PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[kraggman]

Originally Posted by Baconboy007

That's great infill and getting rid of a surface lot. Thanks for the update.

It would be interesting to compare the inventory of center city surface lots 10 years ago to today.

[summersm343]

Waverly Court expansion
13th and Waverly - Washington Square West
6 floor addition. Built atop surface parking lot.


http://www.phillyliving.com/blog/waverly-court-expansion-passes-muster-with-zba.html

[josef]

Just passed through Camden on my way in to work and got a few shots of some things being done. The renovation of some buildings across from the Cooper Rowan medical school on Broadway ("$17M residential development coming to Camden, after $6.2M in tax credits") is going ahead:





Their rendering:



And the KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy at Lanning Square charter/rennaissance/whatever school is coming along.



Their rendering:

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by josef

Just passed through Camden on my way in to work and got a few shots of some things being done. The renovation of some buildings across from the Cooper Rowan medical school on Broadway ("$17M residential development coming to Camden, after $6.2M in tax credits") is going ahead:





Their rendering:



And the KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy at Lanning Square charter/rennaissance/whatever school is coming along.



Their rendering:

I actually participated in a run that went through Camden not that long ago. It was really the first time I'd seen any of Camden besides the water front and I was shocked by the sheer number of beautiful old rowhomes in the city that were still in reasonably good condition, complete with intact cornices and woodwork detailing on front porches, etc.

Fixing Camden had always seemed like such an immense proposition that it's hard to really wrap your head around it. But running through some of those neighborhoods made in clear that in some sections of the city just a minimal amount of investment, a few fresh coats of paint and you could really have a beautiful little neighborhood. It's nice to see that slowly but surely this is beginning to happen and some investment is being made to restore some of the great housing stock in Camden.

Camden still of course has a multitude of problems. But a project like this in conjunction with the Cambell's project, the sixers project, etc can really have an impact. It's still a long road, but there's seemingly at least a light at the end of the tunnel now and with its proximity to center city and its transit access, I'm staring to feel as though Camden's eventual turn around is almost inevitable.

[josef]

Originally Posted by allovertown

I actually participated in a run that went through Camden not that long ago. It was really the first time I'd seen any of Camden besides the water front and I was shocked by the sheer number of beautiful old rowhomes in the city that were still in reasonably good condition, complete with intact cornices and woodwork detailing on front porches, etc.

Fixing Camden had always seemed like such an immense proposition that it's hard to really wrap your head around it. But running through some of those neighborhoods made in clear that in some sections of the city just a minimal amount of investment, a few fresh coats of paint and you could really have a beautiful little neighborhood. It's nice to see that slowly but surely this is beginning to happen and some investment is being made to restore some of the great housing stock in Camden.

Camden still of course has a multitude of problems. But a project like this in conjunction with the Cambell's project, the sixers project, etc can really have an impact. It's still a long road, but there's seemingly at least a light at the end of the tunnel now and with its proximity to center city and its transit access, I'm staring to feel as though Camden's eventual turn around is almost inevitable.

That's great you got to see those neighborhoods, most people don't know they exist. Their vision of Camden is either the isolated waterfront or the ultra-horrible blocks that show up on the news. But there are neighborhoods that with a little investment could be really nice, like you said.

Lanning Square is a good example of a pretty intact neighborhood that's actually getting some of that investment. It's the neighborhood that Cooper Hospital and Rowan's Cooper Medical School are in, and which is bordered by Broadway and those two developments I took pictures of. In addition to renovations of historic townhomes, there's been new building in the form of a great new building at 7th & Washington, a wide treelined, cobblestone street, and handsome new townhomes that appeared in he news back in September (last photo):














There're some gems in other neighborhoods too. I regularly see these gorgeous old houses in North Camden from the train in the morning:




And of course the Cooper-Grant neighborhood by Rutgers has historic old homes as well as newer development:







It's all constantly in motion, as Cooper expands, Rowan and Rutgers expand and build new things (I think Rowan's going to expand the back of the historic bank building on Cooper Street they're located in, and Rutgers is building a nursing school around 5th & Federal), and now all these companies come in thanks to those tax breaks. And NJ Transit/DRPA/I forget who else has talked about redesigning the Walter Rand transit center (just to the west of Lanning Square) if the Glassboro-Camden line gets built, so who knows what's possible.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by josef

That's great you got to see those neighborhoods, most people don't know they exist. Their vision of Camden is either the isolated waterfront or the ultra-horrible blocks that show up on the news. But there are neighborhoods that with a little investment could be really nice, like you said.

