PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[summersm343]

U.K. IT staffing firm nearly halfway to goal of creating 250 local jobs

A British staffing firm focused on tech jobs is nearly halfway toward meeting its goal of creating 250 local jobs nine months after opening a Center City office.

Frank Recruitment Group signed a five-year lease to take a 21,300-square-foot office at 1801 Market St. The company will make a total capital investment of $1.8 million in the project and has also committed to the creation of 250 new, full-time jobs over the next three years.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf was in Philadelphia Wednesday to mark the company’s growth and meet with Frank’s local leadership team.

Ian Clark, who relocated from the United Kingdom to open and run the Philadelphia location, said Frank started with 12 employees in September and has already exceeded 100, with plans to reach 170 by the end of its fiscal year in November and 250 by the end of 2018. Its Market Street space can fit 264 employees.

“They said they will most likely grow out of that space before the lease has expired,” Bumb said.

The aggressive growth has been fueled by the strategic investment from private equity firm Texas Pacific Group.

Read more here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/...ank-recruitment-it-microsoft-hiring.html

[Gonzo the Great]

Just " hear , say " but someone mentioned Aetna Life Insurance Co. was contemplating a move
out of Hartford Conn . A location they maintained for more than 140 years .

If a guess was appropriate , locations like Boston , NYC , or even DC come to mind . If they have
not already selected a new city location ...... does Philly fit in the list of possibilities .
Not sure how many positions go with a relocation , but somewhere is going to gain .

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by Urbanity

Oh, to your point about PennDOT/Chestnut St. Bridge-- We shouldn't assume anything. Remember, PennDOT's original proposal to rebuild the South Street Bridge was just an ugly highway style bridge with no architectural flourish to speak of. It took public pressure to build what is arguably a more attractive/pedestrian-friendly bridge.

Given PennDOT's existing MO, this would most likely be a replace-in-kind project, which is a damn shame since they could use this as an opportunity to extend Schuylkill Ave. down to South Street, eliminate the Chestnut Street slip, and fully segregate local and express traffic heading northbound.

Originally Posted by Nova08

Pedestrian changes are needed but they really need to rethink the 76/676 ramps - which I think are incorporated in the far away 30th St capping master plan.

Yeah, I saw the draft plan .... don't get your hopes up.

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

The Cira garage upgrades and market. Looks like a great amenity.

Makes me wonder whether the Old Nelsons and Schuylkill Banks office on the street level of that garage are going anywhere...

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Gonzo the Great

Just " hear , say " but someone mentioned Aetna Life Insurance Co. was contemplating a move
out of Hartford Conn . A location they maintained for more than 140 years .

If a guess was appropriate , locations like Boston , NYC , or even DC come to mind . If they have
not already selected a new city location ...... does Philly fit in the list of possibilities .
Not sure how many positions go with a relocation , but somewhere is going to gain .

It's worth shooting for, as Philadelphia has its own illustrious history in the origins of the insurance industry and offers the dynamism they're looking for, but I assume they'll end up in Boston.

New Englanders are a Provincial lot (I'd argue in some way more than Philadelphia) and I think many of them have a hard time seeing themselves anywhere else.

[McBane]

I feel like some people have this knee jerk reaction to oppose anything Inga suggests. I don't get it. Have you actually walked around this area? It's not very pleasant. Try walking from Center City to University City - the area bound by Walnut to JFK to about 32nd Street is still, despite the addition of these buildings, no-man's land. Schuylkill Ave has the ambiance of a highway; 30th Street Station is an island surrounded by parked and moving vehicles; Post Office is beautiful but lacks any interaction with the street on any of its four sides; the section of Schuylkill between Chestnut and Walnut is merely a bridge over train tracks and is unpleasant.

How do you defend that?

Here's an idea. Get rid of that ugly concrete median along Schuylkill Ave, adjust the lanes, and then expand the sidewalk on the opposite side. Plant trees, add benches, and make it a nice promenade. It has killer views.

I don't know what can be done about this mess, but good lord, do something.

And sorry, the Porch is a band aide, not a real fix. The powers that be, need to totally re-imagine 30th Street Station's connection to the surrounding streets.

[1487]

Originally Posted by Urbanity

I don't think she's suggesting it should be simple, rather that these infrastructure overhauls should be/should've been part of a forward-thinking discussion about how these impressive new buildings actually relate on the ground level. It's just constructive criticism from Inga, which is what she's good for-- demanding Philadelphians think more critically about how we build and rebuild the city.
Oh, to your point about PennDOT/Chestnut St. Bridge-- We shouldn't assume anything. Remember, PennDOT's original proposal to rebuild the South Street Bridge was just an ugly highway style bridge with no architectural flourish to speak of. It took public pressure to build what is arguably a more attractive/pedestrian-friendly bridge.

south street was city project, it's not a state road or bridge. PennDOT has improved the pedestrian experience on recent bridge projects such as the JFK bridge near 30th street and much of what is being done at street level as part of the 676 project. I surely expect it will be better than what's there now and they are also making a repair to the bulkhead on the river trail as part of the project.

[1487]

Originally Posted by McBane

I feel like some people have this knee jerk reaction to oppose anything Inga suggests. I don't get it. Have you actually walked around this area? It's not very pleasant. Try walking from Center City to University City - the area bound by Walnut to JFK to about 32nd Street is still, despite the addition of these buildings, no-man's land. Schuylkill Ave has the ambiance of a highway; 30th Street Station is an island surrounded by parked and moving vehicles; Post Office is beautiful but lacks any interaction with the street on any of its four sides; the section of Schuylkill between Chestnut and Walnut is merely a bridge over train tracks and is unpleasant.

How do you defend that?

