PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[summersm343]

Happy thanksgiving to all!

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Happy thanksgiving to all!

And to you, too!

I think I speak for all of us here in saying that we're THANKFUL that you're around to pass on interesting info and help keep things running around here!

[Plokoon11]

Happy thanksgiving skyscraper gang, we defiantly have a lot to be thankful for, especially skyscraper wise in this city!

[christof]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Happy thanksgiving to all!

Gobble Gobble

[MusicMan84]

PlanPhilly Article - Interview with Kenyatta Johnson:

http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/12/0...n-development-politics-planning-and-more

But also Washington Avenue, another area. If you look at 1601 Washington Avenue—and obviously, when we talk about zoning, we talk about remapping, there’s a very different use for the buildings along the Washington Avenue business corridor than there was when I was growing up. When I was a kid it was primarily all industrial. Now, when you go along Washington Avenue, you’ll see a daycare center, you’ll see two or three gyms. So we’ve been working with the Washington Avenue Property Owners Association to begin looking at, how do we long-term remap Washington Avenue?

One of the first pilot projects is 1601 Washington, which is industrial mixed-use. And that’s going to be residential up top, commercial down the bottom, but we’re going to be looking at, after that project gets developed, long-term, how do we begin moving and upgrading other parts of Washington Avenue? And I think the same process is going to take place with—Toll Brothers are now looking at Broad and Washington, the old railroad ... .

Mentions of possible development at 1601 Washington Ave and Toll Brothers looking at the Northwest corner of Washington/Broad. Anyone have any more information on these?

[tsarstruck]

Originally Posted by MusicMan84

Mentions of possible development at 1601 Washington Ave and Toll Brothers looking at the Northwest corner of Washington/Broad. Anyone have any more information on these?

Beat me coming here to ask the same thing. This is definitely the first I've heard of it. Land, I believe, is owned by PIDC, and there's an old railroad ROW that splits the lot in two.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by tsarstruck

Beat me coming here to ask the same thing. This is definitely the first I've heard of it. Land, I believe, is owned by PIDC, and there's an old railroad ROW that splits the lot in two.

I live directly a block south of 1601 Washington Ave so I've been following that project as closely as I can. The last update I heard on it was in April: http://philadelphiaheights.wordpress.com...eginning-of-change-on-washington-avenue/

Hadn't heard anything about Toll Brothers, that's (potentially) exciting news!

[sayitaintso]

"The downtown casinos were not chosen because economic development within Center City is not dependent on them, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said. But Mullin disagrees.

"One of the big issues associated with Center City is this misnomer that it's improving, but it's by no means anywhere near the capacity in terms of density and activity that it could be," Mullin said. "There's plenty of room for more in Center City and building it up especially in that area on North Broad Street. [The Provence] could have been a real incredible booster on that whole north side of City Hall."
We recently ran a poll on PBJ.com, asking readers about the casino decision. Forty-three percent of readers said the city doesn't need another casino, but 32 percent said the South Philadelphia casino near the sports stadiums was the best decision out of the four proposals."


I would have serious reservations about hiring an "economist" who calls it a misnomer that CC is improving. The empirical evidence overwhelming suggests otherwise. This is what happens when "experts" get paid to make an observation, they can spin it any way they like. Disgusting

[Insoluble]

Originally Posted by sayitaintso

"The downtown casinos were not chosen because economic development within Center City is not dependent on them, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said. But Mullin disagrees.

"One of the big issues associated with Center City is this misnomer that it's improving, but it's by no means anywhere near the capacity in terms of density and activity that it could be," Mullin said. "There's plenty of room for more in Center City and building it up especially in that area on North Broad Street. [The Provence] could have been a real incredible booster on that whole north side of City Hall."
We recently ran a poll on PBJ.com, asking readers about the casino decision. Forty-three percent of readers said the city doesn't need another casino, but 32 percent said the South Philadelphia casino near the sports stadiums was the best decision out of the four proposals."


I would have serious reservations about hiring an "economist" who calls it a misnomer that CC is improving. The empirical evidence overwhelming suggests otherwise. This is what happens when "experts" get paid to make an observation, they can spin it any way they like. Disgusting

I would have serious reservations even using the word "expert" in association with someone who thinks that "misnomer" means the same thing as "misconception". This guy is ten kinds of dumb.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Insoluble

I would have serious reservations even using the word "expert" in association with someone who thinks that "misnomer" means the same thing as "misconception". This guy is ten kinds of dumb.

Steve Mullin is definitely not dumb. He is extremely pro development, for sure, perhaps to a fault, as well as a paid consultant of Blatstein, so probably fine with making biased statements on his behalf. But not dumb.

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by Insoluble

I would have serious reservations even using the word "expert" in association with someone who thinks that "misnomer" means the same thing as "misconception". This guy is ten kinds of dumb.

It could be argued that the word "misnomer" was acceptable to use in this context.

Anyway, as Cro Burnham said, I would not call him dumb and there are areas of CC that can use some density and improvement. He is not an unbiased source but I don't see where he went wrong with that one statement.

[Nightman]

I guess this project is moving ahead. Anyone have any pics?

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inq-p...ford-Ave-concert-hall-bowling-still.html

[sayitaintso]

Originally Posted by Insoluble

I would have serious reservations even using the word "expert" in association with someone who thinks that "misnomer" means the same thing as "misconception". This guy is ten kinds of dumb.

HA! 10 Kinds of dumb. LOve it!

[mja]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

Steve Mullin is definitely not dumb. He is extremely pro development, for sure, perhaps to a fault, as well as a paid consultant of Blatstein, so probably fine with making biased statements on his behalf. But not dumb.

