PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[Knight Hospitaller]

I forget what was last posted about the lot at 20th and Arch (SW corner), but they were taking up the blacktop yesterday.

[McBane]

FYI, walked by the Hale building and it appears a restaurant will be built on the ground floor. The retail space is still u/c but the exterior is mostly complete and looks very sharp. A thousand times better than the old facade and the dollar store that last occupied the space.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by McBane

FYI, walked by the Hale building and it appears a restaurant will be built on the ground floor. The retail space is still u/c but the exterior is mostly complete and looks very sharp. A thousand times better than the old facade and the dollar store that last occupied the space.

Two. A sports bar called Warehouse Bar & Kitchen will front Chestnut. http://www.warehousebk.com An all day cafe called The Hale will front Sansom.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

I forget what was last posted about the lot at 20th and Arch (SW corner), but they were taking up the blacktop yesterday.

Where the Avis was? I believe it's staying a parking lot. For now.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Where the Avis was? I believe it's staying a parking lot. For now.

That's the place. It is fenced off. A few trucks were on site and, as I said, they were taking up some blacktop in chunks. May not betoken anything.

[Knight Hospitaller]

I forget who posted about that slow growing building on the south side of Arch between 9th and 10th. The OCF article that was linked wondered how it could be a hotel (which is the latest scuttlebutt) with no side windows. I took a look and it's readily apparent: They have created at least two indentations on each of the side walls - with windows. If anything goes up next to it on either side, they'll have (very small) light wells to deal with that.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

That's the place. It is fenced off. A few trucks were on site and, as I said, they were taking up some blacktop in chunks. May not betoken anything.

Hope it does! Arch is really primed to become a mixed use extension of the central business district. With large footprint buildings. Both commercial and residential. I think they are far better suited there than Chestnut Walnut and streets further South. Those streets are made by their small footprint, shorter buildings and varied facades.

[cafeguy]

Kushner out, Post-Brothers in at the Piazza!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ake-in-complex

[hammersklavier]

The Frankford Chocolate Factory is most of the way gone already. That was fast.

The project at the old car wash place at 42nd and Chestnut is also moving along quickly. There's a big hole in the ground there now.

Here's my hot take on the Avis site: the owners are probably gonna sit on it awhile and then sell it for a fortune to LPT after Comcast 3.0 gets built.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

The Frankford Chocolate Factory is most of the way gone already. That was fast.

Some of the remaining demo will go a little slower adjacent to the part that's to remain, a lot of hand tool and air hammer work. They'll be keeping the western-most portion of the 1865 building, as well as the much later boiler house and smokestack. In the streetview linked below, along Washington from 22nd to just past the first elevator house, and 6 window bays back along 22nd will be retained.

https://goo.gl/maps/RukMsVvDMaU2

EDIT: Here's an image with the parts that will remain shaded in green.

[PhilliesPhan]

This is going to be a stretch, but does anyone know what’s going on with the Fresh Grocer parking lot at 56th and Chestnut? I work in the suburbs now and have to take the El to get there, and I’ve noticed that there’s a huge parcel-like hole in the ground right at the corner.

Also, the project at 59th and Market is well under way! So. It should start to rise very soon. I hope that we see more projects like this, starting with the huge lot at the SW corner of 46th and Market. I feel like Market Street can become as successful as Front Street has become, especially since nearly every neighborhood south of it (and a few directly north) is hot right now.

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by Jayfar

https://goo.gl/maps/RukMsVvDMaU2

EDIT: Here's an image with the parts that will remain shaded in green.

My sarcastic take on this----The only reason Fiebush is 'saving' any of the old buildings is so the 20% federal tax credits of historic preservation can kick in. I fully suspect that as much as possible of the construction budget will on paper show up as being spent of preservation. Plus why spend piles of cash to take down a perfectly fine smoke stack (a money making cell phone antenna farm) when you don't have to.

I'm surprised this plan passed (apparently) the requirements of the interior dept. to qualify for the tax credits. Fiebush has been known to push the envelope in his quest to demo anything older then around 40 years. (which is just around how old he is, any correlation?) Why should this project be any different.

Fiebush might be a very good developer and seems committed to the City (whatever that means) but he seemingly has no sense that a lot of the soul of the City is in its 'oldness' and once that is gone it ain't coming back. What I'm referring to is more then just buildings that are in some special way 'historic', it has to do with a feel of a neighborhood. In the future I can't imagine that any of his, or most of todays low rise projects, will ever earn any respect for what they add to the City.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by City Wide

My sarcastic take on this----The only reason Fiebush is 'saving' any of the old buildings is so the 20% federal tax credits of historic preservation can kick in. I fully suspect that as much as possible of the construction budget will on paper show up as being spent of preservation. Plus why spend piles of cash to take down a perfectly fine smoke stack (a money making cell phone antenna farm) when you don't have to.

I'm surprised this plan passed (apparently) the requirements of the interior dept. to qualify for the tax credits. Fiebush has been known to push the envelope in his quest to demo anything older then around 40 years. (which is just around how old he is, any correlation?) Why should this project be any different.

Fiebush might be a very good developer and seems committed to the City (whatever that means) be he seemingly has no sense that a lot of the soul of the City is in its 'oldness' and once that is gone it ain't coming back. I can't imagine that any of his, or most of todays low rise projects, will ever earn any respect for what they add to the City.

I too was extremely disappointed with the far less than 'half a loaf' that will be kept, but to be fair, I found out (from Ori Feibush) that the cell phone antennae have been inactive for a while, with their services moved to a dedicated tower in the next block. Those will be going away.

