PHILADELPHIA | The Development Thread VIII

[DIESELPOLO]

You want to be surprised, but are we really? And I'm not callous, it's just relatively predictable. Hope the families and tenants can recover quickly.

[Parkway]

It sucks but I'm not suprised, it seems like we get a few of these every year. Its the end result of putting sexy infrastrucure projects and most other spending a head of useful ones like replacing 130 year old 36" supply mains.

[DIESELPOLO]

Originally Posted by Parkway

Its the end result of putting sexy infrastrucure projects and most other spending a head of useful ones like replacing 130 year old 36" supply mains.

Yes! Although, I'm sure you'd agree, some of the sexy projects are pretty necessary to bring our civic spaces up-to-date as well.

[bobo19023]

Anyone looking at the progress of the new detention center on 48th and haverford and the new west philly high?

[Aaamazarite]

Here's a photo of the progress of Jefferson's new building. Not much to it just yet.


Bobo: New West is coming along quickly... seems like the frame is done and it's now being clad with insulation and facade. New Kid Prison aka Youth "Study" Center looked about the same as West does now the last time I saw it, which was a couple of months ago, if memory serves.

[volguus zildrohar]

I only pass YSC on Haverford once a week or so and progress from that angle seems to be as far along now as it was a few months ago. Never gotten a good look at the project, though.

[DAVID JOHNSON]

What about the project at 33rd and Chestnut (Drexel)? I pass by that at least twice a day and have seen no progress for several weeks.

[UCityGardener]

Hey David,

A lot of work has been completed on the North and East sides of the building which aren't as readily visible from the street.

[aro1419]

http://planphilly.com/waterfront-cor...ce-street-pier
The Waterfront plan is progressing...

[stampy88]

First time I have heard of this

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/i...113610609.html

Planners to weigh 14-story apts at Caplan's 1900 Arch
Plans for 236 apartments over a restaurant, offices and 150-car underground garage at 1900 Arch St., controlled by Philadelphia developer Ronald Caplan of Philadelphia Management Corp., will be reviewed (no action scheduled) by the Philadelphia City PLlanning Commission at its monthly meeting next Tuesday Jan. 18, upstairs at 1515 Arch St.

The 14-story, 160-foot building, designed by architect Stephen Varenhorst, will include an open courtyard on 19th St., says the board's Gary Jastrszab. It would replace a surface parking lot on the site of a row of oldtime Philadelphia business buildings, knocked down over historical objections two years ago, in a neighborhood where Hill International of Marlton still hopes to build Philadelphia's tallest skyscraper to tower over the nearby Comcast Center and office and apartment high-rises, if Hill can find tenants.

Planners will also look at the latest PIDC Industrial Land Study, the sale of the city-owned regional Boy Scout headquarters at 22d and the Parkway to its longtime tenant, and the proposed 58th St. cycling lane linking Bartram's Garden with Cobbs Creek Park in West Philadelphia, among other business.

[aro1419]

Originally Posted by stampy88

First time I have heard of this

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/i...113610609.html

Planners to weigh 14-story apts at Caplan's 1900 Arch
Plans for 236 apartments over a restaurant, offices and 150-car underground garage at 1900 Arch St., controlled by Philadelphia developer Ronald Caplan of Philadelphia Management Corp., will be reviewed (no action scheduled) by the Philadelphia City PLlanning Commission at its monthly meeting next Tuesday Jan. 18, upstairs at 1515 Arch St.

The 14-story, 160-foot building, designed by architect Stephen Varenhorst, will include an open courtyard on 19th St., says the board's Gary Jastrszab. It would replace a surface parking lot on the site of a row of oldtime Philadelphia business buildings, knocked down over historical objections two years ago, in a neighborhood where Hill International of Marlton still hopes to build Philadelphia's tallest skyscraper to tower over the nearby Comcast Center and office and apartment high-rises, if Hill can find tenants.

Planners will also look at the latest PIDC Industrial Land Study, the sale of the city-owned regional Boy Scout headquarters at 22d and the Parkway to its longtime tenant, and the proposed 58th St. cycling lane linking Bartram's Garden with Cobbs Creek Park in West Philadelphia, among other business.

Another lot bites the dust

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by stampy88

First time I have heard of this

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/i...113610609.html

Planners to weigh 14-story apts at Caplan's 1900 Arch
Plans for 236 apartments over a restaurant, offices and 150-car underground garage at 1900 Arch St., controlled by Philadelphia developer Ronald Caplan of Philadelphia Management Corp., will be reviewed (no action scheduled) by the Philadelphia City PLlanning Commission at its monthly meeting next Tuesday Jan. 18, upstairs at 1515 Arch St.

The 14-story, 160-foot building, designed by architect Stephen Varenhorst, will include an open courtyard on 19th St., says the board's Gary Jastrszab. It would replace a surface parking lot on the site of a row of oldtime Philadelphia business buildings, knocked down over historical objections two years ago, in a neighborhood where Hill International of Marlton still hopes to build Philadelphia's tallest skyscraper to tower over the nearby Comcast Center and office and apartment high-rises, if Hill can find tenants.

Planners will also look at the latest PIDC Industrial Land Study, the sale of the city-owned regional Boy Scout headquarters at 22d and the Parkway to its longtime tenant, and the proposed 58th St. cycling lane linking Bartram's Garden with Cobbs Creek Park in West Philadelphia, among other business.

Sounds good to me. Let's see those renders please!

If I'm not mistaken, the rental economy here will likely drive new large-scale construction and retrofits for the foreseeable future. When the bubble crashed, there was a massive gaping hole where the rental market was supposed to be.

[Parkway]

It sounds like this is the lot on the south side of Arch that saw demo of an existing building about a year and a half ago.

