I wonder if it's the derelict building on the corner of Spring St? Kind of a bummer, there are several huge parking lots on those blocks north of the convention center that I'd like to see developed (including a Parkway lot immediately across the street).

That's the one-- the old Sigma Sound recording studio. Parkway's lot across the street is primarily for the hotels and Reading Terminal Market employees so it's probably never going away.

New Construction Permits Pulled for Long Awaited Fishtown Hotel

http://www.philarising.com/new-const...ishtown-hotel/

Yay! I really like this project!

Wow. I was just at the Fishtown Tavern looking at that lot and thinking "when the hell is THIS lot gonna get sold?"

This is great. Fishtown is on FIRE.

Totally. I walk right by there every day. Frankford Ave has so much life to it now, and the development is spreading so far north. It won't be long until we see almost a line of consistent development from Del Ave to Lehigh -- just a little infill left.

This makes no sense. The spaces in the lot can easily be replicated in an underground garage with a tower on top. What makes this lot so special that it can't be built on?

Trolley Car Station in West Philadelphia closes, new operator is sought

https://www.philly.com/food/trolley-...-20190416.html

It's one of the only Parkway-owned lots I know of that has never been offered up for sale/partnership. It could be because they don't own 1125 Race and only were able to acquire 1123 Race last year. It's much more valuable as a big square lot with streets on all sides than an awkwardly-shaped one that surrounds a rowhouse-sized building.

If they could land a popular restaurant (something along the lines of Vetri), that area could really be a destination. Baltimore Ave is already pretty trendy but it just feels like it's missing something like that.

There's a very angry and vocal contingent of neighbors that will do anything to stop a higher-end restaurant from moving in there. They are already convinced without a stitch of evidence that Trolley Car closed in order to fire the staff based on their group identities-- just check out the comments on the Trolley Car Station facebook page.

The West Willy facebook group is a hive-mind of cray cray commie instigators. I was banned from the group (which I rarely visit) last evening for suggesting that the staff layoff was due to the business closing, rather than, as one of their moderators had posted, and I quote: "Trolley Car Station has just fired their entire mostly queer/POC staff to hire a newer/straighter/whiter one. Let's give them hell when they reopen."

Philadelphia 2019 - The State of the CIty

https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/researc...ladelphia-2019

New stuff:

4148 Parkside Ave: 6 stories, 28 units

2935 N 2nd: 4 stories, 50 units (senior housing)

3804 Lancaster: 4 stories, 10 units

construction permits have been pulled for:

1701 N 2nd
https://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/p...eb_reduced.pdf

2216 Walnut
https://www.phila.gov/historical/mee...-Walnut-St.pdf

Looks like my prediction of East Parkside being one of the next neighborhoods to take off is starting to come true! 4148 is the huge grassy lot near 42nd and Parkside. A six story building would definitely make a great presence there. Let's just hope that this new building doesn't become overly value-engineered. Parkside Avenue is a top 10, if not top 5, corridor when it comes to architecture in the city!

I'm also happy to see that development is continuing to move northwest along Lancaster Avenue. Once Schuylkill Yards and uCity Square fill up a little more, I wouldn't be surprised if Belmont becomes a new hot neighborhood. Many neighborhoods north of Market are significantly underdeveloped, which provides developers with a blank canvas when the time comes.

I remember seeing an article about 4148 Parkside a few years ago...

https://www.thecondoshops.com/new-bu...rkside-avenue/

I wonder if this design is staying!

https://www.thecondoshops.com/wp-con...ed-300x181.jpg

1300 N. 2nd Street - Dwell Philadelphia (formerly called Soko Lofts/South Kensington, is well underway now, 3 buildings -- 320 units, 4 to 7 floors tall.

https://scontent-iad3-1.cdninstagram...ninstagram.com
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwfYLzBDEn0/

http://www.ocfrealty.com/wp-content/...05_01_WEB2.jpg
http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...uth-kensington

These brackets have been installed in numerous places on the outside of the FDP...maybe to support the video screens:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e3e30d4f_c.jpg

Speaking of the new Gallery, I've noticed that they've installed "pedestrian beg buttons" (buttons to push to change the light and get time to cross the street) on Market Street in the vicinity of this new development and East Market. These are widely seen as anti-pedestrian and anti-urban. See this article for an explanation of why that is so.

I don't get why they were installed here though. You are going to get a pedestrian phase to cross Market or the numbered streets no matter what. This doesn't change if you are at Market and 11th or Market and 18th. Does this give more time for pedestrians if you push the button? Is the perception that the rubes who are going to come in to shop at the Gallery won't know to cross the street if they don't push a button? Also, who did this, the state DOT or the Streets Department? Seems like a waste of taxpayer money.

I think that this may now be a state requirement. What's even more mind boggling is many very busy intersections in the 'burbs are being redone and the municipality has no pedestrian crossing signs for all ways, yet there are now the required non-slip curb cuts and ramps and push to cross buttons on places that have no sidewalks leading up to them, it's very bizarre. Also, I have walked a few of these all around the metro and in some cases the buttons and okay to cross electronic signs aren't even working and in one case they didn't even bolt the pole that the button is connected to down properly and it almost blows over in the wind! :koko:

Lol. What ineptitude. One of the signs on Market Street is incorrect (the arrow points the opposite way from the intersection) but we'll see if they fix it.

That is awful if it is truly a state requirement. It just doesn't make sense in Philadelphia. Our DOT is out of touch with smart urban development, doesn't even have an office in the city I believe. Spend our taxpayer money the right way and put pedestrians first.