Here's an idea. Get rid of that ugly concrete median along Schuylkill Ave, adjust the lanes, and then expand the sidewalk on the opposite side. Plant trees, add benches, and make it a nice promenade. It has killer views.

I don't know what can be done about this mess, but good lord, do something.

And sorry, the Porch is a band aide, not a real fix. The powers that be, need to totally re-imagine 30th Street Station's connection to the surrounding streets.

who is "defending it"? Do you see what is around that area? It's not exactly a walker's paradise. I mean she is great at stating the obvious- what is the realistic solution? I didn't see that mentioned. You are next to a river, over rail tracks and adjacent to roads that supply a highway. Who exactly is surprised that the pedestrian environment for FMC tower is lacking vs buildings in CC proper?

Porch is huge improvement over what was there before and livens up what had been largely dead space.

[Mr Saturn64]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

The Cira garage upgrades and market. Looks like a great amenity.

Would they actually play Phillies games on that big — thing? That would actually be really cool. Now, all we need is a better set of Phils to watch.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by McBane

I feel like some people have this knee jerk reaction to oppose anything Inga suggests. I don't get it. Have you actually walked around this area? It's not very pleasant. Try walking from Center City to University City - the area bound by Walnut to JFK to about 32nd Street is still, despite the addition of these buildings, no-man's land. Schuylkill Ave has the ambiance of a highway; 30th Street Station is an island surrounded by parked and moving vehicles; Post Office is beautiful but lacks any interaction with the street on any of its four sides; the section of Schuylkill between Chestnut and Walnut is merely a bridge over train tracks and is unpleasant.

How do you defend that?

Here's an idea. Get rid of that ugly concrete median along Schuylkill Ave, adjust the lanes, and then expand the sidewalk on the opposite side. Plant trees, add benches, and make it a nice promenade. It has killer views.

I don't know what can be done about this mess, but good lord, do something.

And sorry, the Porch is a band aide, not a real fix. The powers that be, need to totally re-imagine 30th Street Station's connection to the surrounding streets.

Plus I asked her today what she meant by this statement: "But there is much more work to be done to make sure this emerging skyline really belongs in Philadelphia." And she confirmed that she was referring to the ground level improvements she ID'd in the article that she wants to see to nit the area into a real neighborhood and connect it to Center City. And she's exactly right.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by 1487

who is "defending it"? Do you see what is around that area? It's not exactly a walker's paradise. I mean she is great at stating the obvious- what is the realistic solution? I didn't see that mentioned. You are next to a river, over rail tracks and adjacent to roads that supply a highway. Who exactly is surprised that the pedestrian environment for FMC tower is lacking vs buildings in CC proper?

Porch is huge improvement over what was there before and livens up what had been largely dead space.

The article makes good suggestions. And there are others.

Where is the Phils screen proposed to be mounted in these renders? EVO? What about the apartments there?

[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Where is the Phils screen proposed to be mounted in these renders? EVO? What about the apartments there?

On the silver paneling cutout that goes up the side of the building overlooking the Green. . It won't block any windows.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

On the silver paneling cutout that goes up the side of the building overlooking the Green. . It won't block any windows.

Ah, got it. Thanks.

[Nova08]

Does anyone have a high res version of that render...they probably used a photo of the 2008 Phillies

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by Nova08

Does anyone have a high res version of that render...they probably used a photo of the 2008 Phillies

It's a recent photo of Jeanmar Gomez. It also looks like he just gave up a homerun. Very realistic.

[El Duderino]

^haha that's unfortunately all too accurate.

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by Gonzo the Great

Just " hear , say " but someone mentioned Aetna Life Insurance Co. was contemplating a move
out of Hartford Conn . A location they maintained for more than 140 years .

If a guess was appropriate , locations like Boston , NYC , or even DC come to mind . If they have
not already selected a new city location ...... does Philly fit in the list of possibilities .
Not sure how many positions go with a relocation , but somewhere is going to gain .

Aetna has made the official announcement that they are leaving Hartford:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=228562

[Nova08]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

Aetna has made the official announcement that they are leaving Hartford:

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=228562

And I read that it could be more of a "corporate move" meaning that the HQ will officially move with some top executives. But the majority of the workforce will stay in Hartford. So I wouldn't put too much hope in this one.

[jsbrook]

Originally Posted by Nova08

And I read that it could be more of a "corporate move" meaning that the HQ will officially move with some top executives. But the majority of the workforce will stay in Hartford. So I wouldn't put too much hope in this one.

Yes, it's not supposed to be close to all 5,000 CT employees. However it would be several hundred employees at headquarters. Still would be a boon for Philly, though I don't think Philly is competitive or a likely target for the relocation. Allan Domb is working on a time-limited tax break on corporate profits and for the wage tax for companies that relocate to Philly and bring a minimum number of jobs (with I believe a commitment to remain for X years). As sort of a stopgap until greater reform can take place. But it isn't ready for prime time or implementation yet.

[Philly Fan]

"Views of the Philadelphia skyline from the Penn lobby at FMC Tower."



https://twitter.com/Penn/status/871507681835700224/photo/1

[summersm343]

Regus coworking brand Spaces to occupy Philly's Hale Building offices

Coworking-space operator Spaces, a subsidiary of European shared-office giant Regus, has signed a 37,735-square-foot lease at Center City’s historic Hale Building, according to real estate services firm CBRE Group, which represented the company in the deal.

Spaces will occupy floors three through eight of the eight-story building at Chestnut and Juniper Streets, CBRE spokesman Bailey Hall said in an interview Wednesday.

Spaces users will have exclusive access to the Hale Building’s roof deck, Hall said. The first two floors will be occupied by a restaurant tenant.

The building is owned by an affiliate of Brickstone Realty, which is currently renovating the property.

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/re...llys-hale-building-offices-20170607.html