercer, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; and Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania and of course Philadelphia.

I took the populations and they total about 7.5 million as an estimate.

I used Philadelphia, Gloucester, Chester, Delaware, and Camden Counties as a core because they are geographically close to Philadelphia International Airport and this is what I found.

The Counties that are south city are around 1.025 million inhabitants; the counties north of the city are around 1.415 million inhabitants; mostly because the estimates shows Salem, Cape May and Cumberland Counties have a decreasing population and Bucks County, Montgomery County have heavily populations (Montgomery has the heaviest population in the region other than Philadelphia itself). Also with the mass of the population of Philadelphia; the populations in the various counties and the congestion for commuters to travel from locations north of the city to Philadelphia International which is on the southern edge of the city; it may be possible that an airport north of the city may be easier to get to and could be used more.

I'm not taking sides; either an airport in Wilmington or Trenton wouldn't affect me because I live near downtown Philadelphia so its about the same distance either way for me but; the date I see seems to suggest an expansions of the Trenton Airport may have more to offer but I could be wrong.

If I had the power and funds were limitless; this is what my idea would be:

Increase regional rail in Delaware, Maryland, and South Jersey to make them more accessible to Philadelphia International; have to mass transit lines; one on the Delaware Coast and one inland to Seaford, Delaware; bring back the Blue Diamond line. Also run two lines into South Jersey which are already planned like the plan down Route 55; this increases accessibility to Philadelphia International and most of the terrain is flat so it shouldn't be to costly on current railroad beds.

North of the city if Trenton Airport is expended; it services the northern part of Philadelphia, as well as Berks, Bucks, Lancaster and some of the Lehigh Counties (which I didn't included) Mercer, if of course an airline were possible to be an anchor tenant; and then just run the West Trenton Line to the airport; its not far off.

[Kidphilly]

Originally Posted by JohnIII

I looked at the counties and the Philadelphia Metro Region including the Cultural Market Area and Media Area and combined the three (even though census allocations say some counties are in or out of the area cultural they are in the area and transit wise they are as well politics excluding). These are the counties I have included:

Caroline and Cecil Counties in Maryland; Kent and New Castle Counties in Delaware; Mercer, Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem Counties in New Jersey; and Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery Counties in Pennsylvania and of course Philadelphia.

I took the populations and they total about 7.5 million as an estimate.

I used Philadelphia, Gloucester, Chester, Delaware, and Camden Counties as a core because they are geographically close to Philadelphia International Airport and this is what I found.

The Counties that are south city are around 1.025 million inhabitants; the counties north of the city are around 1.415 million inhabitants; mostly because the estimates shows Salem, Cape May and Cumberland Counties have a decreasing population and Bucks County, Montgomery County have heavily populations (Montgomery has the heaviest population in the region other than Philadelphia itself). Also with the mass of the population of Philadelphia; the populations in the various counties and the congestion for commuters to travel from locations north of the city to Philadelphia International which is on the southern edge of the city; it may be possible that an airport north of the city may be easier to get to and could be used more.

I'm not taking sides; either an airport in Wilmington or Trenton wouldn't affect me because I live near downtown Philadelphia so its about the same distance either way for me but; the date I see seems to suggest an expansions of the Trenton Airport may have more to offer but I could be wrong.

If I had the power and funds were limitless; this is what my idea would be:

Increase regional rail in Delaware, Maryland, and South Jersey to make them more accessible to Philadelphia International; have to mass transit lines; one on the Delaware Coast and one inland to Seaford, Delaware; bring back the Blue Diamond line. Also run two lines into South Jersey which are already planned like the plan down Route 55; this increases accessibility to Philadelphia International and most of the terrain is flat so it shouldn't be to costly on current railroad beds.

North of the city if Trenton Airport is expended; it services the northern part of Philadelphia, as well as Berks, Bucks, Lancaster and some of the Lehigh Counties (which I didn't included) Mercer, if of course an airline were possible to be an anchor tenant; and then just run the West Trenton Line to the airport; its not far off.

you completely exclude the 3-4M people within 45 minutes or so of TTN that could leverage as an alternative to EWR

TTN has 8M people within an hour of the airport and would be both an alternative to PHL and EWR

[Nova08]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

I was at PHL last week and I still stick to my claim. It actually took me more than an hour to get home because of PHL traffic. And I'm sorry to bash Chester, but that area is just awful looking and makes I-95 from the DE Stateline to Philadelphia just awful with all of the trash and abandoned structures with graffiti everywhere. and it doesn't help that there are smokestacks everywhere in Philadelphia I'm sure there would be more demand at ILG if the airlines there would put effort to attract customers when they were there. And I assume you haven't been to ILG when it had commercial air service based on your wording.

Since when does anyone pick an airport to fly into / out of based on the look of the surrounding 25 mile area?

I fly out of EWR a ton and stay at a Renaissance the night before early flights. There are refinery's, scrap yards, vacant lots, confusing roads, terrible signs, never ending construction...everything that the PHL area has.

