PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[SEFTA]

Delete

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

To each his own.

I like the new design.

Every busy street deserves density. I made no comment about the design in my OP, though I happen to like this one.

That building design isn't bad, it actually looks pretty decent and different.

Now that makes me wonder, when they built the original homes in the 1900's + were people saying the homes look bad and are badly designed compared to pervious.

Were there NIMYBS in that time as well? (Not calling anyone on this forum a NIMBY)

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by Vince_

What a missed opportunity. 2nd Street should have had cobblestones on both sides, just like it does a block north at the headhouse/shambles. Parking should have been eliminated or been reduced to parallel parking for an expanded plaza. It's not exactly groundbreaking but Fells Point in Baltimore has a great example of how simple the solution is.



Why are there barely any trees?! The biggest success of any park is mature trees. It's why Rittenhouse and Wash Sq are amazing and Love Park is sterile now. There's no above head power lines here so it's especially weird.

Apparently there is a Peco substation beneath the plaza, or part of it, preventing tree planting. (from what I read in a FB group). Not sure if that is true, but the design could have at least included large planters and small shrubbery. For example, Drexel wanted to line Market Street with trees, but couldn't because of the EL, so the University added planters, I don't know why that can't be added here.

Separately, while Love Park is meh, my hope is that the trees mature in the coming years, adding a nice element of vegetation and shade.

I hope the upcoming Thomas Paine Plaza renovation has a significant tree/vegetation component.

[SEFTA]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Apparently there is a Peco substation beneath the plaza, or part of it, preventing tree planting. (from what I read in a FB group). Not sure if that is true, but the design could have at least included large planters and small shrubbery. For example, Drexel wanted to line Market Street with trees, but couldn't because of the EL, so the University added planters, I don't know why that can't be added here.

Separately, while Love Park is meh, my hope is that the trees mature in the coming years, adding a nice element of vegetation and shade.

I hope the upcoming Thomas Paine Plaza renovation has a significant tree/vegetation component.

The new surfaces/pavements are nice. Just a clean look.
This was a chance to truly embrace the walkable city concept.
The center parking should have been removed, acknowledging a change in policy.
The street should have been cobblestone, single lane w parking lane, often closed to traffic for special events creating a massive public space.
Becomes a "SHARED STREET" experience, no curbs, bollards, main central plaza of a very popular area, major central water feature, landscaped gathering space, outdoor eating area, tables & chairs
$$$$

At least now it's clean and maintained.

What happens under the "canopies"?

Thomas Paine Plaza!?
Any renderings of that?
How exciting
What an eyesore
I would love to see drawings of what goes on under there.
What a prime location

[Vince_]

I haven't seen anything for years but this was the last "rendering" I saw from 2015:



If you've been there recently it's become a Love Park skateboard replacement so maybe they should just make it into a skatepark/basketball courts/playground because there's no shortage of open space parks around with Dilworth and Love. Whatever they do, just plant a lot of trees.

segment on "Muni" skateboarding at 2 mins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2TYlI-4oMM

Here is where the BSL, regional rail and underground passageways are:


source: https://whyy.org/articles/may-4-how-to-f...kes-dilworth-fountains-as-crowd-control/

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by Vince_

I haven't seen anything for years but this was the last "rendering" I saw from 2015:



If you've been there recently it's become a Love Park skateboard replacement so maybe they should just make it into a skatepark/basketball courts/playground because there's no shortage of open space parks around with Dilworth and Love. Whatever they do, just plant a lot of trees.

segment on "Muni" skateboarding at 2 mins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2TYlI-4oMM

Here is where the BSL, regional rail and underground passageways are:


source: https://whyy.org/articles/may-4-how-to-f...kes-dilworth-fountains-as-crowd-control/

I live accross the street from Thomas Paine at 1401 Arch, which was recently renovovated last year and is quite nice. However, the noise caused by the skateboarders is beyond horribe. Virtually everyone I know is planning on moving out when our leases end. The City wont do anything about it and Alterra isn't offering to install better windows. Will be interesting to see what happens.

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

I live accross the street from Thomas Paine at 1401 Arch, which was recently renovovated last year and is quite nice. However, the noise caused by the skateboarders is beyond horribe. Virtually everyone I know is planning on moving out when our leases end. The City wont do anything about it and Alterra isn't offering to install better windows. Will be interesting to see what happens.

what exactly would you like to see the city do with the people using a public park?

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by allovertown

what exactly would you like to see the city do with the people using a public park?

Not that it made or would make a lick of difference, but for several years they had thick cast BRONZE PLAQUES at several spots at beside entryways to the plaza announcing the prohibition of skateboarding. I'm not making this up. Checking now in streetview, the last year I see the plaques was in 2007, although they're too fuzzy to read on the zoom-in in streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/c7MiVB282ZS5zUQn7

[SEFTA]

Thank you.
I can't say I care for this AT ALL!
I suppose there's something going on under there that prevents the plaza to be at street level.
Not nearly enough GREEN!

With all of today's technology we can't get a building constructed on this prime space?

