PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[Phil_North]

Originally Posted by Baconboy007

Law of ancient lights? Really? Move out of the city or buy a light.

I agree that no one is entitled to sunlight in a row home. One can move to the suburbs for that. However, I must say that I was very intrigued by the testimony in the video. While I think developers should be able to build taller than existing structures, I did not think about the issues that arose in the cases mentioned involving chimney extensions, deeper foundations possibly affecting adjacent properties and the developer not sticking to the plans. But I still think a height limit based on existing structures city wide is a bad idea.

[CypressClinton]

Yea. I went to the Planning commision meet about the 2 story cap. They really dont like it and put a 45 day hold on it. Someone said the bill could lead to wide spread demolition and make things worse all over the city. Everyone spoke against the bill.

The commission also discussed the New Comcast building and were very pleased. Restaurant on arch, Four seasons port couchart on 19th and main entrance on 18th with closed door loading to the south. The building will only have 50 something parking spaces and I think thats pretty cool. Plus indoor bike parking, outdoor bike racks, benches, and bollards.

[summersm343]

More office space being consumed

HNTB Corp. has signed two new leases and expanded its local presence.

The New York transportation consulting and engineering firm leased 17,700 square feet at 1650 Arch St. in Philadelphia and will relocate from about 13,000 square feet 8 Penn Center. The company has also taken 6,800 square feet at 680 American Ave. in King of Prussia, Pa., and will be moving from 4,500 square feet at 2 W. Lafayette St. in Norristown, Pa. HNTB has four offices in Pennsylvania with a total of 120 employees.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...02/hntb-takes-two-new-office-leases.html

[Kidphilly]

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20140220_Gallery_owner_likely_looking_at_Plan_B.html

[VikingDutchman]

A shame that "knock the whole thing down and redevelop as a series of normal high density mixed used blocks" doesn't appear to be an option.

If I were a high-end department store I wouldn't want to be in that thing either...

[sayitaintso]

Maybe I'm reading this thing wrong but if you look closely at the numbers something smells very fishy.

This chart: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...has-2nd-highest-tax.html?s=image_gallery


seems to indicate that a family of 3 with an annual income of $50,000 incurs a property tax burden of $5,903!!! and a total tax burden of $8,781 and a 17% burden. What a preposterous completely off the wall made up number. Considering this is the largest of the burdens they group it significantly affects the rankings. If the actual burden is reduced to a more believable $2400 p/y the total burden is $5278 and 10.5% and wouldn't even be in the top 16

I am no fan of our taxes but come on..where do they get these stupid numbers...


http://cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc...tes%20and%20Tax%20Burdens_NATIONWIDE.pdf

[sayitaintso]

Originally Posted by sayitaintso

Maybe I'm reading this thing wrong but if you look closely at the numbers something smells very fishy.

This chart: http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...has-2nd-highest-tax.html?s=image_gallery


seems to indicate that a family of 3 with an annual income of $50,000 incurs a property tax burden of $5,903!!! and a total tax burden of $8,781 and a 17% burden. What a preposterous completely off the wall made up number. Considering this is the largest of the burdens they group it significantly affects the rankings. If the actual burden is reduced to a more believable $2400 p/y the total burden is $5278 and 10.5% and wouldn't even be in the top 16

I am no fan of our taxes but come on..where do they get these stupid numbers...


http://cfo.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc...tes%20and%20Tax%20Burdens_NATIONWIDE.pdf

I've done a little more digging on methodology and it appears they've estimated property values as actual values in 2012 when all good Philadelphia know that $400,000 property was taxed @3% on an unadjusted value of about $200,000. this report is significantly flawed.

I hope nobody actually paid for this report

[sayitaintso]

Originally Posted by sayitaintso

I've done a little more digging on methodology and it appears they estimate property taxes by taking 20% of estimated annual rent!!! WHAT THE WHAT

I hope nobody actually paid for this report

This report has officially jumped the shark. It claims a family of 3 in Philly with income of 100,000 pays almost 12,000 in property tax! Pass the wacky tabacky please

[PhiLaw]

http://www.citypaper.net/article.php?Major-development-proposal-near-23rd-and-Arch-19630

[Jelly Roll]

Somewhat development related

According to campaign finance reports filed at the end of last month, the Friends of Ori Feibush had raised over $100,000 in its first month of fundraising for a campaign to unseat 2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson. Controversial Point Breeze developer Ori Feibush volunteered that his campaign had raised significantly more since then and had set an unusually high fundraising goal.

"We're going to have $2 million in the bank by the end of the year," he said, during a phone interview.

