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Originally Posted by Redddog
So...what has to happen to get this to go? How does it work if you need a variance?
This seems like such a no-brainer for so many reasons. But plans like this go through the ringer and often fail.
What do we think the chances are for this? It looks like it could be more transformative for that part of Old City than even the Bridge was.
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I believe they need to get approval from the Historical Commission (which is a higher level review than the Architectural Committee's non-binding position) as this is going to impact a designated building (in a designated area) along with getting the zoning variance; not sure if this can be done concurrently, but I haven't seen anything on the ZBA calendar for this as of yet. Getting buy-in for the variance will require working with Old City District and other neighbors, though I haven't heard any word on OCD's position so far. Getting financing and licenses/permits/etc. would also clearly need to happen. I'd imagine they'd also have to secure a hotel partner to get financing moving as well.
The developer has a track record of getting modern projects done in Old City (see the townhomes project just up Race from this and a mid-rise tower on Front St.), so I'm hopeful this will happen, though we are seemingly ways off from seeing this breaking ground.
And I agree about how transformative for the northern side of Old City - it would really create a dense hub of activity that hasn't really existed at this scale before; foot traffic used to die around Elfreth's Alley heading north on 2nd, but things have really changed since the Bridge opened. The quick connection from here to Race St. Pier and the soon-to-open Cherry St. Pier would really give the area that final boost it needs, along with the other big projects in the area that are nearing the homestretch.