Quote:
Originally Posted by summersm343
Okay. Here is my counter to your argument.
1. If SEPTA would step up and improve public transit, CHOP would not have to build a auto-centric office building. How else do you expect 1,000 researchers to get to work when the building is situated nicely right off of I-76. Do you expect them to take public transit in and then walk across the South Street bridge? That just won't happen.
2. What will the retail serve? Across the street is a BLANK wall on Toll Brother's Naval Square development. Any retail here would likely close at 5 or 6 pm anyways. Would it REALLY add that much to the area?
3. Where do you expect these cars to enter the development? Would you rather them enter onto 27th street and Schuylkill Ave? clogging up traffic even more. If I'm not mistaken, there will be a traffic light inserted here to protect pedestrians.
4. Would you rather what is there now? Or this new green space, new access and an EXTENDED Schuylkill River Trail, and shiny new office towers that will not only bring well paid employees to the area, but up property values in the area as well because you can bet a number of these employees will be looking to live in the surrounding area.
Is this project perfect? Absolutely not! But I would MUCH rather these new high tech highrises housing WELL paid employees to be built rather than that desolate abandoned old warehouse and empty dirt lot on what should be prime real estate right on the Schuylkill River.
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1. ABSOLUTELY CORRECT this is a SEPTA problem and it should have a SEPTA solution. But where would CHOP be hiring from? The home location of their employees makes a big difference to their commute and if things keep going the way they are going a great portion of the employees in this building are going to be coming from Center City, West Philly, South Philly, Northern Liberties, Fairmount and wouldn't be trying to drive the Schuylkill in the first place.
2. I'm only so-so on the retail, but it was a primary concern they were told to focus on in the redesign.
3. As a transportation planner, yes I would rather they enter on 27th and Schuylkill. The garage entrance/exit on the bridge on the downhill bike lane is guaranteed to kill a cyclist. Guaranteed. Schuylkill leads traffic around the back of the elevated rear porches of the Naval Square homes and wouldn't be a detriment anybody but the 6 older houses on Schuylkill Ave at South (which I do feel some pity for). Schuylkill isn't a crossing street, it's not an pedestrian arterial, for lack of a better term. Creating the curb cut is detrimental to the pedestrian and cyclist route across the river. It's not like there is another route to cross nearby so it carries a lot of pedestrians and cyclists who will be endangered. And I don't think endangered is too strong a term. The light that is there is on-demand activated. And nothing will screw up traffic more than three lights within 600 feet on the cycle time they have with an on-demand light that can throw a monkey wrench into the whole cycle at any random number of cycles.
4. I don't need it to be perfect. I'm fine with all of it except the curb cut. But the curb cut is a non-starter for me.
I absolutely want to see it built but I DO NOT want to see the curb cut on the bridge. For one thing, we have a complete streets guide that is supposed to be looking out for the interests of every user and to approve this project (one of the first large projects to need to complete the checklist,) demonstrates that the Guide won't be enforced and no project will need to take any interest in making sure their project doesn't do damage to the pedestrian or cycling environment. If the city won't protect the interests of the cyclists they spent so much effort getting to ride on the South Street Bridge in this case then when will they look out for cyclists? (i'm only a sometimes cyclist, so this isn't my commute or mode being personally affected). Then, watch out, because it will be curb cut garage entrance city around here.
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