PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX - Page 194

Baconboy007 · #**3861** Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 9:46 PM**

Apparently that last list is complete BS. Or maybe this list is, or maybe their sponsors are. Or maybe those lists are irrelevant and just click bate.

http://www.philly.com/philly/classifieds..._Cities_Where_No_One_Wants_to_Drive.html

If Philly is the 4th city with the most non car owners I would imagine that's because it's the 4th best walkable city. You can get from one side of the city to then next just like this

CentralGrad258 · #**3862** Posted **Jul 8, 2014, 10:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baconboy007

Apparently that last list is complete BS. Or maybe this list is, or maybe their sponsors are. Or maybe those lists are irrelevant and just click bate.

http://www.philly.com/philly/classifieds..._Cities_Where_No_One_Wants_to_Drive.html

If Philly is the 4th city with the most non car owners I would imagine that's because it's the 4th best walkable city. You can get from one side of the city to then next just like this

Holy trollbate headline! But yeah, the ranking makes intuitive sense. Philly is pretty walkable by American standards. It in the second tier of Chicago, DC and Boston as far as walkability goes. Ain't nobody gonna touch New York. That other list is a joke compiled by people who must not do any actual walking (in cities or otherwise).

summersm343 · #**3863** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 12:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1487

I went past there recently and noticed nothing had changed with the old hotel building. Havent heard anything about this project is months. They vacated the hotel a while ago and I think demo permits were issues but nothing has happened.

I was told that everything has been finalized and there will be work starting on site within the next few weeks.

summersm343 · #**3864** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 12:33 AM**

Saxby's Coffee

Saxby's is expanding and opening 9 new stores. They are also moving from Broomall, PA to Center City and taking 10,000 sq feet of office space. This is great. I hope Saxby's can continue to grow and expand and eat up more office space.

Quote:

Saxbys is also scheduled to move its headquarters from Broomall, Pa. to a 10,000 square-foot location in Center City by the end of the summer.

“The energy in Center City right now is palpable, and we see so many people that want to work for a brand where they can walk, ride a bike or take a train to the office,” Bayer said. “We felt that being in Center City was really important for this brand, and so we made it a priority coming into 2014 to be able to move our office in Center City.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...ee-to-open-nine-locations-this-year.html

philatonian · #**3865** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 1:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CentralGrad258

Holy trollbate headline! But yeah, the ranking makes intuitive sense. Philly is pretty walkable by American standards. It in the second tier of Chicago, DC and Boston as far as walkability goes. Ain't nobody gonna touch New York. That other list is a joke compiled by people who must not do any actual walking (in cities or otherwise).

I wouldn't even say DC is better, especially if you include the suburbs. SEPTA's regional rails usually drop you off in a central location. Metro leaves you in a black hole and busses don't even bother with a lot of beltway 'burbs. It's a lot like Portland. It looks good on paper, but everyone still has a car or two.

eliasrapp98 · #**3866** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 1:10 AM**

I think lightning just hit PSFS?!?! I saw a huge flash and then looked over through my window where the flash was right at PSFS and there are alarms going off at PSFS and a couple people turned their lights on instantly when I looked over.

summersm343 · #**3867** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 1:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eliasrapp98

I think lightning just hit PSFS?!?! I saw a huge flash and then looked over through my window where the flash was right at PSFS and there are alarms going off at PSFS and a couple people turned their lights on instantly when I looked over.

Possible. Lighting strikes skyscrapers often.

Philly Fan · #**3868** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 1:41 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by summersm343

Possible. Lighting strikes skyscrapers often.

You know, someone ought to invent a device that can conduct lightning strikes away from buildings.

Like, maybe someone in Philadelphia.

philatonian · #**3869** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 2:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

You know, someone ought to invent a device that can conduct lightning strikes away from buildings.

Like, maybe someone in Philadelphia.

LOL it wouldn't serve a purpose. Skyscrapers are designed with lightning rods to ground lightning strikes. If anything, they help surrounding buildings by diverting lighting strikes to a structure capable of grounding them.

Philly Fan · #**3870** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 2:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by philatonian

LOL it wouldn't serve a purpose. Skyscrapers are designed with lightning rods to ground lightning strikes. If anything, they help surrounding buildings by diverting lighting strikes to a structure capable of grounding them.

I wasn't seriously suggesting it--just using any excuse for a Ben Franklin shout-out (I hope you clicked the hyperlink).

It's a Philly thing.

philatonian · #**3871** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 2:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

I wasn't seriously suggesting it--just using any excuse for a Ben Franklin shout-out (I hope you clicked the hyperlink).

It's a Philly thing.

Yep, I got it...a few minutes later

domodeez · #**3872** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 3:32 AM**

Haven't heard anything on these projects in a while. Anyone have updates?

Bloc 24
4224 Baltimore Ave
Wilde Yarn
1213 Walnut (Fergie's)
205 Race
2012-2016 Chestnut (PHA properties)

relnahe · #**3873** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 7:45 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by CentralGrad258

Holy trollbate headline! But yeah, the ranking makes intuitive sense. Philly is pretty walkable by American standards. It in the second tier of Chicago, DC and Boston as far as walkability goes. Ain't nobody gonna touch New York. That other list is a joke compiled by people who must not do any actual walking (in cities or otherwise).