That is true of Camden, AND much of Philadelphia. For DECADES, I've been admiring the basic "bones," if you will, of many "declining" Philly neighborhoods like Germantown and Parkside. The wonderful old and characterful housing stock, parks and squares, and streetscapes are still there, as well as proximity to public transit, with relatively minor work needed to bring them back to their former glory. And, as the saying goes, they just don't build them like they used to.

Of course, we're seeing lots of activity now in Center City, University City, and other nearby neighborhoods, but there is so much additional potential in Camden and the Philly neighborhoods more distant from Center City. And when you see how some of the most depressed neighborhoods in, e.g., Brooklyn and the Jersey side of the Hudson have taken off in and around NYC, you realize how easily the same thing could happen in Camden and Philly. And in a metro area that, compared to NYC, is MUCH more accessible in terms of cost and, well, everything!

[josef]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

That is true of Camden, AND much of Philadelphia. For DECADES, I've been admiring the basic "bones," if you will, of many "declining" Philly neighborhoods like Germantown and Parkside. The wonderful old and characterful housing stock, parks and squares, and streetscapes are still there, as well as proximity to public transit, with relatively minor work needed to bring them back to their former glory. And, as the saying goes, they just don't build them like they used to.

Of course, we're seeing lots of activity now in Center City, University City, and other nearby neighborhoods, but there is so much additional potential in Camden and the Philly neighborhoods more distant from Center City. And when you see how some of the most depressed neighborhoods in, e.g., Brooklyn and the Jersey side of the Hudson have taken off in and around NYC, you realize how easily the same thing could happen in Camden and Philly. And in a metro area that, compared to NYC, is MUCH more accessible in terms of cost and, well, everything!

Agreed. I know there's a lot wrapped up in this (I'm reading Camden After the Fall right now, and the past is nothing if not a hideously messy cesspool of bad decisions), but they sure left behind some neighborhoods with amazing physical character, at the very least.

And yeah, even like Jersey City, Hoboken, West New York, are just getting insanely expensive because of overflow from New York. You can get a house, or hell, build your own, in the heart of this region on all sides of Center City for basically nothing compared to that.

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by cafeguy

Sugarhouse has been open for about 6 years right? And since then, there has been no uptick in crime, only isolated incidents of crime where someone is followed home to their suburban area (ie, no local crime), little crime or problems associated with the casino (I read the crime reports each week), minimal effect on parking in the area, an increase in interest for local development (ie, canal street), a blossoming effect on Frankford ave east of girard, multiple store openings along girard ave, and the development of a Septa spur for the trolley.

Of course these things can't all be due to the casino.

I think these south philly residents need to stop reading all the anti-casino propaganda and realize that the neighborhood probably won't be much different than it currently is.

Yeah, I don't get the casino-anxiety. I mean I personally don't like casinos...but I don't really like football either, so I don't go to the Link. The whole "they'll bring crime" argument is tired and completely a result of places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Live! and SugarHouse will never be either of those. Despite the flashy advertisements showing people dressed up like the cast of The Real Housewives, casinos are full of old people. It doesn't even make sense for thugs to target casinos because the vast majority of people leaving after dark are leaving with empty pockets.

[cafeguy]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

That is true of Camden, AND much of Philadelphia. For DECADES, I've been admiring the basic "bones," if you will, of many "declining" Philly neighborhoods like Germantown and Parkside. The wonderful old and characterful housing stock, parks and squares, and streetscapes are still there, as well as proximity to public transit, with relatively minor work needed to bring them back to their former glory. And, as the saying goes, they just don't build them like they used to.

Of course, we're seeing lots of activity now in Center City, University City, and other nearby neighborhoods, but there is so much additional potential in Camden and the Philly neighborhoods more distant from Center City. And when you see how some of the most depressed neighborhoods in, e.g., Brooklyn and the Jersey side of the Hudson have taken off in and around NYC, you realize how easily the same thing could happen in Camden and Philly. And in a metro area that, compared to NYC, is MUCH more accessible in terms of cost and, well, everything!

So, I don't really believe in the idea that neighborhoods will continue to gentrify just cause they are the next leap from the current area of gentrification. In my opinion, I think its more about proximity, urban life, transit, and a bunch of other things and it flows like water flows, with the path of least resistance.

