PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread II

[Skintreesnail]

Speaking of curb protected bike lanes, i wonder what the status of this project is:
https://billypenn.com/2023/05/19/cur...s%20in%20mind.

And while this type of thing is great to see, I just don't know why it would only be 4 blocks. This should be all over the city by now. Even the rendering in the article from last year (again, curious on the status) is from 2017. Does it need to take a decade for a 4-block span to get this treatment?

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by Broadcastthatboom

The flexible white posts that are currently used are technically 'protected', but obviously do nothing if a car/delivery truck actually drive over them. Green paint and flimsy infrastructure aren't providing any safety. You need fixed/immovable posts, or protective concrete barriers.

Thanks for the info. I'm only an infrequent recreational bike rider but when I ride, I do seek out the streets with bike lanes to plan my travel and often use the Pine/Spruce lanes.

So if you were in charge and expanding bike lanes, would the plan be that all future planned lanes must be protected...an all or nothing type thing?

[Mr Saturn64]

Here's a random question: does anyone have a list of the busiest Regional Rail stations? I couldn't find one, even one that was really out of date.

[Broadcastthatboom]

Originally Posted by PHL10

Thanks for the info. I'm only an infrequent recreational bike rider but when I ride, I do seek out the streets with bike lanes to plan my travel and often use the Pine/Spruce lanes.

So if you were in charge and expanding bike lanes, would the plan be that all future planned lanes must be protected...an all or nothing type thing?

Same here, I only dabble occasionally with the Indego Bikeshares.

Having that requirement for all new lanes would be ideal and should be incorporated in some capacity for any new expansion. If for some reason that's not feasible, at the bare minimum there needs to be traffic calming/speed reduction components. Even putting the lane between the parked cars and the sidewalk would be an added protective layer.

The main throughfares in greater Center City should be fixed immediately with these updates (Spruce/Pine, a protected connection from Pine to the South Street Bridge and over into UCity, 22nd Street, etc).

[Dan1]

Originally Posted by Skintreesnail

Speaking of curb protected bike lanes, i wonder what the status of this project is:
https://billypenn.com/2023/05/19/cur...s%20in%20mind.

And while this type of thing is great to see, I just don't know why it would only be 4 blocks. This should be all over the city by now. Even the rendering in the article from last year (again, curious on the status) is from 2017. Does it need to take a decade for a 4-block span to get this treatment?

I believe it was held up by transferring ownership of that stretch of Market St from PennDOT to the City. Construction should begin this Fall.

[Gatorade_Jim]

Originally Posted by Skintreesnail

Speaking of curb protected bike lanes, i wonder what the status of this project is:
https://billypenn.com/2023/05/19/cur...s%20in%20mind.

And while this type of thing is great to see, I just don't know why it would only be 4 blocks. This should be all over the city by now. Even the rendering in the article from last year (again, curious on the status) is from 2017. Does it need to take a decade for a 4-block span to get this treatment?

Funny you mention that, Rep Boyle just announced a few million in funding for the project. I think this funding just covers 2nd and Market, but I'm not sure. https://x.com/CongBoyle/status/1815521548901421167

[Justin7]

Originally Posted by Skintreesnail

Very tragic and horrible. Went to the vigil yesterday, lots of people came to pay their respects. Sadly this kind of thing is way more common than it should be. There was also a death around that same time of someone standing on the sidewalk getting hit. There needs to be more enforcement of speed limits, traffic laws and more traffic calming measures. It's crazy that we can't feel safe biking or walking in this city and that cars are put first so often. Walking my daughter to school has resulted in a bunch of near misses as cars run stop signs, traffic lights, speed around turns, or just driving erratic. I bike to work periodically up 22nd, and while the parking protected section feels safe, north of south street does not at all. Our council member fought safety improvements to Washington ave, one of the more dangerous corridors in the city where there have been numerous pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. It seems to take forever for any changes to occur, even simple things like raised crosswalks speed bumps, intersection bulbouts run into ridiculous bureaucratic walls. Something fundamental needs to change in city hall to fix that, which just doesn't seem to be happening.

/upvote

[El Duderino]

Not sure if this should go here or high-rise since its only 7 floors but 200 feet, but OCF has a proposal for 1601 Washington Ave. that was just posted to CDR today.

https://x.com/JackPhillyRE/status/1815738360452853799

[PHLtoNYC]

Madis Coffee Roasters opening in the long empty retail space at the W/Element Hotel.
Also opening in the Curtis Center.

University City coffee shop expanding into Center City with 2 new locations
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...locations.html

The Rittenhouse Square coffee shop will be located at 1441 Chestnut St. in the ground-floor commercial space under the Element Philadelphia Downtown hotel. Spanning 600 square feet, the location will have approximately 22 seats.

Madis Coffee Roasters' Old City shop will be located on the ground floor of the historic Curtis, a mixed-use building at 601 Walnut St. It will span 4,850 square feet and offer around 40 seats indoors and outdoors.

Given the larger footprint, Madis Coffee Roasters plans to move its University City roastery, the space where the beans are heated before being made into coffee, to the Old City shop.

[nemesisinphilly]

Originally Posted by El Duderino

Not sure if this should go here or high-rise since its only 7 floors but 200 feet, but OCF has a proposal for 1601 Washington Ave. that was just posted to CDR today.

https://x.com/JackPhillyRE/status/1815738360452853799

I know it's official and at CDR etc. But I just have a hard time believing this is a real proposal unless they have a tenant lined up to take 7 stories of nursery space.

