PHILADELPHIA | The Development Thread VIII

[CoolZanna]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Don't know. Definitely heard that they will put a Comcast logo at the top. Not sure if they are following through with that though.

Via Bloomberg:

"In addition to the entertainment assets, Comcast will pay $1.4 billion to buy the buildings used by NBC Universal at Manhattan’s 30 Rockefeller Center and CNBC’s headquarters in New Jersey. The sale is likely to spell the end of the GE sign on the iconic New York building. Roberts wouldn’t say whether he will replace it with Comcast’s new corporate logo, which includes the NBC peacock."

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-13...e-pushes-roberts-into-entertainment.html

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Don't know. Definitely heard that they will put a Comcast logo at the top. Not sure if they are following through with that though.

I can't see why they wouldn't--especially with the peacock as part of the new logo. Ironically, it would be the first time that NBC's presence is acknowledged at the top of the Rock. In fact, it kinda makes you wonder if the new logo wasn't in fact designed with precisely that use in mind (Roberts' coyness about it notwithstanding).

[tech_bonus]

Building an eight-acre park over I-95 and Columbus Boulevard from Walnut to Chestnut streets would not be too complicated a task for engineers and construction crews, say two PennDOT experts.

“Whether it carries a park or whether it carries trucks, it's still a bridge,” said Elaine Elbich, PennDOT District 6 project manager.

District 6 Engineer in Charge of Design Chuck Davies doesn't think the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation would have much trouble getting a permit to build the structure that would allow people to walk from Front Street to the riverfront or hang out in-between, either.

But getting federal transportation money to help pay for a project likely to cost hundreds of millions of dollars? That, said Davies and Elbich, is where things would get difficult.

“Justifying the expense of transportation dollars for the highway's effect on the waterfront is going to be the central task,” Davies said. “It's really describing a problem that is in very few locations in the country, and it's a problem that doesn't have a name, this separation from the waterfront. It's not commonly recognized as being a problem that requires mitigations.”

http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/02/1...columbus-blvd-easy-to-build-hard-to-fund

[tech_bonus]

The transformation of a 1903 riverfront pumping station into the future home of Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe has begun.

The organization best-known for its annual festival began tearing out old pumps and shoring up the brick structure at the corner of Race Street and Columbus Boulevard after hitting a fundraising milestone: 90 percent of the $5.2 million it will take to complete the first phase of construction. Efforts to raise an additional $1.5 million or so are under way, said President and Producing Director Nick Stuccio.

The goal is to have the new 240-seat theater, studio and offices ready for this fall's Fringe Festival (Sept. 6-21). An indoor restaurant and bar, outdoor plaza space and further building restoration will be completed by late spring 2014, he said. This week's big project in the 1,500-foot space: Spraying the ceiling with six inches of material designed to both improve acoustics and provide insulation.

The festival, which brings international, contemporary performance art to a huge number of sometimes unusual places around the city each year, won't change its focus, Stuccio said.

http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/02/12/transformation-from-pumping-station-to-philly-fringe-home-begins

[sayitaintso]

Originally Posted by tech_bonus

http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/02/1...columbus-blvd-easy-to-build-hard-to-fund

So let me get this straight. The feds gave losers in Boston 15 BILLION to bury a highway and reconnect their downtown, but won't give Philly 200 Million to reconnect its river!?

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Capsule F

I may want Wynn to win primarily because it will put pressure on that — hole Sugarhouse to not be a total — hole. That dump deserves to be put out of business for lying to everyone about the scope and breadth of the project.

Speaking of — Sugarhouse, here's a profile of one type of person who goes to slots barns. Not the type I like seeing congregating en masse in Center City:

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130214_Operator_of_day_care_where_boy_died_defends_herself.html

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaki...r_may_face_grand_jury_in_boys_death.html

Edwards has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child for the June 30 death of Isear Jeffcoat, 7. The boy drowned in a pool while under the care of Edward's day-care program, Tianna's Terrific Tots.

On the day Isear died, Edwards left him and 20 other children with two staff members at a private home with a pool, then went — at SugarHouse Casino, according to a state review of Isear's death reviewed by the Inquirer.

Department of Public Welfare officials had evidence that Edwards, a five-time convicted felon, had lied to obtain her day-care license, but failed to shut her down before Isear's death, the state review found.