I predict that Fishtown/Kensington development will hit a wall of aramingo ave to the east and Lehigh to the north. The pressure needed to "push" past these barriers will be too strong for a good long time. Once it hits these borders, it'll start flowing west more toward temple, connecting olde kensington to temple's campus. Temple will flow toward brewerytown and connect to mantua. Not much will really flow north past lehigh. Mantua will push south as west philly pushes north, developing market st as the central street. Some pressure will push toward kingsessing, but most will hop over the river to the grey's ferry crescent new UPENN dev which will create a pressure to push from the west into point breeze, eventually meeting with the pressure from the east at broad street. We'll see Pasyunk square push south and southwest some, but there again will be some barriers that might be hard to cross when you get 2 story row home after 2 story row home outside of the cool "hip" passyunk area.

And so when this all happens, all at the same time of course, I think we will see the pressure push across the river to camden. Camden will begin to see some REAL gentrification and development before deep south philly, north philly, far brewerytown, and port richmond really see the development bug. If Camden didn't have as much of a bad rap and was safe, we would probably see a huge movement of people which would make others think to locate 1 patco stop away from center city than in deep point richmond.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by cafeguy

So, I don't really believe in the idea that neighborhoods will continue to gentrify just cause they are the next leap from the current area of gentrification. In my opinion, I think its more about proximity, urban life, transit, and a bunch of other things and it flows like water flows, with the path of least resistance.

I predict that Fishtown/Kensington development will hit a wall of aramingo ave to the east and Lehigh to the north. The pressure needed to "push" past these barriers will be too strong for a good long time. Once it hits these borders, it'll start flowing west more toward temple, connecting olde kensington to temple's campus. Temple will flow toward brewerytown and connect to mantua. Not much will really flow north past lehigh. Mantua will push south as west philly pushes north, developing market st as the central street. Some pressure will push toward kingsessing, but most will hop over the river to the grey's ferry crescent new UPENN dev which will create a pressure to push from the west into point breeze, eventually meeting with the pressure from the east at broad street. We'll see Pasyunk square push south and southwest some, but there again will be some barriers that might be hard to cross when you get 2 story row home after 2 story row home outside of the cool "hip" passyunk area.

And so when this all happens, all at the same time of course, I think we will see the pressure push across the river to camden. Camden will begin to see some REAL gentrification and development before deep south philly, north philly, far brewerytown, and port richmond really see the development bug. If Camden didn't have as much of a bad rap and was safe, we would probably see a huge movement of people which would make others think to locate 1 patco stop away from center city than in deep point richmond.

Except, that natural "flow" of development and gentrification hasn't necessarily been the pattern in places like NYC (for example, the longer-term trends in Brooklyn and the western side of the Hudson vs. other parts of the City and metro area), or even in Philly (e.g., Manayunk). I don't think redevelopment or gentrification necessarily has to be in the form of a spillover emanating from Center City and flowing outward. As long as there is mass transit accessibility to, e.g., Center City or University City, neighborhoods with unique architectural assets and charms--such as Germantown, Parkside, and yes, Camden--have the potential to develop once they reach the necessary critical mass and become "in" or "hip." Again, that's what's happened in Brooklyn.

But maybe that's what you were saying, and I took your flowing-water metaphor a bit too literally.

[hammersklavier]

While I agree with the "flow" analogy, and with the barrier the old freight line north of Lehigh presents in Kenzo, I think you're still being a little overoptimistic wrt Camden. I don't think Aramingo is as strong a barrier as you perceive it to be -- between it, the freight line, and the El, it is actually the weakest (lowest) barrier bordering Fishtown/New Kensington.

Yorktown and the Allen Hole are definitely shaping development around Temple. Interestingly, even as Templetown merges with normative Center City redevelopment in Francisville, significant redevelopment is happening on the north side of campus, in th triangle bounded by Temple itself, Broad, and the train tracks. With Templetown there is an important proximity effect -- development is not pushing westward as fast as it once did, and I'll bet that (especially with improvements around the main gateway at Berks) development will push east of the train tracks and infill in between the various APM projects in the area.

Mantua and West Powelton seem to have become development loci mainly as a sort of "Drexeltown" analogous to Templetown. Still, Market remains noticeably underdeveloped between 46th and the Science Center. North Broad has the same sort of wedge, with underdeveloped properties as far south as Race. My guess is that it's because most of these properties need larger projects to make the numbers work, and until the adjacent neighborhoods are completely built out, the numbers won't. It is noticeable, for example, that many of Templetown's highest-intensity properties are located along 15th Street south of Oxford.