Fun fact: Once upon a time Steve Mullin was a regular poster here.

[PhiLaw]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

It could be argued that the word "misnomer" was acceptable to use in this context.

No. It cannot.

However, he is correct that Center City has a long way to go, however that doesn't necessarily preclude us from reveling in how far we've come. The trip from urban decay to urban oasis is a long one.

That being said, there is still LOTS to be developed - even in core center city. Often overlooked is Chinatown and environs. Essentially the entire block between Race/Vine and 12th and 11th is a surface parking lot - not to mention countless blocks over at 13th. Then you have a huge area from 9th to 7th, Vine to Chestnut.

Then you finish infilling Arch st west of broad.

Then leaving core CC you have the Callowhill neighborhood, which is its own animal in itself.

Anyways this just gives some perspective. We've come very far, but have a long way to go (if there is a destination in the first place).

[summersm343]

1000 More Jobs to Camden

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority has approved nearly $500 million in funds to attract companies and jobs to Camden, N.J., and this week is set to soon announce another $100 million investment and another 1,000 jobs that will move to the beleaguered South Jersey city.

While officials won't disclose what company or companies might be the new additions to Camden, some speculate Subaru North America, which has long been on the hunt for a new headquarters to replace its Cherry Hill, N.J., digs, could be a likely candidate.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/real-estate/2014/12/new-jersey-invests-camden.html

[summersm343]

More than $500M in new development planned for Conshohocken

Conshohocken, Pa., is on the cusp of another wave of development with more than $500 million of construction projects in the pipeline or wending through the approval process that will continue to dramatically transform this tiny borough along the Schuylkill River.

The work consists of more than 1.27 million square feet of office development, the construction of a hotel and nearly 1,000 apartments as well as restaurants and other ancillary amenities demanded by its growing residential and office population.

The projects, some of which are still going through the approval and land development process, include:

A 330,000-square-foot office building proposed by Equus Capital Partners at 400 W. Elm St.

A 300,000-square-foot office building, 200-room hotel and conversion of an old fire house into a brew pub called One Conshohocken on Fayette Street. That is being proposed by Keystone Property Group.

A 260,000-square-foot office building called Seven Tower Bridge that will be developed by Oliver Tyrone Pulver.

A 300,000-square-foot office building called Millennium Four that O'Neill Properties Group wants to construct.

310 apartments at 51 Washington St. as well as 610 apartments at 401 Washington St.

An 82,000-square-foot office building at 901 Washington St., which is just over the border in Whitemarsh, Pa., and is bring proposed by E. Kahn Development.

Demand is even greater in markets closer into Center City where vacancy rates have crept down. For example, Conshohocken's 3.3-million-square-foot office market has a vacancy rate of 13 percent, Bala Cynwyd, Pa., has a vacancy of 13.5 percent in a 3.5-million-square-foot market and Radnor, Pa., is the tightest of them all at 4.7 percent on 2.8 million square feet. Class A space is even tighter in these prime locations.

"There are certain companies that don't want to be in the city and it could be because of tax reasons or employee commuting patterns but they want to be close to the city and your choice is Bala Cynwyd, Radnor and Conshohocken," said Glenn Blumenfeld, a broker with Tactix Real Estate Advisors who represents tenants. "Radnor has very little vacancy, Bala Cynwyd doesn't have the quality of assets that Radnor and Conshohocken have and they are generally older buildings with some exceptions. So, I think there is probably a need for quality office space close to Philadelphia."

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...500m-in-new-development-planned-for.html

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

Steve Mullin is definitely not dumb. He is extremely pro development, for sure, perhaps to a fault, as well as a paid consultant of Blatstein, so probably fine with making biased statements on his behalf. But not dumb.

Right. His word choice may not have been ideal, but he also wasn't really saying CC is NOT improving. He was saying that there's still lots of room for growth as far as density, etc...This is true. I was not a fan of the Provence, proposal, though.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by PhiLaw

No. It cannot.

However, he is correct that Center City has a long way to go, however that doesn't necessarily preclude us from reveling in how far we've come. The trip from urban decay to urban oasis is a long one.

That being said, there is still LOTS to be developed - even in core center city. Often overlooked is Chinatown and environs. Essentially the entire block between Race/Vine and 12th and 11th is a surface parking lot - not to mention countless blocks over at 13th. Then you have a huge area from 9th to 7th, Vine to Chestnut.

Then you finish infilling Arch st west of broad.

Then leaving core CC you have the Callowhill neighborhood, which is its own animal in itself.

Anyways this just gives some perspective. We've come very far, but have a long way to go (if there is a destination in the first place).

In my opinion, the biggest hurdle for Philadelphia is job growth and attracting companies. We are in good shape as far as residential development and retail now. People actually want to be here now. People need to work, though...Philadelphia's anti-business reputation, and some questionable policies, hurt us. This is improving but more needs to happen.

[McBane]

The recent decision by City Council to halt the sale of PGW - not mentioned on this board before - is further evidence of the city's anti-business culture. Not to sound cold, but it seems as though the city's leaders are most concerned about the poor and the unions because of course, those are the folks that vote and keep the imbeciles, I mean incumbents in power.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: so long as the city's electorate is dominated by unions and welfare leeches, it will be next to impossible to generate true change. That's the sad truth. Because most pro-growth/pro-business policies (i.e., tax cuts, corporate welfare, etc.) hurt the unions and the poor in the short term as there is only so much money to go around. High taxes doesn't stir up the citizenry because either people are exempt from taxes or they move to the suburbs. But propose closing a library and all hell breaks loose.