To put that figure in context, Michael Nutter raised around $2.9 million for his 2007 mayoral run. For Feibush to make good on his pledge would put next year's race in the running for the most expensive council primary in city history.

http://www.citypaper.net/article.php?Ori-Feibush-says-he-ll-raise-2-million-for-Council-run-19641

[Philly2Queens]

Originally Posted by McBane

Great news but I do have bone to pick:



Wasn't a new zoning code JUST approved? So how the heck does a mid rise apartment w/ ground floor retail on Broad St need 12 variances? Maybe large projects are just impossible to zone "by right", but I would have thought things would be improved just a little. And the Planning Commission is going back and forth about trees in pots or in the ground? WTF!? I thought the entire point of the new zoning code was to streamline the process. It doesn't appear to have any impact whatsoever. More of the same old same old.

Thankfully, the city's archaic red tape and still-backwards zoning code isn't hindering development at the present moment.

The better question is what's the point of adopting a new code if you continue to grant variances en mass to anyone who wants them? To me, absent some bizarre height limitation (which obviously wasn't an issue here), or some obscure floor area to lot size requirement, this project should be built according to code. Its a good project, but I wonder, specifically, what variances were needed? The article only references driveways, signage, and setbacks. These are all fairly basic requirements that shouldn't affect the budget or economics of the project that much. Driveways and signage relate specifically to how the buildings will fit in the urban fabric the city envisions, and I have a hard time thinking we should vary from that plan for a small project like this one.

The one related to the driveways does strike a nerve - 22 foot driveway on Broad St? I think that is a bit wide.

[hammersklavier]

It's still an industrially-zoned area AFAIK. The proposed use is totally incompatible with the zoning; problem is, the zoning is obsolete (it hasn't been remapped yet).

[Insoluble]

Originally Posted by sayitaintso

I've done a little more digging on methodology and it appears they've estimated property values as actual values in 2012 when all good Philadelphia know that $400,000 property was taxed @3% on an unadjusted value of about $200,000. this report is significantly flawed.

I hope nobody actually paid for this report

Originally Posted by sayitaintso

This report has officially jumped the shark. It claims a family of 3 in Philly with income of 100,000 pays almost 12,000 in property tax! Pass the wacky tabacky please

Yeah, this is just flat out bogus. This smacks of someone trying to push an agenda and pass it off as a legitimate study. I find it hard to believe that someone could make such an egregious error purely by accident.

[bucks native]

source: http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/02/1...with-pcpc-blessing-of-asphalt-plant-sale

Indoor car dealership/apartments/cafe moves forward with PCPC blessing of asphalt plant sale

The proposed building is eight stories tall. The first two floors would be taken up by car dealership and cafe, with the 1,300-square-foot cafe taking up the rear portion of the ground floor, Fecteau said. That's the portion furthest from Delaware Avenue. The third floor would be split between the car dealership and two, two-bedroom apartments - one 800 square feet and one 1,000 square feet.

Floors four through eight would house five one-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom apartments, ranging from 600 square feet to 1,000 square feet.

[summersm343]

Renderings for 700 Schuylkill Ave (CHOPs new building)
23 floors- 375 feet... now THIS IS ONE NICE LOOKING BUILDING.

I'll pull renderings from the link later after work to throw them up on the thread for this
http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projec...%202014_700%20Schuylkill%20Avenue_v2.pdf

[theSisko]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Renderings for 700 Schuylkill Ave (CHOPs new building)
23 floors- 375 feet... now THIS IS ONE NICE LOOKING BUILDING.

I'll pull renderings from the link later after work to throw them up on the thread for this
http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projec...%202014_700%20Schuylkill%20Avenue_v2.pdf

Wow.....I agree, very nice renderings. Any idea Summer when construction might begin?

This city is ssssssssssssssmokin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PhiLaw]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Renderings for 700 Schuylkill Ave (CHOPs new building)
23 floors- 375 feet... now THIS IS ONE NICE LOOKING BUILDING.

I'll pull renderings from the link later after work to throw them up on the thread for this
http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projec...%202014_700%20Schuylkill%20Avenue_v2.pdf

Very nice render indeed. And with Penn, you can almost be certain the final product will live up to the render. E.g., nanotech building

[miesian]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Renderings for 700 Schuylkill Ave (CHOPs new building)
23 floors- 375 feet... now THIS IS ONE NICE LOOKING BUILDING.

I'll pull renderings from the link later after work to throw them up on the thread for this
http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projec...%202014_700%20Schuylkill%20Avenue_v2.pdf

Welcome to Pellidelphia.........

[Insoluble]

Yeah, the building itself is attractive, but what a horrid site design! They have what amounts to a new off-ramp cutting into the approach to the South Street Bridge. And what they refer to as "Schuylkill Green" is essentially a wide driveway with a small median that will double the width of Schuylkill ave. There is absolutely no attempt to meet the street or in any way acknowledge that this building is for all intents and purposes in an extension of Center City. As much as I want to be excited by this, it's going to feel like an office park in the exurbs. This development has been a huge disappointment and I can only home that they redesign some of the more anti-urban aspects.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by theSisko

Wow.....I agree, very nice renderings. Any idea Summer when construction might begin?

This city is ssssssssssssssmokin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This tower is supposed to begin by spring/summer. The entire complex of four towers will be built in four phases with the final tower starting construction in 2017.