[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by nemesisinphilly

I know it's official and at CDR etc. But I just have a hard time believing this is a real proposal unless they have a tenant lined up to take 7 stories of nursery space.

I mean I have to imagine they would have a tenant in mind because there's no way they'd propose this otherwise, right? So this is some sort of vertical farming operation I guess? Interesting proposal.

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by Gatorade_Jim

Funny you mention that, Rep Boyle just announced a few million in funding for the project. I think this funding just covers 2nd and Market, but I'm not sure. https://x.com/CongBoyle/status/1815521548901421167

Oh wow I had no idea about this. That looks great. That statue is so beautiful but it's in an awful location next to 95, 95 onramp and Market Street bridge. There's always homeless activity behind the statue so no one really gets close.



As for bike lanes, the 2 blocks at a time or 4 blocks at a time nonsense is the worst part. We don't need a lot, we just a few really good barrier protected bike lanes in greater Center City and University City that can become bike highways and run continuously for the length of the road. Pine as the East, Spruce as the west, Broad N/S, 6th, 22nd, Spring Garden and Washington to start etc. Maybe the weirdest misconception about bike travel is that old Philly citizens think it's all hipsters biking to beer gardens. It couldn't be further from the truth. It's a massive part of the delivery economy and transportation.

Then you need more traffic calming speed bumps EVERYWHERE and bollards on sidewalk intersections for pedestrians. Red light cameras, speed cameras etc. The solutions are out there. I can't even fathom how much money DC makes from their cameras. I got one for $100 for doing 35 in a 25. I was totally in the flow of traffic which means thousands of other cars just in that 10 minute span were getting tickets as well.

Jersey barriers would get covered in graffiti but safety is more important. Maybe the Mural Arts can help keep them nice.

[nemesisinphilly]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

I mean I have to imagine they would have a tenant in mind because there's no way they'd propose this otherwise, right? So this is some sort of vertical farming operation I guess? Interesting proposal.

NakedPhilly basically confirms that this is a troll proposal. Confirms no tenant in place or likely to ever be found. I've got to give OCF credit for the moxie here:

https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phil...-dumb-project/

[Gatorade_Jim]

Originally Posted by El Duderino

Not sure if this should go here or high-rise since its only 7 floors but 200 feet, but OCF has a proposal for 1601 Washington Ave. that was just posted to CDR today.

https://x.com/JackPhillyRE/status/1815738360452853799

This is so, so unfortunate. We went from 400 apartments to a weird office/nursery combo because KJ has his head up his ass. I want people to be able to afford housing in graduate hospital. The only way that happens is if we keep building housing.

The only thing this does is push people that would otherwise live in this building into outbidding people for row homes in Grad Hospital and Point Breeze.

[Gatorade_Jim]

Originally Posted by nemesisinphilly

NakedPhilly basically confirms that this is a troll proposal. Confirms no tenant in place or likely to ever be found. I've got to give OCF credit for the moxie here:

https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phil...-dumb-project/

Oh wow. That's hilarious. I'm not at all familiar with the evidentiary standard for a variance at the ZBA, but hopefully this ridiculous projects helps them show how absurd this whole situation is. What we really need is state-level zoning reform, but until then this will have to do.

[BroadandMarket]

Fuck Kenyatta. Because of him all of the construction in Graduate Hospital for the last 20 years has mostly been single family homes which are unaffordable. Graduate Hospital would have been so much better off with mid rises with ground floor retail scattered around, especially closer to Washington where full city blocks were vacant as of 2010. This also made Point Breeze experience the same thing which Kenyatta desperately wanted to avoid. He's an idiot and a crook.

[gjrip]

I’m a big fan of the new plaza between 2nd and Front there on Market. That will look great and will tie in quite nicely with the new Tun Tavern on 2nd. Now we need Steven Starr to open his restaurant there or sell it already.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by gjrip

I’m a big fan of the new plaza between 2nd and Front there on Market. That will look great and will tie in quite nicely with the new Tun Tavern on 2nd. Now we need Steven Starr to open his restaurant there or sell it already.

Right?! Have just a LITTLE respect for the venue that started it all for you. I get that you've turned your back on Old City. I get that you don't see it as a viable investment. So sell it and get out already.

I won't patronize that dude anymore.

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by Redddog

Right?! Have just a LITTLE respect for the venue that started it all for you. I get that you've turned your back on Old City. I get that you don't see it as a viable investment. So sell it and get out already.

I won't patronize that dude anymore.

He doesn't own the building or have the lease there. I have no idea why the Continental sign and rotating sign are still going but Starr has nothing to do with it. I'm guessing he's abandoned the area because the addict presence has increased tenfold since covid. There's an encampment across Market street in the landscaping by the parking garage. There's always a tent or 2 under Market Street bridge. Then the old beer store always has a few people camping out. And then Black Horse Alley right there is constantly disgusting with trash and addicts. Starr knows what he's doing.

[nemesisinphilly]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

He doesn't own the building or have the lease there. I have no idea why the Continental sign and rotating sign are still going but Starr has nothing to do with it. I'm guessing he's abandoned the area because the addict presence has increased tenfold since covid. There's an encampment across Market street in the landscaping by the parking garage. There's always a tent or 2 under Market Street bridge. Then the old beer store always has a few people camping out. And then Black Horse Alley right there is constantly disgusting with trash and addicts. Starr knows what he's doing.

He still owns the adjacent buildings on that block. He owns 128-136 Market. Starr corporate offices are at 134 Market.