PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[br323206]

Originally Posted by Larry King

They look fine now in the rendering but in reality i bet we'll be seeing ads for hospitals and gary barbera

Yesterday, riding by the LIT building on a bike I saw ads for Temple, Coca-Cola, and the Kimmel Center. None for Gary Barbera. Nor have I ever seen one for Barbera on that sign, and I pass it multiple times per week.

[Insoluble]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

From today's News Journal/delawareonline.com

The vibe definitely seems to be that Chemours is moving (very sad for Wilmington), but could be a big gain for Philly -

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/mone...wners-worry-chemours-struggles/72283284/

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/opin...emours-decision-tough-delaware/32085051/

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

Originally Posted by Larry King

sounds like camden is pushing as well

The vibe I get from those articles isn't positive at all. There's nothing to indicate that they plan to move to Canter City, Camden, or anywhere remotely urban or accessible. From the first link:

The company is said to be reviewing locations in Salem County, New Jersey, and Delaware and Chester counties in Pennsylvania as a new headquarters.

Moving from downtown Wilmington to the burbs is nothing but a net negative in my book. The current HQ location is relatively transit accessible from Philly, and I'd much rather they contribute to the density of downtown Wilmington than to some crappy office park. Is there any reason to believe they are even considering Philly or Camden?

The other thing to consider is that the company does not sound as though it is doing so well. I know we all want more corporate HQs to relocate in Center City, but if the company is about to die there doesn't seem to be much to celebrate. Sorry to be so negative about this, but I fail to see anything positive in the articles posted above.

[PhilliesPhan]

I just received an email from the 30th Street Station District Plan. Apparently (and pretty much obviously), CBD 2 and Schuylkill Crossing are the preferred options among public opinion.

"The results are in!
More than 200 people attended the District Plan open house on June 17th at 30th Street Station to learn about and provide feedback on three preliminary concepts for the 30th Street Station District in the year 2040. The concepts are divided into three themes: "Central Business District 2, a dynamic new central business district, "Schuylkill Crossing," a new urban neighborhood; and "Innovation City," an R&D campus. The goal of the open house was to receive input on the design elements that resonate and the elements that need more work.

Nearly 1,400 comments were received at the open house and from an online survey that was posted on the District Plan website. The comments revealed that many components of the Central Business District 2 and Schuylkill Crossing concepts received the most favorable responses. This information will now be used by the Project Team to shape the development of a single, unified vision for the District."


The full report can be accessed here:
http://static1.squarespace.com/stati..._SmallFile.pdf
Rate this post positively

[Larry King]

Originally Posted by br323206

Yesterday, riding by the LIT building on a bike I saw ads for Temple, Coca-Cola, and the Kimmel Center. None for Gary Barbera. Nor have I ever seen one for Barbera on that sign, and I pass it multiple times per week.

Ok ill stop being so negative lol

[Larry King]

[QUOTE=Insoluble;7167174]

Originally Posted by Larry King

The vibe I get from those articles isn't positive at all. There's nothing to indicate that they plan to move to Canter City, Camden, or anywhere remotely urban or accessible. From the first link:



Moving from downtown Wilmington to the burbs is nothing but a net negative in my book. The current HQ location is relatively transit accessible from Philly, and I'd much rather they contribute to the density of downtown Wilmington than to some crappy office park. Is there any reason to believe they are even considering Philly or Camden?

The other thing to consider is that the company does not sound as though it is doing so well. I know we all want more corporate HQs to relocate in Center City, but if the company is about to die there doesn't seem to be much to celebrate. Sorry to be so negative about this, but I fail to see anything positive in the articles posted above.

I saw tax credits to jersey and assumed theyd be the urban transit hub credits that are going around which would indicate camden

Maybe there is other nj programs to spur job growth in rural salem county.. i dunno

[jsbrook]

[QUOTE=Insoluble;7167174]

Originally Posted by Larry King

The other thing to consider is that the company does not sound as though it is doing so well. I know we all want more corporate HQs to relocate in Center City, but if the company is about to die there doesn't seem to be much to celebrate. Sorry to be so negative about this, but I fail to see anything positive in the articles posted above.

