PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[summersm343]

Carl Dranoff & Dranoff Properties will develop the Northeast corner of Broad and Pine with a 'mixed use' building.

The site is currently a parking garage. Special thank to Larry King for posting this:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=7272676&postcount=4715

[McBane]

Nice find Summers/Larry King. Here is the corner (it's where Starbucks is): https://goo.gl/maps/dvwfoEmv4QJ2

Hopefully not another Southstar Lofts. Dranoff's properties have helped inject real life along Broad but the designs could be better. Southstar, along with Symphony House are horrific; his building at Broad at Catherine is decent while the glass tower going up now along the Schuylkill is looking good (but still nothing amazing). SLS - if it happens - would be his best work by far.

Dranoff: quit messing with these small time projects and focus on SLS!

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by PhillySteaks

(Knight response)

Okay - so you are saying they were only going to cover the tracks next to and under the cira centre? Am I understanding that correctly? That's a pretty big grade differential between ground and elevated isn't it? I wish I could google street view it, but isn't that section of land significantly lower than the street level that cira & 32nd street are on?

They are only going to cover the tracks between Cira and the Highline with actual development (as well as the mostly cleared land between the Highline and the SEPTA yard). Landscaped capping is what will go over the SEPTA tracks at both ends (very little) and over the NE corridor tracks which run between Cira and the Schuylkill Expressway (and the narrow part along the Schuylkill Expressway south of Spring Garden). Trying to be clear, but you'll see what i mean if if compare a Maps view with the proposal sketch. The actual ground level is indeed significantly lower than street level. I'm saying that they have to elevate whatever they build (like FMC), even if they're building on open ground, to have the project at (or nearer to) street level. It seems to me that the landscaped capping is just going to be an extension of that necessary infrastructure where they can do it at a reasonable additional cost. I'm no engineer and this is all draft stuff right now anyway.

[loverboie]

Im not really good at photoshop, but I tried, and it's just for fun. This is what I imagine 8th Market street would look like: first glass building about 750 foot tall, made for a international major corp...Second glass building, will be an South America Luxury Chain hotel with expensive pent houses above, about 970 feet tall, all with ground floor commercials. A new subway entrance, with screens just like gallery place DC, and above it will be retails, the building above it will be filled with luxury condos, wrapped around 8th street and apartments will face chestnut...


Between the Gallery mall renovation, and possibly apartments on the top of the new Gallery, billboards and countless of commercials, also with Market east, retails, billboards and innovation tech work place, with entertainments, apartments ex...This stretch will be so freaking exciting, and possibly become the money engine for this city to support our schools, and create trade jobs and provide trade education for the less fortunate.......

Also lit might also ad residence up top as well...
Building use...Gallery Place, and 400 Massachusetts Ave DC
Glass Building are taking from Dubai

[loverboie]

I believe that west Philadelphia has what it takes to push the whole entire Philadelphia to success, and a possibly built out Philly for the better in the future…

With the ever growing presence of University, which is somewhat becoming a downtown to the area, West Philly has an opportunity to link its major AVE together, to create a sprawl built out for the entire section of West Philly.

So here are the major AVE that can start the movement in west…all of these Ave will connect commercial space with each other…

Start with….

40th Parkside Ave…up to 52nd street down to 40th Girard Ave

30th Girard up to 52nd Lancaster

52nd Street starting with Parkside all the way down to Baltimore Ave, connecting, Parkside, Lancaster, Haverford, Lansdowne, Girard, Market, Walnut, Chestnut and Baltimore Ave

34th Lancaster Ave up to City Line Ave

63rd street from City Line Ave up to Baltimore Ave, ending for Baltimore Ave, connecting, Lancaster, Haverford, Lansdowne, Market, and Baltimore Ave…. and being a gate way for Delaware and Montgomery county and truly connecting city line ave to west Philly…


46th street from Parkside to Baltimore Ave

52nd Lansdowne up to 63th street

3oth Chestnut Street up to 5nd street

30th Walnut Street up to 52nd street

Baltimore Ave up to 63rd street

31st Haverford to 63rd street….

