PHILADELPHIA | The Development Thread VIII

[tsarstruck]

One thing that took me by (a nice) surprise is that the CDR documents for the Bridgeview Townhomes actually have entrances facing Delaware Ave, unlike the prior development directly to their south. Not a gamechanger, but certainly a positive sign for Delaware Avenue.



http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projec...n%20for%20Web_787%20Swanson%20Street.pdf

[Plokoon11]

Ugh, not feeling those designs. They seem strange. But its good news in terms of new homes.

[sayitaintso]

Originally Posted by theSisko

Keep in mind it is the state that chooses the winning bid, not the city.....

So you're saying there is hope?!

[sayitaintso]

Originally Posted by Skyscraper.Phanatic

Sayitaintso - you are forgetting about the intangibles such as the horrible location of the Blatstein proposal, it will jam even more traffic onto the Vine Street expressway ramps and the already crowded Broad and Vine interchange. These are the primary gateways in and out of center city. Also, its location next to all the schools and CCP make it a perfunctory idea. As for the projections they are just that. All research is flawed and no one knows if 8th and Market or the South Philly stadiums would be a better bet for the city. Lastly, when the Phillies stadium was going to be placed in almost the exact location of Blatstein's proposal the neighborhood groups killed it off rather quickly. Blatstein is selling off his State Office Apt. building and backed out of the marketplace design center. Can we really trust we won't get a bate and switch from him on the casino plans as well? Its a proposal that is grandoise but lacks feasibility both with the location and roof top shops. 8th and Market makes more sense as do the S. Philly casino plans.

SSP let me be absolutely clear. I DO NOT want nor do I think it is a good idea to have a Casino in CC. The stadiums are my 1st choice.

However if it comes down to the 2 CC bids like it think it will based on this report I choose Bart over Market8.

As someone else said. Market 8 will easily develop on its own. Bart's location needs a push. Yes the traffic will be horrendous. Maybe helps spur transit infrastructure?

There is no way goldburg builds the design he is teasing us with. A great man once said " Those who forget the mistakes of history are doomed to repeat them" Let us not forget how many times developers have promised the moon and screwed us once built.

[tsarstruck]

Another redesign for the Renaissance Plaza on Delaware Ave near Spring Garden. Not holding my breath for any of this to actually get done, but the re-design seems like an improvement.

http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/11/15/more-changes-to-renaissance-plaza-proposal

[tsarstruck]

Originally Posted by Plokoon11

Ugh, not feeling those designs. They seem strange. But its good news in terms of new homes.

Well, yeah, they're not pretty. But I'll take ugly that actually interface with Delaware Ave over pretty houses that form a monolithic wall with no entrances.

[Baconboy007]

Originally Posted by tsarstruck

Well, yeah, they're not pretty. But I'll take ugly that actually interface with Delaware Ave over pretty houses that form a monolithic wall with no entrances.

They remind me a lot of the design you see in Montreal. A lot of the architecture there is stuck in the 70's so you see these color schemes. Some of it looks cool but a lot of it lacks any emotion or charm, not sure what the best adjective is. It's hard to tell from a rendering how it will come out when it's built.

[PhiLaw]

Ok folks, my contact in Commerce Square (which is credible, since it brought us the Axalta news correctly) has some more news for me. A while back I mentioned that PwC was thinking about making a move to the Navy Yard in a few years. They have since scrapped these plans, and are (fortunately) staying in Commerce Square. Moreover, they plan a huge renovation of their occupied floors (around 15 I think) in the Google mold. "Collaborative motif" is the theme.

Good news on two fronts.

[Nightman]

Originally Posted by tsarstruck

Another redesign for the Renaissance Plaza on Delaware Ave near Spring Garden. Not holding my breath for any of this to actually get done, but the re-design seems like an improvement.

http://planphilly.com/articles/2013/11/15/more-changes-to-renaissance-plaza-proposal

Can one of these waterfront projects break ground already! So frustrating.

[Jelly Roll]

Originally Posted by bucks native

Ori Freibush is running for council.

Does he need any volunteers? Getting him elected would be a huge step forward for the city.

[bucks native]

Originally Posted by Jelly Roll

Does he need any volunteers? Getting hime elected would be a huge step forward for the city.