Ori really likes that smokestack, which he considers 'iconic.' I'm somewhat less enamored of it. The original 1800s smokestack, elsewhere on the site, has been gone for eons. The current smokestack is part of the boiler house that was built when Wanamaker took over circa 1912, so it's not really tied the original manufacturing activity.

As far as the tax credits, I'm sure he will apply, but I don't know whether the credits will be approved or not. We'll see.

FWIW, the wooden columns, such as from the 1865 core building, are supposedly going to salvage (old growth lumber is very durable, so the columns are mostly in very good shape) and at least much of the exterior brick will be re-used on-site.

[McBane]

Originally Posted by City Wide

My sarcastic take on this----The only reason Fiebush is 'saving' any of the old buildings is so the 20% federal tax credits of historic preservation can kick in. I fully suspect that as much as possible of the construction budget will on paper show up as being spent of preservation. Plus why spend piles of cash to take down a perfectly fine smoke stack (a money making cell phone antenna farm) when you don't have to.

Well, like all the other developers, he's a businessman first and foremost. Being a good neighbor, a steward of historic properties, or any of that warm and fuzzy stuff comes in a distant second. I also think Feibush was under pressure from NIMBYs to "save" the old buildings and this was the compromise.

[Orion1]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

This is going to be a stretch, but does anyone know what’s going on with the Fresh Grocer parking lot at 56th and Chestnut? I work in the suburbs now and have to take the El to get there, and I’ve noticed that there’s a huge parcel-like hole in the ground right at the corner.

Also, the project at 59th and Market is well under way! So. It should start to rise very soon. I hope that we see more projects like this, starting with the huge lot at the SW corner of 46th and Market. I feel like Market Street can become as successful as Front Street has become, especially since nearly every neighborhood south of it (and a few directly north) is hot right now.

There's a Wendy's going up at the Freshgrocer location.

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by McBane

Well, like all the other developers, he's a businessman first and foremost. Being a good neighbor, a steward of historic properties, or any of that warm and fuzzy stuff comes in a distant second. I also think Feibush was under pressure from NIMBYs to "save" the old buildings and this was the compromise.

A general disclaimer------80%+- I'd rather have Feibush doing his thing then not. I'll join the chorus of people complaining about his designs and quality and the value of his projects, etc. etc. but given a choice between him or nobody, most of the time I guess I'm glad that he's building.

I agree that his first interest is the short term success of his business. That might not be the direction I would encourage, but he's hardly unique in having that as a goal. But I believe the warm and fuzzy stuff is way down on his list, and the reality of that is discouraging because he used to really talk a good talk (after his major failure in the election the heavy community 'talk' has largely disappeared)


The way this specific project was publicly presented (by right construction, no inter action with the neighbors, demo started within a week after his involvement and plans were announced, and much more along those lines)I think makes it very clear the whole deal was structured as quietly as possible so that nobody could have anything to say. There were none of your fearful NIMBY's to say anything. There was no pressure from anyone to do anything. There was a bit of shock and there was the Preservation Alliance asking for permission to take a tour before the demo began. That request was granted, probably because its a given that the PA has next to nothing in terms of power to do anything in this City.


Whatever gets built on that site has been decided on by Feibush and his partners and I don't there's any evidence to think otherwise. This is certainly his right and I'm not saying he did anything wrong. But I also don't think he has won any points in his favor in the neighborhood, with the preservation community (who I think he could care less about) and probably in the City gov't. So the next time he needs help from the community or the City to get a variance or similar I don't think he should be surprised when few are interested in even hearing what he has to say. Karma is a bitch sometimes.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by City Wide

The way this specific project was publicly presented (by right construction, no inter action with the neighbors, demo started within a week after his involvement and plans were announced, and much more along those lines)I think makes it very clear the whole deal was structured as quietly as possible so that nobody could have anything to say. There were none of your fearful NIMBY's to say anything. There was no pressure from anyone to do anything. There was a bit of shock and there was the Preservation Alliance asking for permission to take a tour before the demo began. That request was granted, probably because its a given that the PA has next to nothing in terms of power to do anything in this City.


Whatever gets built on that site has been decided on by Feibush and his partners and I don't there's any evidence to think otherwise. This is certainly his right and I'm not saying he did anything wrong. But I also don't think he has won any points in his favor in the neighborhood, with the preservation community (who I think he could care less about) and probably in the City gov't. So the next time he needs help from the community or the City to get a variance or similar I don't think he should be surprised when few are interested in even hearing what he has to say. Karma is a bitch sometimes.

Actually he did make a presentation to the immediate neighbors and had also attended at least one of the meetings conducted by the previous would-be developer. The neighbors are largely in favor from what I see in local facebook groups, although some of that may be due to hyped up fears of falling bricks.

As far as building 'by-rights' – NOPE! This end of Washington Avenue is virtually all zoned I-2 (Industrial). The Planning Commission, under the new zoning code, has officially recommended remapping to IRMX (Industrial Residential Mixed Use), but Councilman Johnson has expressed a total lack of interest in introducing the requisite remapping legislation. So variances will be needed for this project.

[jsbrook]

Anyone know when this one is expected to start?

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...10.html#loaded

No community review or consideration by the city’s zoning board required, but I believe they are caucusing with neighborhood groups and the Friends of the Rail park anyway.

[Redddog]

This just in....

The National next to Elfreth's is absolutely horrendous.

Pics to follow....

(What the hell were they thinking?)

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Anyone know when this one is expected to start?

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...10.html#loaded

No community review or consideration by the city’s zoning board required, but I believe they are caucusing with neighborhood groups and the Friends of the Rail park anyway.

This has to be one of the sharper designs we’ve seen on here.