PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by City Wide

Fiebush and co. are eyeing the next block:
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/te...m_email=7438f942161e7255443174b4e7ae616a

This is an example where I might prefer a developer who builds a better product, but I have no problem with Feibush doing his 'tear down the old' dance at this location. I just wish he would have done this first and let somebody else save the Frankford building

I think he's being super smart. He's got a ton of investment in GHo and obviously Point Breeze, and chunks of those neighborhoods lack a pleasant commercial corridor. Enter Washington Ave - with its large swaths of cheap land - It's a total blank slate and a great opportunity to add amenities to the 'hoods he operates in which will only increase their appeal and, thus, value. I love C & R as much as the next guy, but for what these neighborhoods have developed into and the trajectory of greater center city - having this stretch be solely industrial is just not an optimal use of land for anybody (those businesses included). FWIW, 'Chicks' is a pretty chill spot with good beer on the 1800 Block owned by a former mobster who was part of the Bruno crime family.

[Jawnadelphia]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjhsdd5HrKC/?hl=en&taken-by=therailpark

[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by Londonee

I think he's being super smart. He's got a ton of investment in GHo and obviously Point Breeze, and chunks of those neighborhoods lack a pleasant commercial corridor. Enter Washington Ave - with its large swaths of cheap land - It's a total blank slate and a great opportunity to add amenities to the 'hoods he operates in which will only increase their appeal and, thus, value. I love C & R as much as the next guy, but for what these neighborhoods have developed into and the trajectory of greater center city - having this stretch be solely industrial is just not an optimal use of land for anybody (those businesses included). FWIW, 'Chicks' is a pretty chill spot with good beer on the 1800 Block owned by a former mobster who was part of the Bruno crime family.

Speaking of western Washington Avenue...

Craft beer pioneer Dock Street taps South Philly's evolving Washington Ave. for new brewery

Dock Street Brewing Co. was an early insurgent in the craft beer revolution that introduced America to sophisticated, small-batch suds.

Now it aims to be a pioneer in the revitalization of western Washington Avenue, currently a disheveled industrial artery running through the resurgent South Philadelphia neighborhoods of Graduate Hospital and Point Breeze.

The craft beer stalwart, which began brewing during the 1980s wave that also saw the birth of Samuel Adams-producer Boston Beer Co. and Brooklyn Brewery, plans to open a new production space and taproom in a former tile warehouse at 2118 Washington Ave. some time next spring.

Dock Street president and cofounder Rosemarie Certo said she aims to help the corridor blossom into a bohemian-chic boulevard akin to the revitalizing area around its existing West Philadelphia location near 50th Street and Baltimore Avenue, which it will continue to operate.

...

While projects involving residential construction along western Washington Avenue require variances from its industrial zoning, the Dock Street brewery — as a production facility — requires no such special permission.

Certo said her company’s entire canning operation will move from the 6,500 square feet that it occupies in a former West Philadelphia firehouse and adjacent buildings to the 10,300 square feet it will lease from Donatucci on Washington Avenue.

While Dock Street will continue to produce specialty and limited-run brews, such as its Jip the Blood weissbier and its Nino’s Prickly Pears gose, in West Philadelphia for on-site consumption and keg sales, most production will shift to South Philadelphia.

Through the expansion, Dock Street aims to ramp up production capacity from about 2,000 barrels (equivalent to 4,000 kegs) a year to around 9,000 barrels, including a small amount it has brewed under its label at a facility in Pittston, near Wilkes-Barre. (Philadelphia’s biggest brewer Yards, by comparison, has capacity to brew 100,000 barrels a year at its new building.)

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/re...ization-south-philadelphia-20180604.html

[iheartphilly]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjhsdd5HrKC/?hl=en&taken-by=therailpark

I like it. Very industrial looking rail park against an industrial looking background.

[Londonee]

^^Hah, right on cue. And Ori's 2 projects - which are basically adjacent to this property on Wash Ave - have just gone up in value!

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

I like it. Very industrial looking rail park against an industrial looking background.

That gravel is going to get absolutely everywhere. Not sure why they chose that as a surface as opposed to concrete.

It's gonna be near impossible to contain.

[BenKatzPhillytoParis]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

That gravel is going to get absolutely everywhere. Not sure why they chose that as a surface as opposed to concrete.

It's gonna be near impossible to contain.

Well, probably because it's much more attractive and elegant than concrete. It's used at Swann Fountain, and pretty much every park in Paris. Doesn't seem to be a problem.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by BenKatzPhillytoParis

Well, probably because it's much more attractive and elegant than concrete. It's used at Swann Fountain, and pretty much every park in Paris. Doesn't seem to be a problem.

You're speaking of milled, decomposed granite.

This is not that.

That's yard rock.

[hammersklavier]

There are zoning notices up at the large triangular property at 12th and Spring Garden.

Also I'm pretty sure that the billboard on the SW corner of 10th and Spring Garden came down recently.

[mja]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

You're speaking of milled, decomposed granite.

This is not that.

That's yard rock.

You can tell all of that from that picture?

[Londonee]

Anyone know what's happening at the lot and the adjacent building on The Triangle at 2300 South Street? It's fenced in and interior demo work has begun.

It's kind of a large, prime location on the plaza and South Street. I can't find any mention of it on any site any where...None of the area civic associations have posted info on it either. What gives?