And as far as South Philly is concerned -- there are only two neighborhoods there still lagging: Dickinson Narrows and Grays Ferry. "Deep South Philly" is pretty much all middle-class as it is, although the retail down there is characteristically suburban.

I'm not entirely sure how large the "biking city's" radius is from Center City. But the Northeast Corridor and the old freight line are massive barriers, and I think for development to jump over them will require significant public investment sooner or later. But there's still quite a large chunk of North Philly that can infill before that happens.

[josef]

These are all certainly interesting points and thoughts, and it'll be interesting to see what happens in real time, especially given the interconnected nature of a lot of external factors that lead to development of any kind anywhere (jobs, generational preferences, availability of money to build anything). And I have no idea how it'll relate to Camden's reality on the ground, but what I can say is that a bunch of the things going on now are a lot more recent.

Someone just showed me pictures from historicaerials.com and it blew my mind. If you look at the area around Dranoff's Victor RCA building renovation, you can see that that area was very different even just 10 years ago. The whole area's in flux, with Dranoff now thinking of making his Radio Lofts building a retail/office project (http://articles.philly.com/2014-11-16/news/56395273_1_carl-dranoff-dranoff-properties-victor-lofts), the Cooper-Grant neighborhood association saying theres' going to be a meeting soon about redeveloping this crazy huge old building on Delaware Avenue, and the lead waterfront development firm saying "we are working on plans to develop the site and will begin some time next year" for most of their original "Cooper's Crossing" plan on the lots between the aquarium and the baseball stadium.

And away from the waterfront, the new Roosevelt Park Plaza (http://www.nj.com/camden/index.ssf/2014/..._to_give_visitors_safe_public_space.html, http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/n...t-park-camden-plaza-pops-color/15302379/) is a really nice new space where a huge parking garage came down a few years ago (a parking garage that was built during 60s "urban renewal", which means Camden actually cleared away a piece of misguided 🞵🞵🞵🞵 from that era). And there's a rum distillery in an old garage that, I have to say, is a super fun time that people love (and which has tons of upcoming events).

Anyway, uhhh I could ramble on, but in general there's more going on than even I realize sometimes, and it gives me at least some hope for the future. So who knows. We'll see what happens. Camden's had two mayors in a row who haven't been indicted in any way, so that's a plus, right?

[dab]

In Chester news..... the Philadelphia Union are developing the land around PPL park (sort of)..... training fields on what was previously a gravel and dirt parking lot... a far cry from the original proposal but better than nothing I suppose. Certainly beats tasting the parking lot via dust storms in the cases of extreme wind that has happened on occasion.


(not my pictures)






If I recall correctly one field will allow for some access to the public.. (youth teams and what not)

There were rumors that bleachers would be put up on one of these two fields to create a "small stadium" but I don't think that will be happening anymore. (at least not right away)

[Cro Burnham]

Neural-Behavioral Sciences Building, 38th & Baltimore.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

Neural-Behavioral Sciences Building, 38th & Baltimore.

For those who may not know, the architectural screen planned for that building is a reference to the neurons of the brain:

[Jawnadelphia]

New apt building on vacant lot - Francisville, 1617-33 Poplar Street,



http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/francisville/francisville-getting-another-big-building

---------------------

Big empty lot next to Piazza will be a parking garage.


http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/11/2...erties-to-get-a-dedicated-parking-garage

---------------------------------

^^^Love the brain neurons screen.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Waverly Court expansion
13th and Waverly - Washington Square West
6 floor addition. Built atop surface parking lot.


http://www.phillyliving.com/blog/waverly-court-expansion-passes-muster-with-zba.html

Definitely cool with this expansion. But the two story addition looks ugly (though it's hard to say just based on those renderings).

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

Big empty lot next to Piazza will be a parking garage.
http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/11/2...erties-to-get-a-dedicated-parking-garage

---------------------------------

^^^Love the brain neurons screen.

It won't be the entire empty lot. The parking garage will only be built on the small portion on the corner of Germantown Avenue and Wildey Street.

[MusicMan84]

An additional sign for 3737 Market, facing East.

Untitled by Music_Man84, on Flickr

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by MusicMan84

An additional sign for 3737 Market, facing East.

You can never have too many Penn Medicine signs.