A Frontier type of airline is ILG's best bet and it did not work. No major carrier has been able to sustain service and when they did it was 1-3 flights a day likely at sky high fares. The same can be said about TTN.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

I was at PHL last week and I still stick to my claim. It actually took me more than an hour to get home because of PHL traffic. And I'm sorry to bash Chester, but that area is just awful looking and makes I-95 from the DE Stateline to Philadelphia just awful with all of the trash and abandoned structures with graffiti everywhere. and it doesn't help that there are smokestacks everywhere in Philadelphia I'm sure there would be more demand at ILG if the airlines there would put effort to attract customers when they were there. And I assume you haven't been to ILG when it had commercial air service based on your wording.

Notably, you neglect to mention the terminal you flew out of. As others said, only Terminal B has had extensive renovation. The other terminals are earmarked for it as part of the $900,000 renovation and expansion that is in the works. This is all an academic conversation, though. The airlines don't want to make ILG a hub because it makes no economic sense, there are more people who do and still would fly out of Philly, and the infrastructure is already built up and just needs renovating and refining. While getting ILG to be any kind of significant hub or travel option would largely requiring building infrastructure from scratch.

[jonesrmj]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Notably, you neglect to mention the terminal you flew out of. As others said, only Terminal B has had extensive renovation. The other terminals are earmarked for it as part of the $900,000 renovation and expansion that is in the works. This is all an academic conversation, though. The airlines don't want to make ILG a hub because it makes no economic sense, there are more people who do and still would fly out of Philly, and the infrastructure is already built up and just needs renovating and refining. While getting ILG to be any kind of significant hub or travel option would largely requiring building infrastructure from scratch.

I was in Terminal A International.

But how can you say that Pennsylvania's infrastructure is better than Delaware's? Whenever I've driven through most highways in Pennsylvania, they seem to be in horrible shape with potholes everywhere and look all worn out whereas Delaware's highway's seem to be in much better condition (at least based on my experience).

And I'm willing to end this argument about Wilmington having its own airport if you will just accept my points on why I dislike PHL. I can see why ILG's geographical location is not much of an advantage for Philly Metro, but considering that Southern Delaware/Ocean City MD area doesn't have a solid commercial airport, ILG would be more convenient for those areas.

Originally Posted by Nova08

Since when does anyone pick an airport to fly into / out of based on the look of the surrounding 25 mile area?

I fly out of EWR a ton and stay at a Renaissance the night before early flights. There are refinery's, scrap yards, vacant lots, confusing roads, terrible signs, never ending construction...everything that the PHL area has.

A Frontier type of airline is ILG's best bet and it did not work. No major carrier has been able to sustain service and when they did it was 1-3 flights a day likely at sky high fares. The same can be said about TTN.

Like I said for the thousandth time, It was Frontier's fault why Wilmington didn't succeed! Not the airport or area. Read this article: https://www.delawareonline.com/story...port/27780943/

[shadowbat2]

Former Revel casino moving toward reopening as Ocean Resort

The Boardwalk property said Monday it's affiliating with the Hyatt hotel chain. The announcement came on the sixth anniversary of the opening of Revel.

Colorado developer Bruce Deifik bought Revel in January and set about remaking the property.

"Hyatt has an incredible 60-plus-year legacy in the industry, and its loyal global customer base will have access to an authentic way to experience all that makes Atlantic City attractive and popular," Deifik said.

Although Ocean Resort will own and operate the 1,399-room hotel and the casino, its affiliation with Hyatt will enable it to make use of their reservation systems and other infrastructure, a spokeswoman said.

It also will include the 32,000-square-foot location of exhale, Hyatt's newly acquired fitness and spa brand, which will feature 32 treatment rooms, a mind and body studio, and a retail boutique. Ocean Resort will be part of Hyatt's "Unbound Collection" of hotel properties.

Ocean Resort plans to open sometime this summer, although it has not yet announced a date.

Accessing the expertise of a major worldwide hotel chain - and its base of potential customers - could address two big reasons Revel failed. It shut down in 2014 after a little over two years of operation, during which it never came close to making a profit.

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...31b74fa02.html

[Mr Saturn64]

I so hope everything goes well for Atlantic City. Although I have much more confidence in Hard Rock than I do in the Ocean Resort.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

I was in Terminal A International.

But how can you say that Pennsylvania's infrastructure is better than Delaware's? Whenever I've driven through most highways in Pennsylvania, they seem to be in horrible shape with potholes everywhere and look all worn out whereas Delaware's highway's seem to be in much better condition (at least based on my experience).
https://www.delawareonline.com/story...port/27780943/

Because all of the money Delaware does spend can go to roads, whereas in PA there are also airports, trains, etc.

The only infrastructure DE has to support is roads, period. I'd hope they'd be nice.

