PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[Redddog]

It amazes me the amount of pushback this is getting. There was none of this when the gallery was renovated. Wasn't that expected to bring in thousands?

[Broadcastthatboom]

Would definitely prefer AMC to stay in Center City. Would be great to have AMC and the bowling alley just open up shop across the street considering the pretty much two block stretch of vacant buildings, would really solidify an 'entertainment district'.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Broadcastthatboom

Would definitely prefer AMC to stay in Center City. Would be great to have AMC and the bowling alley just open up shop across the street considering the pretty much two block stretch of vacant buildings, would really solidify an 'entertainment district'.

Once this is greenlit, there will be a bunch of proposals out there, I would bet.

There continues to be a massive dearth of hotel accommodations in CC. Hopefully that'll get addressed at some point on the soon side (lookin' at you, Dizz Hole).

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by BroadandMarket

places into the stadium, especially Bar-Ly (awesome sports bar in Chinatown).

How about a flagship Crayola and Hershey store? Two of the most iconic brands in the world. Add in a Yuengling or Dogfish Head brewpub?

And a Lego Store!

[UrbanRevival]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

And a Lego Store!

For sure! Market East could really be Philly's "mini Times Square" with the right enticements.

I know that's a cringe-y idea to many Philadelphians, but when the city needs to do more than ever to win back the hearts and minds of suburbanites (and their tax revenue), a real entertainment district downtown would be a boon.

Right now, so much potential suburban foot traffic (and $$$) is wasted in the Stadium Complex. It's time to integrate it much more with the city.

And to sweeten the pot for the NIMBY's--enact an extra 1% sales tax in this designated district that will go exclusively towards community projects in Chinatown and public transit infrastructure on Market Street.

There, I solved everyone's problems.

[TK2001]

76 Place massing by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

And a Lego Store!

Lego, Hershey’s, and American Girl doll stores next to arena would make Market St a destination, especially at Christmas. Those stores would have way more impact on diversifying Phillys retail scene than luxury clothing stores.

[Aether]

I do think overall this would be a net benefit for the city.
It would most likely bring in some new developments, larger ones at that, and like pointed out could really turn this area into a vibrant entertainment district.
I do have a question though, would the first floor of the arena have any retail frontage? Restaurants, shops etc?

[therealdawk]

Sometimes if I'm really bored on a Sunday I'll catch some of Inside Story on 6 ABC. A little bit of 1210 AM here and there as well. I have heard the argument about all of the excess traffic and from the same sources then hear about all of the nights that the place will be empty. Which I take as people just trying to kill the project from whatever end suits them.

So let's play along. If the Sixers occupy the place about 56 nights a year between preseason, regular seaon and (hopefully) a long playoff run, how many of those other 300 nights need to be filled to make this worthwhile for the naysayers?

[SEFTA]

76er Arena w tower 8-10-23 by

I'm for anything with a tower attached.
kind a thought a hotel would be a better fit.
More residential there would be great.
They placed retail around the ground floor, I like.

They're gonna freak.

[SEFTA]

Originally Posted by Broadcastthatboom

Love a residential component! Now add a hotel addition and we really have a win for Center City.

Fashion District -East Market 2 by

This shows where they prepped for towers
so....

[japmes]

At the end of the day, there is nothing the developers can do to appease the anti-arena crowd. I imagine their target audience is the politicians they need to approve the project. They need to make it politically impossible to deny all of the benefits the project would bring to the city.

[Gatorade_Jim]

I was in the fashion district last week and it just shouldn't exist. Urban malls in general need to die. It's a suburban structure not suited for an urban environment.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by UrbanRevival

For sure! Market East could really be Philly's "mini Times Square" with the right enticements.

I know that's a cringe-y idea to many Philadelphians, but when the city needs to do more than ever to win back the hearts and minds of suburbanites (and their tax revenue), a real entertainment district downtown would be a boon.

Right now, so much potential suburban foot traffic (and $$$) is wasted in the Stadium Complex. It's time to integrate it much more with the city.

And to sweeten the pot for the NIMBY's--enact an extra 1% sales tax in this designated district that will go exclusively towards community projects in Chinatown and public transit infrastructure on Market Street.

There, I solved everyone's problems.

Speaking of attracting suburban / tourist foot traffic... Eataly is apparently opening their 7th US location in KoP... This sort of attraction that should be in the city!
Yes, I know the Reading Terminal is better and Eataly is touristy, but it generates a lot of foot traffic, and would do well in Center City.

Eataly to open first Philadelphia-area location at King of Prussia Mall
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...-prussia-mall-philadelphia-location.html

[FtGreeneNY]

That line of questioning is silly on its face.

I mean, exactly how many nights of the year is the Fashion District truly "occupied" after 6-8PM (depending on the day of the week)? I just hope there's street level retail so that it's not a dead zone during the day.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Speaking of attracting suburban / tourist foot traffic... Eataly is apparently opening their 7th US location in KoP... This sort of attraction that should be in the city!
Yes, I know the Reading Terminal is better and Eataly is touristy, but it generates a lot of foot traffic, and would do well in Center City.

Eataly to open first Philadelphia-area location at King of Prussia Mall
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...-prussia-mall-philadelphia-location.html

Ya this should have been a shoe in for the city. I think Eataly had plans to open on Market St years ago but that fell through for some reason. The “Well Philadelphians don’t really like high end cuisine” rationale doesn’t really apply here considering we’re one of the top dining destinations in the country lol.

I’ll say it again - I really think CC’s retail problem is due to a lack of promotion in terms of competing against KOP. This kind of once again proves it.

[TonyTone]

Like I said on Twitter, Wawa will come back to that location they were at on Market, The lots, across the street will be redevelopment, and hopefully the previously proposed Virgin Hotels concept on S Broad will be built on the 8th & Market Lot.

Center City will have a whole new vibe and boost

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Speaking of attracting suburban / tourist foot traffic... Eataly is apparently opening their 7th US location in KoP... This sort of attraction that should be in the city!
Yes, I know the Reading Terminal is better and Eataly is touristy, but it generates a lot of foot traffic, and would do well in Center City.

Eataly to open first Philadelphia-area location at King of Prussia Mall
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...-prussia-mall-philadelphia-location.html

It’s a bummer. There are only so many viable large footprint urban tenants these days and this was one of them…especially as the city pivots to more experiential retail. KOP is by far the worst thing to happen to CC retail.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by Londonee

It’s a bummer. There are only so many viable large footprint urban tenants these days and this was one of them…especially as the city pivots to more experiential retail. KOP is by far the worst thing to happen to CC retail.

Outside of their “Silicon Valley” location, it seems that every location is in the downtown of that City (NYC, Chicago, Boston, LA, Dallas)….not a good boost for our confidence.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by PHL10

Outside of their “Silicon Valley” location, it seems that every location is in the downtown of that City (NYC, Chicago, Boston, LA, Dallas)….not a good boost for our confidence.

Paul Levy has one foot out the door, our mayor is asleep at the wheel, Rittenhouse Row is an instagram account. There just doesn’t seem to be much leadership or boosterism to promote and market the city in anyway and this is what happens. Leadership matters