Originally Posted by Vince_

I haven't seen anything for years but this was the last "rendering" I saw from 2015:



If you've been there recently it's become a Love Park skateboard replacement so maybe they should just make it into a skatepark/basketball courts/playground because there's no shortage of open space parks around with Dilworth and Love. Whatever they do, just plant a lot of trees.

segment on "Muni" skateboarding at 2 mins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2TYlI-4oMM

Here is where the BSL, regional rail and underground passageways are:


source: https://whyy.org/articles/may-4-how-to-f...kes-dilworth-fountains-as-crowd-control/

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Jayfar

Not that it made or would make a lick of difference, but for several years they had thick cast BRONZE PLAQUES at several spots at beside entryways to the plaza announcing the prohibition of skateboarding. I'm not making this up. Checking now in streetview, the last year I see the plaques was in 2007, although they're too fuzzy to read on the zoom-in in streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/c7MiVB282ZS5zUQn7

You understand Philadelphia is one of the best skateboarding cities in the country and this is one of their pre-eminent spots?

If you don't like it, move.

[mcgrath618]

I actually do believe a little bit of that falls on 1401 Arch. It’s one thing to have existing residential with an existing noise source next door, but to renovate the structure and then not include sound-reducing or even sound proof windows is just plain dumb.

They’re skateboarding. There are FAR worse things they could be doing. In fact, a far worse source of noise in this city is the ATVs, which is also significantly more dangerous than skateboarding.

[kool-ski]

189-Unit Mixed-Use Building Proposed in Northern Liberties

Developers are proposing a 75 foot tall building with 189 residential units, 10,330 square feet of commercial space, 65 underground automobile parking spots, and 68 bicycle stalls. The commercial space will occupy all of the frontage along Girard Avenue with the residential entrance located on 3rd Street.

http://www.rising.realestate/189-unit-mixed-use-building-proposed-in-northern-liberties/

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

You understand Philadelphia is one of the best skateboarding cities in the country and this is one of their pre-eminent spots?

If you don't like it, move.

It doesn't bother me a bit. I was pointing out the folly of the City of Philadelphia having spent big bucks to fabricate cast bronze plaques declaring skateboarding illegal in the plaza.

[eixample]

Nobody should apologize about complaining about excessive noise in this city. I get that skateboarding is not nearly as loud as the dirt bikes, ATVs and souped up cars running up and down Broad but the same arguments used to justify them are the ones that people use to justify much worse noises. It's a unique culture, you live in a city so you should deal with it, and on and on. Really loud noises have proven negative effects on our health and on top of that a large majority just don't like the activity based on the noise and other extremely legitimate safety reasons. So why can't we ban the noxious behaviors? The city, as on so many fronts, fails us. We should police noise much more strictly, from things like obnoxious vehicular noise to excessively loud generators, news helicopters hovering low over crime scenes, etc.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by eixample

Nobody should apologize about complaining about excessive noise in this city. I get that skateboarding is not nearly as loud as the dirt bikes, ATVs and souped up cars running up and down Broad but the same arguments used to justify them are the ones that people use to justify much worse noises. It's a unique culture, you live in a city so you should deal with it, and on and on. Really loud noises have proven negative effects on out health and on top of that a large majority just don't like the activity based on the noise and other extremely legitimate safety reasons. So why can't we ban the noxious behaviors? The city, as on so many fronts, fails us. We should police noise much more strictly, from things like obnoxious vehicular noise to excessively loud generators, news helicopters hovering low over crime scenes, etc.

I actually don’t find skateboarding nearly as obnoxious as the ATVs, or even a baby crying. I’d even say that a construction site or loud traffic is more annoying than skateboarding.

Maybe it’s because I’m young. I just have never been bothered by it like the ATVs.

[iheartphilly]

Wasn't the concession when the city re-did Love Park, the City provided the skateboarders Paine's Park. And there's other well-known skateparks too. However, I have noticed in the past that property (both public and private) was damaged from skaters when they do they tricks and the trucks of the boards scraped and damaged property.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by eixample

Nobody should apologize about complaining about excessive noise in this city. I get that skateboarding is not nearly as loud as the dirt bikes, ATVs and souped up cars running up and down Broad but the same arguments used to justify them are the ones that people use to justify much worse noises. It's a unique culture, you live in a city so you should deal with it, and on and on. Really loud noises have proven negative effects on our health and on top of that a large majority just don't like the activity based on the noise and other extremely legitimate safety reasons. So why can't we ban the noxious behaviors? The city, as on so many fronts, fails us. We should police noise much more strictly, from things like obnoxious vehicular noise to excessively loud generators, news helicopters hovering low over crime scenes, etc.

I think my point is is that that location has always been a skateboarding venue. In fact, Payne Park and Dilworth Plaza are two of the main spots that put Philadelphia skateboarders on the map, precisely because of the hard scaping, etc.

Skateboarders are not new to this location.

It's akin to moving in next to a night club or a restaurant that has outdoor dining, being well aware of it (and thus implicitly accepting it), then moving in and complaining about it.

[City Wide]

^^^^^^
In the far burbs you have people moving to the country then are pissed by the smells and bells from the farmer next door.

[iamrobk]

Maybe it's just because I haven't really been around Paine Plaza at night (though I work right around there during the day), but I just can't imagine how skateboarders would make enough noise to be disruptive, especially compared to everything else that's going on in and around Center City.

[SEFTA]

A handsome building

310 West Girard Rendering – T + Associates

310 West Girard Rendering – T + Associates 2

demolished
310 West Girard Rendering –demolished

310 West Girard Rendering – T + Associates