30th Market Street, up to 63RD

All lead to University as the core, or downtown west Philly…

Property value will go up, higher value on row homes, better quality design row homes, and more transit…

These are all important streets in west that can bust into commercial, residence, of mix heights, start-ups, office work and play type of environments…
Imagine if all of these avenues mention where all build out mix use, and zoned height…and each avenue was alive and exciting, with different feeling….the inner core home values will rise…. And west Philly would become the second engine for Philly, outside of Center city….


Parkside Ave...imagine full blown done, with classy mid rise, and its old mansions victorian homes, with classy coffee shops, Main theater near by, the Rittenhouse of west Philly.....


Lancaster ave, full blown built, it can become a hot bed innovation avenue with large work space, and research centers reaching as far as 52nd street.


52nd street, small businesses of all venues, the soul of west Philly, the spot that never sleeps, with night life, bars ex...imagine that...


I do the rest of the streets and avenues soon so that you guys can have a better understanding on what I envision, and how I view West Philly...

[br323206]

RE: Rail Yards

When you say "we have plenty of housing, so why cap the rail yards?" you are ignoring the fact that we're talking about a spot in the center of the city, right next to 30th Street Station. It doesn't really matter that there is plenty of housing in North Philly or Point Breeze or wherever. It is apples and oranges.

Also, people keep saying "Philly is one of THE most affordable cities" but it's really not. It's extremely affordable for a coastal city in the northeast or in California. But when you compare it to other large cities nationally it is much more average.

Housing affordability is kind of a nebulous term anyway. What makes a city affordable? Detroit has one of the highest percentages of household income spent on housing. By that definition it is extremely unaffordable, but we know that's not true. It's just poor.

On the other hand, you can look at the average price to rent an apartment (which I think is probably a better metric). By that metric, Philly is less affordable (more expensive) than Denver, Portland, Atlanta, Dallas, Baltimore, Houston, Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, etc.

[summersm343]

Jefferson, Philadelphia University planning to merge

Hmmm... not sure what this means. Could be interesting.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...son-philadelphia-university-merging.html

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Jefferson, Philadelphia University planning to merge

Hmmm... not sure what this means. Could be interesting.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...son-philadelphia-university-merging.html

I suppose that Phila. U (let's avoid "PU") has broader offerings than when it was Textile, but this seems a bit muddled. U.Sciences (fka Pharmacy) seems more like a natural fit. Anyway, is Jeff now going to be a big hospital/medical school with a small university, or is Phila. U now a small university with a big hospital/medical school? It sounds more like the former, since this appears to be driven by Jeff, but maybe it is ostensibly a merger of equals to create something bigger for both. It will be interesting to see how the entity names sort out (i.e., will the whole enterprise be TJU or Phila. U or something altogether new?) and how the East Falls Phila. U campus fits into the picture. Maybe this will spur some development around TJU (there's a nice big lot along Sansom b/w 9th and 10th). It's also interesting to see how our academic/medical/scientific institutions are becoming like Korean "chaebol" in the intellectual sector (like Drexel absorbed Hahnemann and the Academy of Natural Sciences - the latter of which I though a better fit for Penn).

[Frontst17]

My GF goes to Phila u in the occupational therapy program and mentioned that Phila U has had poor enrollment recently and that this could be a reason for this. Also they've been greatly expanding their medical programs to catch up with the size of their fashion and business schools, however, don't really have enough proper facilities for students so Jeff could help out there as well. As for Jeff I'm not sure how this benefits them other than having a secondary campus outside of the downtown?

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by Frontst17

My GF goes to Phila u in the occupational therapy program and mentioned that Phila U has had poor enrollment recently and that this could be a reason for this. Also they've been greatly expanding their medical programs to catch up with the size of their fashion and business schools, however, don't really have enough proper facilities for students so Jeff could help out there as well. As for Jeff I'm not sure how this benefits them other than having a secondary campus outside of the downtown?