[rricci]

Originally Posted by Parkway

It sounds like this is the lot on the south side of Arch that saw demo of an existing building about a year and a half ago.

I believe you're right Parkway, and not a moment too soon. If I have to walk by that godforsaken pit-dump of a gravel lot one more year I'll puke. I get an acidic surge in my belly every morning and night as I pass the forlorn lot, recalling the historic buildings that were sacrificed so that we could have a chain-linked dumpster pen for Kennedy House. I understand that development takes time, but what about some cap on the length of time lot owners have between destroying the existing and starting the new? Perhaps a provision that approved plans and funding be in place before the first wrecking ball is allowed to swing? Enforced penalities for each month the lot sits fallow beyond the allotted time? Somethin'

[wanderer34]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Meh. The AirTrain over at JFK Airport costs $5 a ticket but still only drops you off either down near Coney Island or over in Queens somewhere, so you'd still have to pay another (soon to be) $2.50 for the transfer and a subway trip into Manhattan, even at the most penny-pinching, which takes about an hour no matter how you slice it. So PHI's service is about on a par with JFK's. About the only thing AirTrain does that's better is it features enclosed platforms.

http://planphilly.com/foxwoods-team-...te-its-license

Here we go again...

I'm not really a big fan of the AirTrain, as it's nothing more than just flash, smoke, and mirrors, but NYC can afford it. There used to be a free bus which left from Howard Beach Station to JFK, but then again, I can see why the Air train system was built for NYC. It is convenient, though, if you're coming from LI to Jamaica Train Station.

I don't really see the need to have a similar system in Philly, or even have the Amtrak trains stop at PHL. It really isn't necessary, IMO. Just get off at 30th St, then transfer to the Airport Train, it's not that hard. But personally, I'd rather have the Airport Train become a part of the subway system rather than the regional rail system since it makes more sense to have a closed-fare system (turnstiles and a station agent) rather than have a conductor check your ticket or take your fare, which is too cumbersome and time consuming, plus not cost effective since BSL and MFL trains use only one engineer who's also a conductor, plus the fare is too high, IMO to travel from CC to PHL, it should just be regular fare ($2). Boston, SF and DC already has their subway trains go to their airports, so I don't see why Philly should be any different.

[Aaamazarite]

A good catch from StoopPhilly... news about Broad/Washington!

http://www.stoopphilly.com/?p=785

http://www.pidc-pa.org/newsDetail.asp?pid=382

Wasn't there something a few years ago about Wegman's being interested in opening a location at Broad and Washington?

[volguus zildrohar]

A) It appears that an establishment has finally opened in the retail space at Residences at The Ritz along South Penn Square, a cafe by appearances.

B) Good news on the two South Broad sites. Broad & Washington, as we know, has a history lousy with failed proposals. Of the ones I'm aware of, too much ambition was poured into the ideas for that location. Despite what realtors say, the area is the transition point into Center City from South Philadelphia, not the boundary. The retail needs of the area are obviously the most prominent concept for making the lot work for a developer but it shouldn't overreach. The last big one essentially called for a scaled down version of Time-Warner Center, which was absurd. The size of the lot gives a developer a lot of flexibility to both meet their program and mitigate the issues involved with introducing such developments into small-scale neighborhoods such as parking. The real scary aspect is design. I went to D.C. this weekend and was absolutely floored by the quality of the quality of infill and new construction all over the city (no doubt the result of having a design board with teeth, something Philadelphia doesn't seem to at times).

C) wanderer34, SEPTA does gouge R1 riders with the fares - more or less because they can. What geographically is a Zone 2 ride ends up costing as much as a trip to Trenton. But keep in mind that the rail systems for D.C. and San Francisco use distance based fares and, other than Reagan, neither has an airport very close to town. MBTA doesn't use distance fares but the aiport is across the harbor from downtown and all three systems mingle travelers with regular commuters, basically. The idea of a dedicated Airport Line that makes virtually no stops between the airport and downtown makes SEPTA's arrangement standout. Improvements that you suggest, such as faregates, could certainly be implemented smartly.

[thenbagis]

Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar

A) It appears that an establishment has finally opened in the retail space at Residences at The Ritz along South Penn Square, a cafe by appearances.

Freshii

http://foobooz.com/tag/freshii/
http://www.freshii.com/

[thenbagis]

Originally Posted by volguus zildrohar

B) Good news on the two South Broad sites. Broad & Washington, as we know, has a history lousy with failed proposals. Of the ones I'm aware of, too much ambition was poured into the ideas for that location. Despite what realtors say, the area is the transition point into Center City from South Philadelphia, not the boundary. The retail needs of the area are obviously the most prominent concept for making the lot work for a developer but it shouldn't overreach. The last big one essentially called for a scaled down version of Time-Warner Center, which was absurd. The size of the lot gives a developer a lot of flexibility to both meet their program and mitigate the issues involved with introducing such developments into small-scale neighborhoods such as parking. The real scary aspect is design. I went to D.C. this weekend and was absolutely floored by the quality of the quality of infill and new construction all over the city (no doubt the result of having a design board with teeth, something Philadelphia doesn't seem to at times).

VZ, you seem to have a good collection of images from past proposals on your hard drive. Any images from the past proposals for Broad & Washington. I'll admit my knowledge of the history of that site is a bit lacking...

[relnahe]

Originally Posted by Aaamazarite

Wasn't there something a few years ago about Wegman's being interested in opening a location at Broad and Washington?

NO!

Only dumb, ill informed rumors. Wegmans avoids urban areas like a plague. Not only that but they're getting away from inner-ring older suburbs too. Trust me, I've lived in Rochester, NY where Wegmans is from and they have closed all but 1 of the Wegmans in that city. They have also closed some just outside the city limits as well.