PHILADELPHIA | FMC Tower @ Cira Centre South | 736 FT | 49 FLOORS - Page 109

christof · #**2161** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 9:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by summersm343

I'm not saying remove the highline, but develop the large grass parcel around it. The land on the south side of Walnut should be used for highrise buildings lining the street, not athletic fields.

I color coded red for Penn and Yellow for Drexel. I'm aware of who owns what.

Penn has plans to extend the medical complex to the athletic fields south of South Street. Take away the Walnut part, and things are going to get real tight for Penn athletics.

domodeez · #**2162** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 9:18 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by boxbot

I noticed for the first time that the eastern side is being angled outward. I never noticed that in any of the renders, where it always looked like it was vertical.

Yep, I've been noticing that too. Looks like the final product will be slightly different from the renderings. Hope that's not a bad thing.

summersm343 · #**2163** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 10:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by christof

Penn has plans to extend the medical complex to the athletic fields south of South Street. Take away the Walnut part, and things are going to get real tight for Penn athletics.

There is plenty of room to develop buildings fronting Walnut without taking out any of the athletic fields.

Philly Fan · #**2164** Posted **Jun 10, 2015, 10:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by summersm343

I'm not saying remove the highline, but develop the large grass parcel around it. The land on the south side of Walnut should be used for highrise buildings lining the street, not athletic fields.

Quote:

Originally Posted by summersm343

There is plenty of room to develop buildings fronting Walnut without taking out any of the athletic fields.

Unless things have changed, that's part of Penn's long-term plan for "Penn Connects" (see the aerial rendering at the top of page 6):

http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/a_renewed_vision/PennConnects-theme-4-campus-and-community.pdf

And you can also see that here:

http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/explore_the_vision/the_future_campus.php

and here:

http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu/explore_the_vision/building_connections.php

summersm343 · #**2165** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 12:46 AM**

^^Exactly. It makes the most sense to me to have dense mixed-use development facing Walnut Street to complete the connection between UCity and Center City, not a huge drop off from the street level of Walnut Street to athletic fields.

christof · #**2166** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 12:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by summersm343

^^Exactly. It makes the most sense to me to have dense mixed-use development facing Walnut Street to complete the connection between UCity and Center City, not a huge drop off from the street level of Walnut Street to athletic fields.

I'll still argue that this is the only open spot left on Walnut. Those photos are of the parking lot for Penn Park. Everything else is taken...

Philly Fan · #**2167** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 12:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by christof

I'll still argue that this is the only open spot left on Walnut. Those photos are of the parking lot for Penn Park. Everything else is taken...

I think we're all on the same page here. Based on all of the available renderings, Penn's long-term plan has been for some sort of high-rise development on the current site of the parking lot for Penn Park, adjacent to Walnut Street. But there are NO plans to remove or build on Penn Park itself, which Penn views as one of the crown jewels--and a defining part--of its campus and the whole Penn Connects program. And that's what summers also has been saying.

iheartphilly · #**2168** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 3:16 PM**

Not that Penn will sell the land that Penn Park sits on, but want a handsome sum they could ask for if they put it on the market some day. Seems like a prime spot for development if everything else gets built out on the west side of the river.

McBane · #**2169** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 4:38 PM**

There are numerous empty/parking/underutilized (e.g., one-two story) lots in and around 30th Street Station that could be developed. Not to mention that whole "Innovation Neighborhood" on JFK Blvd between 30th and 32nd. The area between the River and say, 34th Street has ample room to grow, Penn Park notwithstanding. This is probably the most offensive lot - https://goo.gl/maps/wsNjf. I'm not too concerned with that union building, as ugly as it may be.

christof · #**2170** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 7:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by McBane

There are numerous empty/parking/underutilized (e.g., one-two story) lots in and around 30th Street Station that could be developed. Not to mention that whole "Innovation Neighborhood" on JFK Blvd between 30th and 32nd. The area between the River and say, 34th Street has ample room to grow, Penn Park notwithstanding. This is probably the most offensive lot - https://goo.gl/maps/wsNjf. I'm not too concerned with that union building, as ugly as it may be.

A hotel was suppose to go there. But the financial crisis hit. The deal died. Drexel decided to go smaller with a hotel at 33rd & Chestnut.