I don't really find DC and Chicago to be really walkable. They're both great cities but too many huge blocks with too many wide streets. Boston has the human scaled streets like Philly but it has almost an anti-grid type set-up.

shadowbat2 · #**3874** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 8:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by domodeez

Haven't heard anything on these projects in a while. Anyone have updates?

Bloc 24
4224 Baltimore Ave
Wilde Yarn
1213 Walnut (Fergie's)
205 Race
2012-2016 Chestnut (PHA properties)

I go past the two bolded ones frequently. Nothing has been touched....

PhiLaw · #**3875** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 12:47 PM**

So far Septa's 24-hour subway experience a resounding success:

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/ho...awn_to_24-hour_SEPTA_subway_service.html

cubanChris · #**3876** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 1:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by domodeez

Haven't heard anything on these projects in a while. Anyone have updates?

Bloc 24
4224 Baltimore Ave
Wilde Yarn
1213 Walnut (Fergie's)
205 Race
2012-2016 Chestnut (PHA properties)

I believe Bloc24 was ultimately cancelled... A small neighborhood group, I think it was south street west civic association, killed it. I know they killed the other development right next to it at 24th and greys ferry. Just can't remember if they also took bloc24 down or some other factor did.

br323206 · #**3877** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 1:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by relnahe

I don't really find DC and Chicago to be really walkable. They're both great cities but too many huge blocks with too many wide streets. Boston has the human scaled streets like Philly but it has almost an anti-grid type set-up.

Re: Walkability.

That first study showing Philly being beat by many unwalkable cities was conducted by Smart Growth America, which is a really respectable organization that does good work. The problem is not in the study, but how the media has been reporting it. They looked at metro areas, not central cities, and defined walkability by the number of walkable towns in the metropolitan area. That is an entirely different question from "which city is more walkable?"

Instead they are looking at which city has the most walkable suburbs. In that regard, I think Philly suffers. Many of the suburbs are not pedestrian friendly. Bucks and Chester Counties are largely sprawling (I know there are a few walkable boroughs). Montgomery County has some nice walkable towns, but also KOP, Horsham, Blue Bell, etc. Even the walkable towns in the area have few destinations to actually walk to. Folks along the Main Line have been fighting walkability for years (see resistance to Villanova's plans for Route 30, resistance to Dranoff development in Ardmore, and resistance to making the area around Wynnewood Station more walkable). Jersey is a mess. There is a pervasive attitude among suburbanites here that they don't want their neck of the woods to become "urbanized."

Kfmcshan · #**3878** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 2:13 PM**

Check out this article and video about how a guy in Slovakia is getting around town using a shipping pallet and the tracks that run through the streets in Bratislava. Is this the ultimate solution to our transportation needs?

josef · #**3879** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 2:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by br323206

Re: Walkability.

That first study showing Philly being beat by many unwalkable cities was conducted by Smart Growth America, which is a really respectable organization that does good work. The problem is not in the study, but how the media has been reporting it. They looked at metro areas, not central cities, and defined walkability by the number of walkable towns in the metropolitan area. That is an entirely different question from "which city is more walkable?"

Instead they are looking at which city has the most walkable suburbs. In that regard, I think Philly suffers. Many of the suburbs are not pedestrian friendly. Bucks and Chester Counties are largely sprawling (I know there are a few walkable boroughs). Montgomery County has some nice walkable towns, but also KOP, Horsham, Blue Bell, etc. Even the walkable towns in the area have few destinations to actually walk to. Folks along the Main Line have been fighting walkability for years (see resistance to Villanova's plans for Route 30, resistance to Dranoff development in Ardmore, and resistance to making the area around Wynnewood Station more walkable). Jersey is a mess. There is a pervasive attitude among suburbanites here that they don't want their neck of the woods to become "urbanized."

Just out of curiosity, which American city has walkable suburbs? The only entire metro I can think of is Boston, where almost all the towns in the area have walkable downtowns. I can't think of any other American metro with suburbs I'd ever dream of calling "walkable".

And for the record, most of Jersey is in fact a sprawling mess, except for some fairly significant exceptions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kfmcshan

Check out this article and video about how a guy in Slovakia is getting around town using a shipping pallet and the tracks that run through the streets in Bratislava. Is this the ultimate solution to our transportation needs?

That. Is. Amazing.

josef · #**3880** Posted **Jul 9, 2014, 2:46 PM**

Quote:

Construction on Rodin Square Could Start Around Labor Day
Wednesday, July 9, 2014, by James Jennings

Who's ready for the new Whole Foods near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway? A recent tweet suggests that a deal has been finalized to purchase the Best Western Hotel, which currently occupies the property at 22nd and Spring Garden Street, and will soon become home to Rodin Square, a luxury apartment complex anchored by a massive Whole Foods. We've also heard from a source that construction could begin around Labor Day.

The plans call for 293 luxury apartments to sit above the new 60,000 square foot Whole Foods. The roof terrace above the Whole Foods will be oriented towards the Parkway and feature a swimming pool offering a beautifully landscaped environment. Residents and shoppers will split the 500 parking spots, some of which will be located in an underground parking garage. After the project was approved by the ZBA in October, Architect Jim Volsky likened the area to "Philadelphia's Central Park West." Or, as we like to call it in Philadelphia, the Ben Franklin Parkway. The estimated cost of the project was reported at $140 million in October of last year and construction is expected to take two years.

Full article at http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2014/0...-square-could-start-around-labor-day.php