To conceal her criminal history, Edwards had registered the day-care in her sister-in-law's name, the review found.

. . . two day-care staff members had taken the children to the pool at Edwards' instruction, according to the review, while Edwards allegedly spent the afternoon — at SugarHouse Casino.

[summersm343]

More news from today. Comcast predicts they will outgrow their current space in Comcast Center by 2015

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by summersm343

More news from today. Comcast predicts they will outgrow their current space in Comcast Center by 2015

As long as they don't decide to move to 30 Rock (or anywhere else in NYC or outside of Philly).

[Pennsgrant]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

As long as they don't decide to move to 30 Rock (or anywhere else in NYC or outside of Philly).

As long as the Roberts family are around I think Philly is safe. All bets are off once they no longer run Comcast.

[CoolZanna]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

As long as they don't decide to move to 30 Rock (or anywhere else in NYC or outside of Philly).

When Comcast bought AT&T Broadband in 2001, AT&T wanted the two merged companies to have their new HQ in NYC, which Comcast clearly fought. If Comcast would've ever relocated it was then.

[mPhilly]

Not sure if anybody reported on this yet but I noticed they started formally demolishing the Forum today. Also, 2040 Market's retail space has signs up "Tenant Acquired"

[relnahe]

Originally Posted by summersm343

...but there is a huge possibility that new shows will be created and shot in Philadelphia. All jobs that will be relocated here will be back office jobs.

Well it started with Do No Harm. Too bad it was cancelled after 2 episodes. More shows will certainly come.

[cubanChris]

Originally Posted by mPhilly

Not sure if anybody reported on this yet but I noticed they started formally demolishing the Forum today. Also, 2040 Market's retail space has signs up "Tenant Acquired"

I know they were going to put in a super sized state liquor store. Not sure if that means the whole thing, but I hope at least one more (non-bank) tenant splits the space to add variety to Market

[McBane]

Interesting statistic from today's paper:

And to those who argue that hubs such as the Navy Yard just cannabalize business, Agate said that 65 percent of the businesses there are new to the city. Only 27 percent of businesses are using tax exemptions, he said.

Note that the article states 65 percent of businesses, which is a bit misleading. Under this statistic, GSK and Urban are each ONE business. I'm sure there are plenty of smaller operations and they, too would also count as ONE business. So it's not entirely accurate to look at the number of businesses. A better indicator would be percentage of employees who are to the new to the city.

Same thing for the second statistic. 27 percent of businesses are using tax exemptions. Well if any of those 27 percent are major businesses (and I have no idea if they are or not), that's a big difference.

As someone in marketing, I know that marketing and business folks always put their best foot forward - they say the best possible thing that's still within the real of the truth. Up front those statistics look great, but upon closer examination, it seems that they're not telling the whole story.

[Parkway]

I believe that if you are moving from within the state you have to add a certain percentage of jobs to qualify for the KOZ meaning that GSK will not be getting a tax break.

[palvar]

Originally Posted by sayitaintso

So let me get this straight. The feds gave losers in Boston 15 BILLION to bury a highway and reconnect their downtown, but won't give Philly 200 Million to reconnect its river!?

We don't have Ted Kennedy.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by palvar

We don't have Ted Kennedy.

This. Don't forget House Speaker Tip O'Neil too. It's great to elect new blood, with new ideas to the Senate--but when you swap out Sr Senators, with Jr. Senators--the federal funds evaporate quickly. It's common sense. Seniority is everything in congress--and presently, we have little of it.

[Cro Burnham]

you can't be suggesting that the dynamic bob brady, chaka fattah, and bob casey are not on a par with o'neill and kennedy?

[looper121]

Originally Posted by sayitaintso

So let me get this straight. The feds gave losers in Boston 15 BILLION to bury a highway and reconnect their downtown, but won't give Philly 200 Million to reconnect its river!?

From a need basis, the Big Dig was more important in terms of infrastructure. The Philly reconnect project TBD on the other hand isn't as critical in terms of city function as the Big Dig was, IMO.

[Lincolndrive]

You can see the siding and windows going in on the south side of the Granary here:

http://buildingphilly.com/granaryfeb15/

Here are a couple pictures from today at Dilworth Plaza. I cannot wait for this bad boy to be complete!

http://buildingphilly.com/dilworth-plaza-construction-update/