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

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by dab

Cardinal Crossing is dead:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20..._in_Delco.html



Hoping for a park a-la Rosetree but I won't hold my breath.

As an alumnus ('13) of Cardinal O'Hara High School, I am happy to see this deal fall through! The wooded area behind the school is so tranquil and absolutely beautiful. It should not be developed. I can only imagine the traffic on Sproul Road! I sound like such a NIMBY, but I am not a huge fan of auto-oriented suburban development.

Also, I currently live in Brookhaven, Delaware County. With the development of the new shopping center across from the existing 352 Plaza (on the field where I used to play baseball for Brookhaven), I have experienced just what taking out a wooded area means for the area. For example, there is now a fox family in the neighborhood displaced by the construction.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Altar'd State
Anthropologie
BoConcept
Bottega Veneta
Carolina Herrera
Calligaris
Clarins
Diane Von Furstenberg
Jimmy Choo
MCM
Nic+Zoe
Oliver Peoples
Primark
Rag & Bone
Robert Graham
St. John
Stuart Weitzman
Super Dry
Vince

Shinola Detroit will also be coming to King of Prussia Mall

http://www.simon.com/mall/king-of-prussia/stores

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Altar'd State
Anthropologie
BoConcept
Bottega Veneta
Carolina Herrera
Calligaris
Clarins
Diane Von Furstenberg
Jimmy Choo
MCM
Nic+Zoe
Oliver Peoples
Primark
Rag & Bone
Robert Graham
Shinola Detroit
St. John
Stuart Weitzman
Super Dry
Vince

Bonobos and Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams are also coming to KOP Mall

http://www.simon.com/mall/king-of-prussia/stores

[summersm343]

One Cooper - Dranoff Residential Building - 5 floors

Looks like the Dranoff Properties residential portion of the Liberty Property Trust Camden Waterfront project will be designed by JKRP Architects, and include 156 apartment buildings and ground floor retail. There is a rendering in the link here:

http://dranoffproperties.com/places/one-cooper/

[DrachenFire]

Two pretty big developments taking place in the western edge of Media:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9179...!3m1!1e3?hl=en

West End Walk
This 26 townhome development will overlook Glen Providence Park and is located where the Redbud Nursery is located on the map.

http://www.arcadialand.com/development/portfolio/west-end-walk/

West End Flats
This will be a 5 storey, 162 unit apartment building on the SE corner of the Baltimore Ave/Brook St intersection (where the SEPTA bus stop icon is on the map)

http://www.arcadialand.com/developme...est-end-flats/

It'll be interesting to see how these do, especially Flats, as this is the more industrial side of the borough.

[Urbanthusiat]

Wow the West Side Flats looks amazing.

[domodeez]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

Wow the West Side Flats looks amazing.

Was talking to this developer last night about the project. It'll be a hit.

[Urbanthusiat]

American Water to build new HQ on Camden waterfront Rendering here

More info here from the Philadelphia Business Journal: http://bit.ly/29GANnW

[1487]

^wow, so it looks like this is really going to happen. Too bad it's such a squat Navy Yard building.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

American Water to build new HQ on Camden waterfront Rendering here

This is a massive improvement over the current American Water HQ -- a place that's essentially impossible to get to without a car.

I do wonder how much New Jersey is paying them to move? Perhaps I should have parsed the article a little closer, I didn't notice it at first glance.

[summersm343]

Pro sports league moving its headquarters to Conshohocken from NYC

A professional sports league is moving its headquarters to the Philadelphia suburbs, bringing about a dozen employees to the local region.

The National Lacrosse League said Monday it is relocating its corporate headquarters from New York City to Conshohocken.

The new operations center for the professional indoor lacrosse league will occupy a top floor suite at Spring Mill Corporate Center at 1100 E. Hector St. in Conshohocken. The league will continue to maintain a sales office in New York City.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelp...shohocken.html

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by domodeez

Was talking to this developer last night about the project. It'll be a hit.

Those town houses will sell out in months, if not weeks.

I want Media to continue to grow and succeed if only to create less aversion to "new" urbanism in Delaware County.

As a native of Delaware County, I see it's future in being precisely what Chester County is not. Accessible, close, densely populated, and on public transit. Although Chester County clearly has the upper hand from a perception standpoint, I think long term, Delaware County will out thrive it as a place to live and work. There are glimmers of hope (Media is the best example), but a less apologetic form of urbanism is taking hold in Ardmore and Wayne, obviously, but in other lesser known places as well like Haverford, where dense(r) infill is replacing lightly and less used properties. If Media becomes a smashing success, other nearby communities will want to replicate it's success, which only portends good things for the future for the entire county. Although (more) urban development seems to be taking hold in the center of the county, there seem to be standout towns (places like Aston, Brookhaven, Middletown, Upper Chichester (i.e. the first ring west of the Blue Route) where they want to mimic a sort of Chester County - lite version of development whereas they should be doing the opposite. It's frustrating to watch (all of these places have new development that sprawls when it could be increasing density) and it seems to be happening in a Custer's Last Stand kind of way. All also have areas or older pockets that would form a natural grid and could serve as town centers for their respective townships but instead of embracing that they continue to push sprawl to their fringes.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

This is a massive improvement over the current American Water HQ -- a place that's essentially impossible to get to without a car.