Dupont saddled them with a lot of debt and inherited environmental liabilities. And other issues. Also, it is a cyclical business by nature, and the current cycle is a down one. They are still outperforming their peers. I think they'll be fine. That said, I don't think Philly is on the top of their list. Though I, for one, would still love to see them land here.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Insoluble

The vibe I get from those articles isn't positive at all. There's nothing to indicate that they plan to move to Canter City, Camden, or anywhere remotely urban or accessible. . . . . The other thing to consider is that the company does not sound as though it is doing so well. I know we all want more corporate HQs to relocate in Center City, but if the company is about to die there doesn't seem to be much to celebrate. Sorry to be so negative about this, but I fail to see anything positive in the articles posted above.

Isn't Chemours just the spin-off entity that DuPont has created in order to offload chemical business lines with billions of dollars in potential legal liabilities associated with poisoning hundreds of thousands of people's drinking water with carcinogens?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemours

In October 2013, DuPont announced that it was planning to spin off its Performance Chemicals business into a new publicly traded company in mid-2015. . . . . Chemours has assumed various liabilities arising from lawsuits against DuPont encountered in the normal course of business.

http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2015/07/02/373961.htm

Chemours is also on the hook for something uglier: potential liabilities at 171 sites in the U.S., not all of which have been identified. These may include as many as 25 active U.S. factories. Investors don’t know how much more will be required to respond to Environmental Protection Agency cleanup demands at those sites or whether additional personal-injury lawsuits will arise. . . . “In general, the experience is cleanups cost more than anyone ever thinks,” says Ronald Gilson, a professor of law and business at Stanford and Columbia law schools.

Seems like a dud company that no major landlord would want to take a big risk in building an HQ for - presumably, it would go bankrupt quickly if found liable for the things people say it should be liable for. The compensation costs would likely vastly exceed the value of the business, which could leave a landlord high and dry. Given the shady nature of its business, such a firm would likely want a secure, secluded low profile HQ.

It is definitely not company that any self-respecting city would want to build its business future around. I think Philly needs to stop thinking it has to suck up to any old big corporation just because it is big.

Companies like Chemours are likely filled with very Dilbert-like mainstream corporate suburban-oriented people, the kinds of people who are willing to bury their heads in the sand and rationalize as they poison working class people's drinking water to make a comfy living. I really don't think those kinds of people in general have an interest in living/working in a city like Philadelphia, nor much to offer us other than some wage tax receipts.

Sounds like they'd fit perfectly in a corporate park in Plano Texas or suburban Houston.

Thank you. Diatribe over.

[McBane]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

Companies like Chemours are likely filled with very Dilbert-like mainstream corporate suburban-oriented people, the kinds of people who are willing to bury their heads in the sand and rationalize as they poison working class people's drinking water to make a comfy living.

This is a vast generalization.

Can we get back on topic?

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by McBane

This is a vast generalization.

Can we get back on topic?

I agree it's a generalization and largely off-topic.

My main point is to suggest that Chemours is not really a company worth getting worked up about. I certainly hope neither the Commonwealth nor the City throws subsidies their way. I'd rather we donate the money to the people who drank water that Chemours poisoned and now have cancer and babies with disfigured faces.

[Larry King]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

I agree it's a generalization and largely off-topic.

My main point is to suggest that Chemours is not really a company worth getting worked up about. I certainly hope neither the Commonwealth nor the City throws subsidies their way. I'd rather we donate the money to the people who drank water that Chemours poisoned and now have cancer and babies with disfigured faces.

i still think we should go after any warm body with disposable income

[Outta here]

Originally Posted by Larry King

i still think we should go after any warm body with disposable income

Ummm , I sure hope you meant discretionary income . My disposable
income is spoken for .............

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Larry King

i still think we should go after any warm body with disposable income

I know you are kind of being facetious, but thinking about that for more than a couple seconds makes it clear it is probably a very inefficient economic development policy, moral issues aside.

[Arch+Eng]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

I just received an email from the 30th Street Station District Plan. Apparently (and pretty much obviously), CBD 2 and Schuylkill Crossing are the preferred options among public opinion.

"The results are in!
More than 200 people attended the District Plan open house on June 17th at 30th Street Station to learn about and provide feedback on three preliminary concepts for the 30th Street Station District in the year 2040. The concepts are divided into three themes: "Central Business District 2, a dynamic new central business district, "Schuylkill Crossing," a new urban neighborhood; and "Innovation City," an R&D campus. The goal of the open house was to receive input on the design elements that resonate and the elements that need more work.

