PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[Aaamazarite]

Originally Posted by Larry King

Nice, is there a new owner?

Not that I can tell, but a big developer out of Newark (Emirita USA) has been making some moves in the neighborhood so they may be involved. I speak to the listing agent on the brochure once in awhile so I'll ask him about it the next time I talk to him.

[DudeGuy]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

...the City should be pushing for Amtrak and SEPTA to come up with a comprehensive plan for the transit node at Broad and Lehigh. Amtrak's North Philadelphia Station needs a full rehab and more frequent Amtrak service, SEPTA's North Broad Station needs high-level platforms and other general improvements, and the North Philadelphia BSL stop could benefit from the return of express service (the Ridge-Spur does make a stop there, but North Philadelphia has a higher level of ridership than Race-Vine). Meanwhile, with these improvements, the city could market the area to people with the ability to work from home in the NYC area who still desire to live in a city with a strong connection to NYC, but at a deeply discounted rate.

I totally agree on this point. That whole area could be another office node if public agencies started to put some money into the infrastructure. I think the challenge with that is going to be it doesn't have great highway access, which likely deters a lot of developers from giving the area a second look.

[summersm343]

Wow! Nice! 2700 North Broad would be awesome! North Broad is definitely on the upward trajectory.

[ScreamShatter]

Love that building on N Broad; glad it’s getting some love and attention!

[blart]

12/10
2nd St south of Girard, across from the Piazza Towers project

[summersm343]

^^This whole area is on fire. Looking good!

[summersm343]

Germantown’s Secret Pedestrian Mall Returns to Take Center Stage





Read/view more here:
https://hiddencityphila.org/2020/12/...bKbDuUClPAFx4Q

[summersm343]

^^This is awesome to see. Germantown is starting to come back. It has the potential to be one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Philly. It also should be a huge tourist attraction. There's a ton of gorgeous architecture here, a ton of history, and has the potential to be something truly special. Hopefully we can continue to see the continued comeback of Germantown.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by Aaamazarite

Whaaaaaaat

There have been new for lease signs on this building for a few months. I knew something was going on, perhaps ownership change. Lets see if they can make something happen. The nearby blocks are in bad shape so this is really an island aside from the fact that its on broad and near a subway stop.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Germantown’s Secret Pedestrian Mall Returns to Take Center Stage





Read/view more here:
https://hiddencityphila.org/2020/12/...bKbDuUClPAFx4Q

The City did that project, I remember reading about the proposal 3 or 4 years ago. at the time I wasnt even familiar with MAplewood Mall

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by DudeGuy

I totally agree on this point. That whole area could be another office node if public agencies started to put some money into the infrastructure. I think the challenge with that is going to be it doesn't have great highway access, which likely deters a lot of developers from giving the area a second look.

Development on Broad is basically happening sequentially- this is too far north right now. That doesnt mean that will be the case in 5 years. Right now the farthest north you see any private development is the 2200 block of Broad. It goes downhill quickly just north of that block. If the apts on that block turn out to be successful Im sure things will keep pushing north, but there are some gaps due to gas stations and other crappy auto centric uses between Lehigh and Dauphin. There is a nice abadoned industrial building just south of the old train station (now some sort of shelter or rehab center) that would be a great rehab project.

[cardeza]

This is interesting- one of the largest eyesores in North Philadelphia for decades

https://www.phillymag.com/property/2...tment-profile/

[DeltaNerd]

Originally Posted by DudeGuy

I totally agree on this point. That whole area could be another office node if public agencies started to put some money into the infrastructure. I think the challenge with that is going to be it doesn't have great highway access, which likely deters a lot of developers from giving the area a second look.

i676 is not super far away. That would be the major connection they need. Besides the trains throw in a good bus hub as well.

[PHL10]

"Monks" development. I count 7 stories. I'm assuming that will be a big blank wall as seen on similar projects where new construction rises above the height of the row.

[Justin7]

Originally Posted by cardeza

This is interesting- one of the largest eyesores in North Philadelphia for decades

https://www.phillymag.com/property/2...tment-profile/

I absolutely love this project, but Sandy framing these rents as "less expensive" and "a bargain" compared to a mortgage on a home in the 800s is just weird.

[El Duderino]

Originally Posted by Justin7

I absolutely love this project, but Sandy framing these rents as "less expensive" and "a bargain" compared to a mortgage on a home in the 800s is just weird.

Not to mention he is straight up wrong. If you want a one bedroom, you can get it for less than the mortgage payment for a $800k house. 2 or more beds will be more, so it kinda completely undermines his point.

[eixample]

That potential development on North Broad should be the poster child for a frequent regional rail system along the European model as opposed to our US commuter rail model. For the investment of what it would take to build the KOP extension ($2 billion they are now saying) you could go a long way towards doing all the necessary infrastructure and buy a bunch of the rolling stock. We could very feasibily have a system where all the regional rail lines at 20 minute intervals throughout weekdays and every 30 minutes late into the night and all weekend long (that is an unambitious target). The area around the north broad street stations would be super desirable if you had trains connecting the entire metro area coming by every 5-10 minutes, not to mention potential increased Amtrak stops. Norristown, Chester and Trenton would also be much more desirable places for residential and business development with "true" regional rail. I wish a regional rail revamp was even in discussions at septa but sadly the focus is elsewhere.

[DeltaNerd]

Originally Posted by eixample

That potential development on North Broad should be the poster child for a frequent regional rail system along the European model as opposed to our US commuter rail model. For the investment of what it would take to build the KOP extension ($2 billion they are now saying) you could go a long way towards doing all the necessary infrastructure and buy a bunch of the rolling stock. We could very feasibily have a system where all the regional rail lines at 20 minute intervals throughout weekdays and every 30 minutes late into the night and all weekend long (that is an unambitious target). The area around the north broad street stations would be super desirable if you had trains connecting the entire metro area coming by every 5-10 minutes, not to mention potential increased Amtrak stops. Norristown, Chester and Trenton would also be much more desirable places for residential and business development with "true" regional rail. I wish a regional rail revamp was even in discussions at septa but sadly the focus is elsewhere.

I would love this. To make North Broad more attractive. It will need a few office buildings and ton of restaurants. Shame that some of the financial companies can't be located here so they would be connected to NYC. North Broad station needs to be totally upgrade. The road need to be a bit better there as well because currently its not friendly for pedestrians or bikers.

Now my question is if the commuter tunnel can handle high volume of trains plus all the switch upgrades we need.

[DudeGuy]

Speaking of North Broad, apparently the CVS at Broad and Girard is closing at the end of the month. Does anyone know what (if anything) is going on at that site?

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by DudeGuy

Speaking of North Broad, apparently the CVS at Broad and Girard is closing at the end of the month. Does anyone know what (if anything) is going on at that site?

What? That's great news! That particular CVS is the worst one in the area by far. Quite a few newer, better ones (such as the ones at Broad and Spring Garden, and 12th and Cecil B. Moore) I haven't heard about anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see something sizable proposed at that site. Aside from the Francisville Triangle, there are basically no large developable sites left in Francisville--especially with CMX-4 zoning.

The entire intersection of Broad and Girard is abysmally low-density and auto-centric considering its location and superior transit access.