I do wonder how much New Jersey is paying them to move? Perhaps I should have parsed the article a little closer, I didn't notice it at first glance.

It's also good for Philadelphia. I'd argue better for Philadelphia than for Camden. A lot of the 600 employees there will want to live in Center City. I wish the new development in Camden was (more) urban in nature but it is an unapologetic win (all of it) for Center City. Ditto for all of the other companies moving to Camden from other parts of South Jersey.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Those town houses will sell out in months, if not weeks.

I want Media to continue to grow and succeed if only to create less aversion to "new" urbanism in Delaware County.

As a native of Delaware County, I see it's future in being precisely what Chester County is not. Accessible, close, densely populated, and on public transit. Although Chester County clearly has the upper hand from a perception standpoint, I think long term, Delaware County will out thrive it as a place to live and work. There are glimmers of hope (Media is the best example), but a less apologetic form of urbanism is taking hold in Ardmore and Wayne, obviously, but in other lesser known places as well like Haverford, where dense(r) infill is replacing lightly and less used properties. If Media becomes a smashing success, other nearby communities will want to replicate it's success, which only portends good things for the future for the entire county. Although (more) urban development seems to be taking hold in the center of the county, there seem to be standout towns (places like Aston, Brookhaven, Middletown, Upper Chichester (i.e. the first ring west of the Blue Route) where they want to mimic a sort of Chester County - lite version of development whereas they should be doing the opposite. It's frustrating to watch (all of these places have new development that sprawls when it could be increasing density) and it seems to be happening in a Custer's Last Stand kind of way. All also have areas or older pockets that would form a natural grid and could serve as town centers for their respective townships but instead of embracing that they continue to push sprawl to their fringes.

Not minutes after I wrote this did I read this article:

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

And I quote:

"The conflict underscores just how dramatically 213 acres could reshape Marple Township - and its finances. For residents, saving the swath would prevent more development in a county with just 15 percent open space, compared with neighboring Chester County's nearly 27 percent."

Except. 1. Chester County does not neighbor Marple. Marple is miles away (literally) and psychologically from Chester County. There is not a single thing aesthetically or psychologically about Marple that looks or feels anything like Chester County. Not in the way that there is for other parts of western Delaware County (ie. Thornbury, Edgemont, Newtown, Chadds Ford, Concord, Bethel, etc). 2. It is in one of the most densely populated areas of Delaware County.

SMH.

[PhilliesPhan]

I was riding my bike through Middletown (Delco) yesterday, and I noticed that the Chester Creek Trail is coming along nicely:







For those of you who don't know, the Chester Creek Trail follows the right-of-way of the former ex-PRR Chester Creek Branch. The ROW technically goes from Lamokin Junction in Chester to Octoraro Junction in Lenni, where it connected with the West Chester Branch (current Media/Elwyn Line) and the ex-PRR Octoraro Branch. I can't wait for this trail to be completed, because I could use a dedicated trail to run on until I move to Philadelphia in the coming months.

[domodeez]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

I want Media to continue to grow and succeed if only to create less aversion to "new" urbanism in Delaware County.

As a native of Delaware County, I see it's future in being precisely what Chester County is not. Accessible, close, densely populated, and on public transit. Although Chester County clearly has the upper hand from a perception standpoint, I think long term, Delaware County will out thrive it as a place to live and work. There are glimmers of hope (Media is the best example), but a less apologetic form of urbanism is taking hold in Ardmore and Wayne, obviously, but in other lesser known places as well like Haverford, where dense(r) infill is replacing lightly and less used properties. If Media becomes a smashing success, other nearby communities will want to replicate it's success, which only portends good things for the future for the entire county. Although (more) urban development seems to be taking hold in the center of the county, there seem to be standout towns (places like Aston, Brookhaven, Middletown, Upper Chichester (i.e. the first ring west of the Blue Route) where they want to mimic a sort of Chester County - lite version of development whereas they should be doing the opposite. It's frustrating to watch (all of these places have new development that sprawls when it could be increasing density) and it seems to be happening in a Custer's Last Stand kind of way. All also have areas or older pockets that would form a natural grid and could serve as town centers for their respective townships but instead of embracing that they continue to push sprawl to their fringes.

Agree. Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance held an event in Media maybe 6 months back, right across from the site of this Arcadia development (at Sterling Pig, a terrific newish gastropub just beyond the western terminus of State Street), which was titled "Can the Suburbs Compete for Millennials?" The panelists all agreed, as do I, that the answer is yes, but only if they possess and continue to develop their urban fabric. I remember thinking Media is one of the best possible places in Greater Philadelphia to be having that discussion.