[Jonboy1983]

Saw this posted on my LinkedIn feed, an article from the Daily Local a few days ago about a few projects finally moving forward for the City of Coatesville:

http://www.dailylocal.com/general-ne...in-coatesville

Supposedly the Gateway project will get going this summer along with a project to enhance/improve the 1st Avenue/Lincoln Hwy intersection.

[JurassicPhilly]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

I was in Terminal A International.

But how can you say that Pennsylvania's infrastructure is better than Delaware's?

Because everything in Pennsylvania is better than everything in Delaware.

Just kidding man.

[Urbanthusiat]

Eagleview continues to attract life science companies

As Hankin Group nears the completion of a second hotel at Eagleview, this one a Springhill Suites that is located next door to the recently constructed Hilton Garden Inn, the developer has begun to contemplate what its next project might be at the mixed-use community in Exton.

This comes as Hankin Group is ramping up the development of several multifamily projects in that part of Chester County. “We need to focus more on housing,” said Bob Hankin, CEO at the real estate company.

That shift has been deliberate, Hankin said, and works with the company’s strategy to build mixed-use communities that have a sense of place. This doesn’t mean the real estate company is ignoring Eagleview Corporate Center, which continues to grow as a hub for life science and biotech companies.

Hankin Group owns and manages 1.2 million square feet of office, flex and retail space in Eagleview. Of that amount, just 48,000 square feet is retail and 794,530 square feet is leased to biotech and pharmaceutical companies. That figure gets nudged up a tad if it included the six companies occupying 11,000 square feet in a space designated as an Innovation Center and is a place where fledgling firms can start out.

Within the last year, three new life science companies moved their headquarters into Eagleview. They include: Essential Medical, which leased 12,000 square feet; Lungpacer Medical, which took 14,000 square feet; and Immunome Inc., which started in the Science Center and now leases 11,000 square feet.

Those firms joined a roster of existing life science companies that have a headquarters or major presence in Eagleview. The largest is DSM Biomedical, which bought in 2012 Kensey Nash, a medical device maker that was based in the corporate center. DSM occupies a total of 330,000 square feet.

Some other existing life science companies in Eagleview include: Frontage Laboratories with 70,000 square feet; Aqua Pharmaceuticals with 15,000 square feet; West Pharmaceuticals with 170,000 square feet; and Fibrocell with 80,000 square feet.

That so many companies in the life science sector continue to gravitate to Eagleview doesn’t surprise Christopher P. Molineaux, president and CEO of Life Sciences Pennsylvania, a Wayne-based trade organization. He attributed the concentration on a number of factors, one of which is that over the last nine years, a high number of Big Pharma executives have left those companies and started their own.

“You have a fair number of startups and many of the executives live in Exton, Malvern and Chester Springs so a lot of the companies emerge around there,” Molineaux said.
In addition, there are several large companies based in Eagleview and down the road in Great Valley that have been bought by other companies and former employees have launched their own businesses or joined new ones that locate in the center.

A good example of this cycle is Idera Pharmaceuticals Inc. It leases 11,000 square feet in Eagleview and has been in the office park for four years. Its CEO Vincent J. Milano had been president and CEO of ViroPharma Inc., a company based in Eagleview that was bought by Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2013.

A year later, Milano was named CEO of Idera when it committed to maintaining its Cambridge, Mass., headquarters but willing to have a location in Exton. Now it will move its headquarters to Exton once it completes a merger this year with BioCryst. Shire backfilled the former ViroPharma space and occupies 150,000 square feet.

“There’s a cluster of seasoned life science executives who have stayed in that area,” Molineaux said. “It’s not just pharma and biotech, it’s also contract research organizations.”

The Philadelphia area is also flush with an experienced pharmaceutical and biotech laborforce that has spent time at the larger companies in what Molineaux likened to a farm system for talent. “It’s what we have here more than any other region,” he said. “There’s almost too much.”

Many of the companies keep growing, Hankin said. That growth and Eagleview’s overall 93 percent occupancy has led the company to tee up its next project. Hankin Group has a 130,000-square-foot flex building in design that could get started within six months once an anchor tenant is secured. In addition, it has an 80,000-square-foot office building that is designed and ready to go when a tenant comes along.

From: https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...e-science.html

[Urbanthusiat]

How Phoenixville was able to rise from the ashes – and what other towns can learn from it

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...the-ashes.html

This is a good overview of what happened in Phoenixville that made it an urban revitalization success.

[nimshady]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

How Phoenixville was able to rise from the ashes – and what other towns can learn from it

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...the-ashes.html

This is a good overview of what happened in Phoenixville that made it an urban revitalization success.

Now only if we could get rail access out there

[Frontst17]

Originally Posted by nimshady

Now only if we could get rail access out there

NEEDS rail. Needs it. The whole 422 corridor in fact is an untapped dead zone. Pottstown and p ville getting train service would be a game changer. Pottstown especially is so close to the city but feels so disconnected many residents relate more to Pittsburgh than Philly