That last question is really the big one. I can't see how a bucolic setting in E. Falls is the big missing piece in their master plan. I don't know enough about Phila. U. to say how much or little it adds, but it doesn't seem as focused on what Jeff currently does as U.Sciences -- or as comprehensive as institutions like St. Joe's or 'Nova. Maybe, besides the broader mission that it adds (if not broader resources), the name completes the package. Jefferson is a grand old name here, but doesn't convey "heft" outside of the local or broader medical communities as might "University of Philadelphia." The latter at least sounds big and important, like U.Pennsylvania, U. Pittsburgh, U.Chicago, etc. Now all they need is a football team and stadium.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Well, this article suggests answers to some of our questions (and sinks at least of my theories):

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20...ersity_to_merge.html#GRwLGmxBZAQq7j1v.99

The deal, expected to close by the end of June could help boost Philadelphia University's profile in the highly competitive Northeastern U.S. market for undergraduates, giving some of them a straighter shot at Jefferson's medical school.

Jefferson, which has already announced plans to merge with two hospital systems since 2014, would nearly double the number of its students and add significantly to its academic programs.

[....]

During a three-year transition period, the Philadelphia University's name will not change, but eventually it will be made clear that it is part of Jefferson, said chief executive Stephen K. Klasko, who will continue leading the entire organization.

He acknowledged that the merger is not the first thing anyone would expect from either institution. He said it's like a song that seems strange at first. "When you actually hear the song a few times, you realize it's a brilliant song," he said.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Carl Dranoff & Dranoff Properties will develop the Northeast corner of Broad and Pine with a 'mixed use' building.

The site is currently a parking garage. Special thank to Larry King for posting this:
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=7272676&postcount=4715

Wow, avenue of the apartments from Broad to Pine. If everything comes to fruition:

1. The Griffin (Broad & Chesnut)
2. Pearl Project (Broad & Locust)
3. 260 S Broad/Atlantic Building (Broad & Spruce)
4. SLS (Broad & Spruce)
5. New Dranoff (Broad & Pine)

[cafeguy]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

That last question is really the big one. I can't see how a bucolic setting in E. Falls is the big missing piece in their master plan. I don't know enough about Phila. U. to say how much or little it adds, but it doesn't seem as focused on what Jeff currently does as U.Sciences -- or as comprehensive as institutions like St. Joe's or 'Nova. Maybe, besides the broader mission that it adds (if not broader resources), the name completes the package. Jefferson is a grand old name here, but doesn't convey "heft" outside of the local or broader medical communities as might "University of Philadelphia." The latter at least sounds big and important, like U.Pennsylvania, U. Pittsburgh, U.Chicago, etc. Now all they need is a football team and stadium.

Jeff is one of the largest medical colleges in the country...if not THE largest. They also just got the largest private donation EVER for a medical school from Kimmel (110 million). The one thing jefferson doesn't have is the very lucrative undergraduate population and there is no room downtown to expand one. This deal will benefit UPhila by giving them more name recognition and reputation to increase enrollment and expand the resources to have a stronger undergraduate program. The deal will benefit jefferson by giving them an undergraduate infrastructure to build and become a larger university power.

its a win win or them, but I wish they merged with uni of the sciences. That would be much better, but not sure if uni of sci has any interest or need. They do, however, lack graduate programs which jeff could have provided.

In 5 years, Jefferson will begin to become more than a medical and graduate school and start to expand as a full university.

[christof]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Jefferson, Philadelphia University planning to merge

Hmmm... not sure what this means. Could be interesting.