However, it's not going to be easy for Media. A recent master plan for the State Street district asked residents what they wanted more/less of: more restaurants and retail on State Street, they responded, fewer residential (specifically fewer apartments) on/near State Street. Explain how that one works.

[Larry King]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

It's also good for Philadelphia. I'd argue better for Philadelphia than for Camden. A lot of the 600 employees there will want to live in Center City. I wish the new development in Camden was (more) urban in nature but it is an unapologetic win (all of it) for Center City. Ditto for all of the other companies moving to Camden from other parts of South Jersey.

Yep.

State of NJ spending billions on Camden couldn't be better for philly. One of the rare instances where philly gets better without spending any tax dollars.

Camden becomes #4 major employment center within 3 miles of city hall along with center city office district, u city and navy yard.

[UrbanRevival]

Since job growth/employment is always tangentially related to development news in the city, I thought I'd share some very interesting Census numbers recently compiled by Governing to illustrate growth/decline in the prime working-age workforce over a recent five-year period across the US.

Essentially, Philadelphia is one of only 2 counties in the metro area to have shown any growth in working-age population in the period from 2010-2015, and the only to have shown significant growth. Here are the numbers for the Philly metro core counties:

Growth/Decline in Prime Working Age Population (Ages 25-54)--Core Philly Metro Counties

Pennsylvania

Bucks: -17,740 (-6.9%)
Chester: -4,222 (-2.1%)
Delaware: -5,608 (-2.5%)
Montgomery: -9,775 (2.9%)
Philadelphia: 37,514 (+5.9%)

New Jersey

Camden: -7,825 (-3.6%)
Burlington: -9,467 (-5.0%)
Gloucester: -3,589 (-3.0%)
Salem: -2,201 (-8.4%)

Delaware

New Castle: 2,340 (+1.0%)

http://www.governing.com/topics/urba...opulation.html

I bring this up because, barring any dramatic demographic shift in Philly's surrounding suburban counties (which is very unlikely to happen either soon or quickly), it's very evident that Philly proper is not only becoming competitive for companies in which to locate operations for growth, but, based on this data, it has essentially become the only option in which companies can substantially grow their workforce in the years to come. This is a pretty colossal shift from, say, 20 years ago.

Of course, this data is based on annual estimates, but when the estimates are compiled over a number of years, it definitely shows a trend. Curious to read what others think of this trend and it's long-term impact on the Philly area.

[Milksteak]

Originally Posted by UrbanRevival

Since job growth/employment is always tangentially related to development news in the city, I thought I'd share some very interesting Census numbers recently compiled by Governing to illustrate growth/decline in the prime working-age workforce over a recent five-year period across the US.

Essentially, Philadelphia is one of only 2 counties in the metro area to have shown any growth in working-age population in the period from 2010-2015, and the only to have shown significant growth. Here are the numbers for the Philly metro core counties:

Growth/Decline in Prime Working Age Population (Ages 25-54)--Core Philly Metro Counties

Pennsylvania

Bucks: -17,740 (-6.9%)
Chester: -4,222 (-2.1%)
Delaware: -5,608 (-2.5%)
Montgomery: -9,775 (2.9%)
Philadelphia: 37,514 (+5.9%)

New Jersey

Camden: -7,825 (-3.6%)
Burlington: -9,467 (-5.0%)
Gloucester: -3,589 (-3.0%)
Salem: -2,201 (8.4%)

Delaware

New Castle: 2,340 (1.0%)

http://www.governing.com/topics/urba...opulation.html

I bring this up because, barring any dramatic demographic shift in Philly's surrounding suburban counties (which is very unlikely to happen either soon or quickly), it's very evident that Philly proper is not only becoming competitive for companies in which to locate operations for growth, but, based on this data, it has essentially become the only option in which companies can substantially grow their workforce.

Of course, this data is based on annual estimates, but when the estimates are compiled over a number of years, it definitely shows a trend. Curious to read what others think of this trend and it's long-term impact on the Philly area.

Interesting data, thanks for posting. I'd be interested to see how many of these working age individuals in Philly are pulling the reverse commute. Having always had offices in the suburbs, I knew plenty of people (including myself for a long while) that lived in the city and commuted out to the burbs.

[Urbanthusiat]

Interesting. I wonder what is accounting for the declines, as it doesn't seem to match up with the fact that the majority of these suburban counties are increasing in population overall, particularly in PA. What could explain that? It suggests that our population pyramid is top heavy and that younger people are leaving the suburbs for the city, I suppose, but I'm still unsure how such drastic losses, in say Montgomery and Bucks counties, can be reconciled with relatively moderate population gains. I'd be curious to see employment data for each county.