Would be a wicked fight! Probably could use all the help he can get.

http://www.phillymag.com/articles/philadelphia-ori-feibushs-world-live/

In which a brash young gentrifier fights with the city, catches a murderer, calls Mayor Nutter a retard, accuses Jim Kenney of being drunk, and announces he wants to run for city council—all while transforming South Philly’s struggling Point Breeze neighborhood.

[bucks native]

Originally Posted by tsarstruck

One thing that took me by (a nice) surprise is that the CDR documents for the Bridgeview Townhomes actually have entrances facing Delaware Ave, unlike the prior development directly to their south. Not a gamechanger, but certainly a positive sign for Delaware Avenue.



http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projec...n%20for%20Web_787%20Swanson%20Street.pdf

Does anything run on those tracks?

[bucks native]

Originally Posted by PhiLaw

For Kenyatta Johnson's seat?

yes!

Point Breeze real estate developer Ori Feibush announced in an email to supporters early this morning that he is running for Philadelphia City Council. The 2nd District primary won’t take place until 2015. The announcement was short of specifics but an obvious theme emerged: His antipathy towards incumbent Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, whom he’s never been shy about criticizing.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by bucks native

Does anything run on those tracks?

Not currently. The Port Authority has been trying to get Light Rail along the Waterfront for sometime. If some of these residential developments would break ground it would probably create more incentive to do so.

[summersm343]

Looks like we will be switching to a new thread soon. I have the new thread saved at my computer at home but I am away for the weekend and won't be able to upload the new thread until late tomorrow night. So keep the posts at a minimum! haha

[ILovePhilly]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Not currently. The Port Authority has been trying to get Light Rail along the Waterfront for sometime. If some of these residential developments would break ground it would probably create more incentive to do so.

The track currently is actively used (extremely lightly) by a freight carrier. Every once in a while people east of Broad wonder why there is a ship's horn that won't stop blasting... but what they are really hearing is a very slow moving freight train blowing the horn at every crossing (every block). The freight ownership and use of the tracks was one of the major obstacles in the waterfront light rail planning effort and what held back some of the more sensible planning ideas.

[summersm343]

Get rid of the unions now

The already struggling Pennsylvania Convention Center lost an important customer. UBM Canon, an international communications firm who held an event at the Convention Center this year, canceled visits scheduled for 2015 and 2017. According to AxisPhilly the company had a bad experience (low attendance and labor hassles) in Philadelphia and will hold its 2015 and 2017 events in New York.

http://planphilly.com/eyesonthestreet/20...powelton-residents-fight-zoning-variance

[ILovePhilly]

I tried to go to the bikeexpo this weekend. It took us half and hour and two wrong doors and two incorrect answers to the question from Convention Center staff to find the right door. There weren't signs at any of the entrances (and there are a LOT of entrances) telling anybody which shows were in which halls and where to enter. By the time we got there we were so annoyed and didn't have enough time left to make it worthwhile so we left.

It's not just the unions that are terrible for the Convention Center; it's also management. How do you not have signs?

[Jelly Roll]

Originally Posted by ILovePhilly

I tried to go to the bikeexpo this weekend. It took us half and hour and two wrong doors and two incorrect answers to the question from Convention Center staff to find the right door. There weren't signs at any of the entrances (and there are a LOT of entrances) telling anybody which shows were in which halls and where to enter. By the time we got there we were so annoyed and didn't have enough time left to make it worthwhile so we left.

It's not just the unions that are terrible for the Convention Center; it's also management. How do you not have signs?

I forgot to go over for the Bike Expo and was wondering how it went. I can't imagine why they would not have signs telling people were to go. Such a simple thing that would make life a lot easier for visitors.

Originally Posted by summersm343

Looks like we will be switching to a new thread soon. I have the new thread saved at my computer at home but I am away for the weekend and won't be able to upload the new thread until late tomorrow night. So keep the posts at a minimum! haha

When we hit 500 just start the new thread but and then edit in the info when you get back!

[Baconboy007]

Originally Posted by ILovePhilly

It's not just the unions that are terrible for the Convention Center; it's also management. How do you not have signs?

I've had to work there for a few job fairs in the past and never got to my booth on time cause I was walking through wrong convention hall after wrong convention hall. It's like they really don't care about their customers.