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...son-philadelphia-university-merging.html

It is the start of consolidation in higher education. Give it a decade, and you will be shocked at who merged and who closed. Not only in Philly, but across the country.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by cafeguy

Jeff is one of the largest medical colleges in the country...if not THE largest. They also just got the largest private donation EVER for a medical school from Kimmel (110 million). The one thing jefferson doesn't have is the very lucrative undergraduate population and there is no room downtown to expand one. This deal will benefit UPhila by giving them more name recognition and reputation to increase enrollment and expand the resources to have a stronger undergraduate program. The deal will benefit jefferson by giving them an undergraduate infrastructure to build and become a larger university power.

its a win win or them, but I wish they merged with uni of the sciences. That would be much better, but not sure if uni of sci has any interest or need. They do, however, lack graduate programs which jeff could have provided.

In 5 years, Jefferson will begin to become more than a medical and graduate school and start to expand as a full university.

Yeah, I think the Philly.com article made a lot of your points clear. This is definitely going "chaebol" with vertical and horizontal integration at the same time -- sort of like Mitsubishi making everything from cars to cameras to tuna fish, but a least circumscribed within a broadly-defined intellectual sector.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by cafeguy

They also just got the largest private donation EVER for a medical school from Kimmel (110 million).

Raymond Perelman, and Penn, would respectfully disagree. Perelman's $225 million donation to Penn Medicine was at the time (2011), and I believe still is, the largest naming gift ever received by an American medical school. And was enough to cause Penn Medicine to adopt his name after almost 250 years of existence. Still, it's great to have two of the largest--if not THE largest--donations to medical schools be right here in Philly.

[PhillySteaks]

Originally Posted by br323206

RE: Rail Yards

When you say "we have plenty of housing, so why cap the rail yards?" you are ignoring the fact that we're talking about a spot in the center of the city, right next to 30th Street Station. It doesn't really matter that there is plenty of housing in North Philly or Point Breeze or wherever. It is apples and oranges.

Also, people keep saying "Philly is one of THE most affordable cities" but it's really not. It's extremely affordable for a coastal city in the northeast or in California. But when you compare it to other large cities nationally it is much more average.

Housing affordability is kind of a nebulous term anyway. What makes a city affordable? Detroit has one of the highest percentages of household income spent on housing. By that definition it is extremely unaffordable, but we know that's not true. It's just poor.

On the other hand, you can look at the average price to rent an apartment (which I think is probably a better metric). By that metric, Philly is less affordable (more expensive) than Denver, Portland, Atlanta, Dallas, Baltimore, Houston, Austin, Charlotte, Nashville, etc.

You didn't answer the original question.

[skyscraper]

Originally Posted by cafeguy

Jeff is one of the largest medical colleges in the country...if not THE largest.

According to eHow, Drexel is the 4th largest medical school in the United States, and Jefferson is 5th.
http://www.ehow.com/info_7924233_biggest-med-schools.html

And according to Useless News and World Distort, Drexel has the most applicants.
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-gra...medical-schools-with-the-most-applicants

[br323206]

Originally Posted by PhillySteaks

You didn't answer the original question.

I don't have an answer. I was just pointing out some facts that might lead someone down the right track to an answer.

[br323206]

Originally Posted by cafeguy

Jeff is one of the largest medical colleges in the country...if not THE largest. They also just got the largest private donation EVER for a medical school from Kimmel (110 million). The one thing jefferson doesn't have is the very lucrative undergraduate population and there is no room downtown to expand one. This deal will benefit UPhila by giving them more name recognition and reputation to increase enrollment and expand the resources to have a stronger undergraduate program. The deal will benefit jefferson by giving them an undergraduate infrastructure to build and become a larger university power.

its a win win or them, but I wish they merged with uni of the sciences. That would be much better, but not sure if uni of sci has any interest or need. They do, however, lack graduate programs which jeff could have provided.

In 5 years, Jefferson will begin to become more than a medical and graduate school and start to expand as a full university.

Phila U is in a lot better financial shape than USciences. The latter is in dire straits financially and, as a result, is not very attractive to Jefferson.