Drexel, I believe, still has plans to expand the Bulletin Building (next door to said lot) a number of stories.

iheartphilly · #**2171** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 7:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by McBane

There are numerous empty/parking/underutilized (e.g., one-two story) lots in and around 30th Street Station that could be developed. Not to mention that whole "Innovation Neighborhood" on JFK Blvd between 30th and 32nd. The area between the River and say, 34th Street has ample room to grow, Penn Park notwithstanding. This is probably the most offensive lot - https://goo.gl/maps/wsNjf. I'm not too concerned with that union building, as ugly as it may be.

Someone should tell a developer to put a residential highrise there. Even closer than One Riverside to Amtrak. If I had to do business in NYC or DC 2 or 3 times a week, I would buy a place to live there because I can walk to Amtrak. Or, if I was a retiree looking to do a trip to DC or NYC, it would be the perfect location to travel via Amtrak or the Philly Airport.

McBane · #**2172** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 8:08 PM**

Whatever ends up going there, I hope it's something really special. That location is too good and too big to wind up with a low slung ugly box. It's a shame it's not part of the Cira complex. This is definitely one of those lots that I'm happy to wait out until the right project comes along.

Philly Fan · #**2173** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 9:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by McBane

Whatever ends up going there, I hope it's something really special. That location is too good and too big to wind up with a low slung ugly box. It's a shame it's not part of the Cira complex. This is definitely one of those lots that I'm happy to wait out until the right project comes along.

It was supposed to be part of the Cira complex at some point, wasn't it? I recall seeing a photo posted here of a model of 4 Cira towers, with the tallest being on that lot. I'd be surprised if some sort of tower isn't still in the long-term plans for that lot, even if not formally as part of the Cira complex.

Jawnadelphia · #**2174** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 9:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

It was supposed to be part of the Cira complex at some point, wasn't it? I recall seeing a photo posted here of a model of 4 Cira towers, with the tallest being on that lot. I'd be surprised if some sort of tower isn't still in the long-term plans for that lot, even if not formally as part of the Cira complex.

http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2014/02/philadelphias-next-building-boom.html

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=519139&page=2

Philly Fan · #**2175** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 10:09 PM**

^ Thanks!

jsbrook · #**2176** Posted **Jun 11, 2015, 11:09 PM**

I loved the proposal shown in the lovebricks block. I hope it happens. Aside from that 4th tower really completing everything and making it a real complex, we at least need all those trees. The area is in desperate need of greening. It looks rough. I hope they make that planting a top priority the entire area shown in the render when FMC construction wraps.

1487 · #**2177** Posted **Jun 12, 2015, 12:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsbrook

I loved the proposal shown in the lovebricks block. I hope it happens. Aside from that 4th tower really completing everything and making it a real complex, we at least need all those trees. The area is in desperate need of greening. It looks rough. I hope they make that planting a top priority the entire area shown in the render when FMC construction wraps.

well let's at least be happy that the area around 30th street looks much better than it did 4-5 years ago. It's been improved dramatically with the Porch and the work done at the Post Office. I believe that parking lot is owned by Drexel along with the office building. I worked there as a temp in the late 90s. HUP had offices there- not sure if they are still in there.

christof · #**2178** Posted **Jun 12, 2015, 12:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

http://ilovebricks.blogspot.com/2014/02/philadelphias-next-building-boom.html

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=519139&page=2

This Cira Center is not for the parking lot, but in the "open hole" that is next to it on JFK BLVD.

BTW - if this ever gets built, it looks to slightly taller than the FMC. 800 feet maybe?

Philly Fan · #**2179** Posted **Jun 12, 2015, 12:44 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by christof

This Cira Center is not for the parking lot, but in the "open hole" that is next to it on JFK BLVD.

Yeah, this photo from earlier in this thread (over 7 years ago!) makes that more apparent:

jsbrook · #**2180** Posted **Jun 12, 2015, 12:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1487

well let's at least be happy that the area around 30th street looks much better than it did 4-5 years ago. It's been improved dramatically with the Porch and the work done at the Post Office. I believe that parking lot is owned by Drexel along with the office building. I worked there as a temp in the late 90s. HUP had offices there- not sure if they are still in there.

Definitely a big improvement. But we can hope for it to continue. I think it will.