Nearly 1,400 comments were received at the open house and from an online survey that was posted on the District Plan website. The comments revealed that many components of the Central Business District 2 and Schuylkill Crossing concepts received the most favorable responses. This information will now be used by the Project Team to shape the development of a single, unified vision for the District."


The full report can be accessed here:
http://static1.squarespace.com/stati..._SmallFile.pdf
Rate this post positively

CBD 2 was the clear winner in my eyes. Its a shame that we wont get this until ~2040 though.

[summersm343]

More on Chemours relocation from Philadelphia Business Journal
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...off-chemours-philly-jersey-delco-hq.html

My thoughts: this is obviously bad for Wilmington, and Wilmington needs to step up it's game on attracting businesses to the City Center. This will bad for the region though if Chemours moves out of one of the urban centers and into a suburban office park somewhere in Delaware, Chester or Salem County. The only way this will be an net positive for the region is if Chemours leaves Wilmington for a more centrally located urban area like Camden or Philadelphia.

IMO, the city of Philadelphia, the State of PA, and Brandywine should be coming at this full force and throwing everything they have a Chemours. It's only 800 jobs yes, but 350,000 square feet of space could be an anchor tenant for Cira II. This would also locate Chemours (a large chemical company) next to FMC (another large chemical company) and could create a synergy and a draw for other companies to locate to the 30th Street area.

Plus, if Chemours takes 350,000 square feet of space - and if my projections were correct of 850,000 square feet of office space in Cira II- all Brandywine would need is another 100,000 square foot lease and boom, construction is starting. If Brandywine signs Chemours for 350,000 square feet and another company to 150,000-200,000 square feet, Chemours gets naming rights to the tower: Chemours Tower at Cira Centre.

MAKE IT HAPPEN MAYOR NUTTER AND BRANDYWINE REALTY TRUST!

This speaks MUCH greater volumes to the Philadelphia region:


Than this:

[summersm343]

Photo Gallery: Divine Lorraine Groundbreaking Ceremony

As Newsworks reports, "Two words: finally...and yes," said City Council President Darrell Clarke.

Through a $44 million overhaul, Eric Blumenfeld is transforming the abandoned property (that was once the city's first high-rises) into a mixed-use development with 109 apartments and 20,000 s.f. of retail space. It has been a nouveau riche apartment, the city's first integrated hotel, and now, this.

Blumenfeld's company, EB Realty Management Corporation, partnered with real estate lender William Procida and Procida's 100 Mile Fund, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. The city and state also contributed to the project.

Construction ends in 16 months. Set your clocks. And buy some Divine Lorraine merchandise, too.

http://philly.curbed.com/archives/2015/0...rraine-hotel-groundbreaking-ceremony.php

[boxbot]

Originally Posted by summersm343

As Newsworks reports, "Two words: finally...and yes," said City Council President Darrell Clarke.

Damnit, that's three words, Darrell.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by Arch+Eng

CBD 2 was the clear winner in my eyes. Its a shame that we wont get this until ~2040 though.

Same here! There is really no other option that will generate as much tax revenue and really add to our skyline as much as CBD 2. This will especially be the case if the tax code gets revised in the upcoming years. The only thing is that I hope they do, assuming they go with CBD 2, is use the cover over SEPTA's Powelton Yard seen in the Schuylkill Crossing design. The more coverage area, the better!

I just turned 20, so I'm glad that I will at least get to see it in my lifetime. It will be a long wait, but well worth it once it comes around!

[summersm343]

Still receiving emails about Bloomingdale's searching for locations within Center City.

Looking for 120,000 to 150,000 square feet. Make it happen Southern Land Co! Build 150,000 square feet of retail and sign Bloomies asap! Would be the perfect location for them directly off of the square.

[1487]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Still receiving emails about Bloomingdale's searching for locations within Center City.

Looking for 120,000 to 150,000 square feet. Make it happen Southern Land Co! Build 150,000 square feet of retail and sign Bloomies asap! Would be the perfect location for them directly off of the square.

Thats a lot of space, not many places where you could get that much in CC unless its at East Market or in some building that doesn't exist yet.

[Randomguy34]

The link for the document on the 30th Street Station District Plan wasn't working for me. I did a bit of searching and I think this link is the document: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/53...26_StakeholderReport_Final_SmallFile.pdf