Years ago, dip 🞵🞵🞵🞵 Nimby's opposed this pretty cool project there:
http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/graduate-hospital/2300-south-street-denied

[Philly-Drew]

Recently I noticed this being built on the corner of Front and Wildey, between the El and 95. Does anyone know what is what it is.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Philly-Drew

Recently I noticed this being built on the corner of Front and Wildey, between the El and 95. Does anyone know what is what it is.

Carvana.

[hammersklavier]

That's a Carvana showroom. If you look at it from the el you can see it has an atrocious site plan but the site also sort of feels really far away from anything despite being about a block away from both Girard and the Fillmore.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by Londonee

Anyone know what's happening at the lot and the adjacent building on The Triangle at 2300 South Street? It's fenced in and interior demo work has begun.

It's kind of a large, prime location on the plaza and South Street. I can't find any mention of it on any site any where...None of the area civic associations have posted info on it either. What gives?

Years ago, dip 🞵🞵🞵🞵 Nimby's opposed this pretty cool project there:
http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/graduate-hospital/2300-south-street-denied

Until about 5 years ago it served as a warehouse for Newman Galleries. It's going to be a couple of retail spaces on the ground floor and I forget what on the second floor (they're extending a mezzanine). It actually fronts of both South and 23rd, but the vacant parking lot splits it. Nothing going into the parking lot at this time.

It was a small faction that put the kibosh on the previous plan. Actually it was a lesser civic association, South Street West Civic Association, then led by a woman appropriately named Barbara Failer. Her and the rest of the board members that ran that group at the time and successfully blocked the zoning variance were shortly thereafter sent packing. More sensible people put together a slate of candidates to run for SSWCA's board and the incumbents, who didn't see it coming, never knew what hit them. See the 2015 PlanPhilly article linked below; the way it went down was utterly epic!

http://planphilly.com/articles/2015/02/1...sociation-board-ousted-in-election-upset

The other thing about the proposal that was rejected – it was very similar in height and form to a building that had stood on that empty lot many years before.

EDIT: Okay, I was able to find the Southwest Center City Philadelphia fb group thread from April about the current construction activity. Here ya go:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthwestCenterCityPhila/permalink/10156527857008203/

"Spoke to construction workers today. Said entire second floor will be a (hot?) yoga studio and first floor will be two TBD retail spaces, one 1000sqft and the other 3000sqft. 2300 South St."

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by Jayfar

Until about 5 years ago it served as a warehouse for Newman Galleries. It's going to be a couple of retail spaces on the ground floor and I forget what on the second floor (they're extending a mezzanine). It actually fronts of both South and 23rd, but the vacant parking lot splits it. Nothing going into the parking lot at this time.

It was a small faction that put the kibosh on the previous plan. Actually it was a lesser civic association, South Street West Civic Association, then led by a woman appropriately named Barbara Failer. Her and the rest of the board members that ran that group at the time and successfully blocked the zoning variance were shortly thereafter sent packing. More sensible people put together a slate of candidates to run for SSWCA's board and the incumbents, who didn't see it coming, never knew what hit them. See the 2015 PlanPhilly article linked below; the way it went down was utterly epic!

http://planphilly.com/articles/2015/02/1...sociation-board-ousted-in-election-upset

The other thing about the proposal that was rejected – it was very similar in height and form to a building that had stood on that empty lot many years before.

EDIT: Okay, I was able to find the Southwest Center City Philadelphia fb group thread from April about the current construction activity. Here ya go:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SouthwestCenterCityPhila/permalink/10156527857008203/

"Spoke to construction workers today. Said entire second floor will be a (hot?) yoga studio and first floor will be two TBD retail spaces, one 1000sqft and the other 3000sqft. 2300 South St."

Thanks Jay. Wonder the need, then, for them to fence off the lot and adios the Greendrop? I remember the Barb F fiasco - that would have been an unbelievably perfect building for the space - cafe, open doors, addresses the park, modern, clean...etc.

Across the Triangle, the Woven Treasures store - as nice as those folks are - is such an eyesore. I just don't understand how they stay in business on that prime corner (they must own the building?).

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by Londonee

Thanks Jay. Wonder the need, then, for them to fence off the lot and adios the Greendrop? I remember the Barb F fiasco - that would have been an unbelievably perfect building for the space - cafe, open doors, addresses the park, modern, clean...etc.

They really need that lot for working space as they stripped off stucco, demolished a small appendage to the 23rd St side, and created two new window openings on on the eastern face of the South St part. Jason Nussbaum owns it all, so it was easy for him to do.

Across the Triangle, the Woven Treasures store - as nice as those folks are - is such an eyesore. I just don't understand how they stay in business on that prime corner (they must own the building?).

Since they expanded substantially beyond oriental rugs and stepped up their display window game a few years ago, most of the locals love Woven Treasures. I believe they do own the building and also the next door 3-story building on South St. They also took down part of an interior wall and expanded into the next door South St space about a decade ago.

https://goo.gl/maps/M64jKyooHqo

[nimshady]

I walked past it yesterday and I am really excited for it to open up and get some nice trees in there.

[PhillyEngineer]

Here are some pictures of the Fashion District Philadelphia:









The corner of 10th & Filbert - they are not remodeling the second floor even though the rendering showed they were.

[PhillyEngineer]

Some pictures of Love Park taken June 9. I understand the criticisms of it, but I think once the trees grow it will be really nice.



I do think they should add some umbrellas to the seating area:




The drainage problem appears to have been (mostly) solved:


The ping pong tables are a nice touch: