PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[PhilliesPhan]

I don't get why Germantown fell so hard in the first place. To me, it should be one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city: the housing stock is just as high-quality as Mount Airy and even Chestnut Hill, the streets are full of mature trees, Chelten Avenue has a ton of potential as a retail corridor, its historical assets are only matched by those closest to Center City, it has great access to Wissahickon Valley and (to a lesser extent) Fernhill Park, and it has some of the best Regional Rail access in the region.

I see a ton of potential in Southwest Germantown. There is more vacant land there than in Northwest Germantown, and the housing stock that still stands in Southwest Germantown is high-quality. I could see a scenario where most of the vacant land/derelict properties surrounding Queen Lane Station are redeveloped. The streets surrounding Wayne Junction could also use taller, denser projects. As for East Germantown, the blocks closest to Wister Woods Park and Wister Station should be prime candidates for new development. Same with the area surrounding Washington Lane Station and Awbury Arboretum.

[HBus]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

I don't get why Germantown fell so hard in the first place. To me, it should be one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city: the housing stock is just as high-quality as Mount Airy and even Chestnut Hill, the streets are full of mature trees, Chelten Avenue has a ton of potential as a retail corridor, its historical assets are only matched by those closest to Center City, it has great access to Wissahickon Valley and (to a lesser extent) Fernhill Park, and it has some of the best Regional Rail access in the region.

I see a ton of potential in Southwest Germantown. There is more vacant land there than in Northwest Germantown, and the housing stock that still stands in Southwest Germantown is high-quality. I could see a scenario where most of the vacant land/derelict properties surrounding Queen Lane Station are redeveloped. The streets surrounding Wayne Junction could also use taller, denser projects. As for East Germantown, the blocks closest to Wister Woods Park and Wister Station should be prime candidates for new development. Same with the area surrounding Washington Lane Station and Awbury Arboretum.

Germantown was far less affluent than West Mt. Airy or Chestnut Hill. Those two neighborhoods had large numbers of families who could afford to send their children to private school. That’s why they didn’t experience White flight the way Germantown and East Mount Airy did. Germantown Academy moved to Fort Washington because it was experiencing steep enrollment decline. The neighborhood wasn’t affluent enough support GFS and GA simultaneously.

Germantown’s residents were far more likely to be employed in manufacturing as well. Tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs vanished from the industrial corridor between lower Germantown and Nicetown between the 1950s and 1970s. The movement of those jobs to the suburbs helped to expedite White flight. Proximity to North Philly and gang activity were huge issues as well. They stopped serving lunch at the Germantown HS cafeteria for a while in the late 1960s because they couldn’t stop the gang beefs from getting out of control. There was a fall fair at Immaculate Conception that by the early 1970s was routinely subject to a menacing presence of gangs.

There is a lot of public housing and bunch of social service agencies adjacent to Wister Station. That area is in no way prime for redevelopment. The area around Queen Lane will get redeveloped / gentrified over time because of real estate price inflation in East Falls and proximity to the more affluent part of Germantown.

[summersm343]

Germantown has a ton of potential to be one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city. It should be. It should also be a huge tourist destination.

Everything between West Mount Airy and Wayne Junction, East Falls to Germantown station on the Chestnut Hill East Line has a TON of potential.

From beautiful historic homes along tree-lined streets in the Morton/Tulpehocken historic district, to Penn Knox section. Easy highway access to Route 1. Easy regional rail access at at least SIX stations.

TONS of history and what SHOULD be historic tourist destinations for those seeking colonial era history - Cliveden/Battle of Germantown, Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, Historic Upsal Mansion, Johnson House, Concord School House, Wyck Historic House, Germantown Town Hall, Vernon/Wister Mansion, Market Square, Germantown White House, Slavery Museum, Grumblethorpe, Howell House, Conyngham-Hacker House, Loundoun Mansion, and MORE!!

The Awbury Arboretum is there. Great parks - Vernon Park, Fernhill Park, easy access to the Wissahickon.

Germantown Friends School - need I say more?

A built-in, cobblestone street commercial corridor along Germantown Ave. Another great commercial corridor along Chelten Ave that could easily be rebuilt in spots with new midrise and highrise construction. AND Maplewood Mall which could be it's own little European-feeling commercial strip.

Germantown has so much potential and we as a city should be getting behind it's rebirth 1000%

[HBus]

White gentrification happens in three patterns in the city. The two rapid ones are occurring in radiating waves from Center City and UCity and in former White ethnic enclaves. The far slower pattern is what’s happening in outer Black neighborhoods such as Germantown. Less affluent White people start to trickle into Black areas adjacent to White Areas that they can’t afford to buy in. This is exactly what has been and is happening in NW Germantown. The same thing is happening in Dogtown in East Mt. Airy.

The fact that you’re touting GFS is exactly why change will continue to be slow. Germantown is a family oriented place not a magnet for younger singles. White people don’t send their children to the public schools in Chestnut Hill or West Mt. Airy. They’re sure as hell are not going to send their kids to the public or charter schools in Germantown.

To the extent that redevelopment occurs in Germantown it’s going to continue to be concentrated along and to the West of Germantown Avenue from Queen Lane northward because it’s the Whitest most affluent part of the neighborhood. It will take a while to happen but as real estate prices continue to increase in East Mt. Airy (people are paying nearly $500k for ugly a** new row houses in Dogtown. WTF?) people will start to migrate into Northeast Germantown. In fact a set of twins were built on a vacant lot at Johnson and Ross right on the boundary between EMA and G’town a year or so ago.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by HBus

White gentrification happens in three patterns in the city. The two rapid ones are occurring in radiating waves from Center City and UCity and in former White ethnic enclaves. The far slower pattern is what’s happening in outer Black neighborhoods such as Germantown. Less affluent White people start to trickle into Black areas adjacent to White Areas that they can’t afford to buy in. This is exactly what has been and is happening in NW Germantown. The same thing is happening in Dogtown in East Mt. Airy.

The fact that you’re touting GFS is exactly why change will continue to be slow. Germantown is a family oriented place not a magnet for younger singles. White people don’t send their children to the public schools in Chestnut Hill or West Mt. Airy. They’re sure as hell are not going to send their kids to the public or charter schools in Germantown.

To the extent that redevelopment occurs in Germantown it’s going to continue to be concentrated along and to the West of Germantown Avenue from Queen Lane northward because it’s the Whitest most affluent part of the neighborhood. It will take a while to happen but as real estate prices continue to increase in East Mt. Airy (people are paying nearly $500k for ugly a** new row houses in Dogtown. WTF?) people will start to migrate into Northeast Germantown. In fact a set of twins were built on a vacant lot at Johnson and Ross right on the boundary between EMA and G’town a year or so ago.

Huh? Germantown Friends School continues to rank as THE TOP if not one of the top private schools in the state of Pennsylvania:

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-k12-schools/s/pennsylvania/

And also, yeah, no, you're right, most kids in Chestnut Hill are going to private school... but Jenks (in Chestnut Hill) continues to be a beacon of light in the Philadelphia School District along with some of the core schools: Penn Alexander, Greenfield, Meredith, McCall, etc.

[summersm343]

Renderings For a Pair of Seven Story Buildings Coming to Chestnut Street

4141 Chestnut - current site:


4141 Chestnut rendering:


4141 Chestnut rendering:


4301 Chestnut - current site:


4301 Chestnut rendering:


4301 Chestnut rendering:


Read/view more here:
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/w...tory-buildings-coming-to-chestnut-street

[summersm343]

114-Unit, Mixed-Use Project Planned on Trolley Car Diner Site in Mount Airy

Current site:


Rendering:


Rendering:


Rendering:


Aerial rendering:


Site plan:


Read/view more here:
http://www.rising.realestate/114-unit-mixed-use-project-planned-on-trolley-car-diner-site/

[summersm343]

Permits Issued For Renovations For Historic Poth Brewery Building At 3145 Jefferson Street In Brewerytown

Current view:


Rendering:

Permits have been issued for interior alterations at the historic Poth Brewery at 3145 Jefferson Street in Brewerytown, North Philadelphia. The filing calls for the renovation of 7,145 square feet of retail space at the ground floor as part of an ongoing revitalization of one of the oldest brewery buildings in the city. Contracted and acquired by MMP Homes in 2018, the plan is set to transform the 19th-century, Rundbogenstil-style industrial building, which has sat vacant since 2002, into a multi-purpose complex with 133 lofts, art galleries, retail, indoor parking, and other recreational uses.

Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2021/10/permits-...t-in-brewerytown-north-philadelphia.html

[HBus]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Huh? Germantown Friends School continues to rank as THE TOP if not one of the top private schools in the state of Pennsylvania:

https://www.niche.com/k12/search/best-private-k12-schools/s/pennsylvania/

And also, yeah, no, you're right, most kids in Chestnut Hill are going to private school... but Jenks (in Chestnut Hill) continues to be a beacon of light in the Philadelphia School District along with some of the core schools: Penn Alexander, Greenfield, Meredith, McCall, etc.

I wasn’t criticizing GFS. I was pointing out that few families can afford to send their children to GFS and White families are simply not going to send their children to any public or charter school in Germantown.

My brother lives in West Mt. Airy. His kids attended Henry. The vast majority of his fellow White families sent their kids to private school or a majority White charter like Green Woods or they moved to the suburbs. This is nothing new but it’s why some parts of NW Philly have White residents and others don’t.

For the past 50 years Jenks is where middle-class Black families send their kids to avoid lower income Black families. It’s catchment extends into a small section 19150. That plus the apartments along Stenton give Jenks some naturally acquired middle-class enrollment but it has a lot of out-of-catchment enrollment.

As for the other schools you mentioned they’ve got exactly the kind of diversity middle- and upper-middle class White parents love. Those schools are majority or plurality White with exceptionally few low income students compared to the rest of the district.

[iheartphilly]

^
Thumbs up! Amen to the truth. Chime in more, you have a good honest perspective of issues like this. Happy to read them.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by HBus

I wasn’t criticizing GFS. I was pointing out that few families can afford to send their children to GFS and White families are simply not going to send their children to any public or charter school in Germantown.

My brother lives in West Mt. Airy. His kids attended Henry. The vast majority of his fellow White families sent their kids to private school or a majority White charter like Green Woods or they moved to the suburbs. This is nothing new but it’s why some parts of NW Philly have White residents and others don’t.

For the past 50 years Jenks is where middle-class Black families send their kids to avoid lower income Black families. It’s catchment extends into a small section 19150. That plus the apartments along Stenton give Jenks some naturally acquired middle-class enrollment but it has a lot of out-of-catchment enrollment.

As for the other schools you mentioned they’ve got exactly the kind of diversity middle- and upper-middle class White parents love. Those schools are majority or plurality White with exceptionally few low income students compared to the rest of the district.

I hear ya and appreciate your input, I think they conversation is getting a little far afield from my initial points about Germantown however. I was just listing Germantown Friends as asset for Germantown, and a reason among many reasons that it should be one of the most desirable areas of the city to live in, and a big tourist destination as well. I mean, there's a Cricket Club in Germantown for crying out loud.

[mcgrath618]

Some rare good news out of City Council:

Philly passes mixed-use height bonus bill

https://whyy.org/articles/philly-passes-...able-housing-in-desirable-neighborhoods/

(I edited the title).

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by HBus

White gentrification happens in three patterns in the city. The two rapid ones are occurring in radiating waves from Center City and UCity and in former White ethnic enclaves. The far slower pattern is what’s happening in outer Black neighborhoods such as Germantown. Less affluent White people start to trickle into Black areas adjacent to White Areas that they can’t afford to buy in. This is exactly what has been and is happening in NW Germantown. The same thing is happening in Dogtown in East Mt. Airy.

The fact that you’re touting GFS is exactly why change will continue to be slow. Germantown is a family oriented place not a magnet for younger singles. White people don’t send their children to the public schools in Chestnut Hill or West Mt. Airy. They’re sure as hell are not going to send their kids to the public or charter schools in Germantown.

To the extent that redevelopment occurs in Germantown it’s going to continue to be concentrated along and to the West of Germantown Avenue from Queen Lane northward because it’s the Whitest most affluent part of the neighborhood. It will take a while to happen but as real estate prices continue to increase in East Mt. Airy (people are paying nearly $500k for ugly a** new row houses in Dogtown. WTF?) people will start to migrate into Northeast Germantown. In fact a set of twins were built on a vacant lot at Johnson and Ross right on the boundary between EMA and G’town a year or so ago.

A lot of young families from Fishtown in particular are moving to Germantown.

Though I agree with you about the patterns of typical gentrification, outside of East Germantown most of the black families in NW Philly are middle to upper middle class themselves who aren't opposed to "gentrification" per se. Lots of professionals and civil servants.

Anyway, I digress. What is distinctive about Germantown specifically compared to the other neighborhoods around it is that it has the potential to have a particularly distinctive, dynamic, and inclusive commercial district. There are a few well known chefs who usually work in Center City who moved to Germantown who are poking around for new projects (ex. Sylvia Senat). If more of this higher end multi family gets going and these awful strip malls start coming down, be prepared to see super dynamic experimental restaurants and social spaces that would be too expensive to attempt in Center City, would not be welcome in stodgier areas like Chestnut Hill, and wouldn't be understood or appreciated in bro-ier (sp?) areas like Manayunk or Roxborough.

I think Germantown is going to blow up in the next 6 years unlike anything we've seen in Philly.

[Easiered]

The University of Pennsylvania Engineering School held a ground breaking yesterday for it’s Data Science Center near 34th and Chestnut and will name it Amy Gutman Hall. It will finally replace the surface parking lot that has been an eye sore for decades.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by Easiered

The University of Pennsylvania Engineering School held a ground breaking yesterday for it’s Data Science Center near 34th and Chestnut and will name it Amy Gutman Hall. It will finally replace the surface parking lot that has been an eye sore for decades.

Purely ceremonial, apparently, and more of an event to announce the Gutmann naming before she leaves to become US Ambassador to Germany:

Construction will begin in spring 2022 and is slated for completion in 2024.

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-en...-building-will-be-named-amy-gutmann-hall

Also, a surprising choice to me. I had expected New College House West to be named after her, following in the footsteps of nearby Rodin and Harnwell College Houses which are also named after former Penn presidents. I guess that could still happen, but seems less likely after this.

Additionally, some other interesting tidbits about the building in that news release:

The building architecture will denote the future and the dynamic shift from the traditional to the digital. The facility is planned to be the first mass timber building in Philadelphia and will focus on sustainable design.

[Mark in Mount Airy]

I have lived in East Mount Airy for over 20 years now and just sold my house and moved to one of the few new condo developments in the neighborhood. This part of Northwest Philadelphia is terrific but sleepy -- a perfect bedroom community of SEPTA riders. People own their homes for 30-40 years -- the neighborhood is mostly young families or old people. Generally speaking, young, childless hip people of any race do not move to Mount Airy. There are very few vacant lots on which to build and the city prohibits the construction of outbuildings (e.g. inlaw suites) that could add density. We have been seeing teardowns -- which were a rarity -- and the purchasing by developers of large old homes with huge lots in order to add townhouses. That is why the new development proposed by Ken Weinstein at the Trolley Car Diner location is so terrific and a wonderful example of transit-oriented development. If it is for rentals, then there will be finally a place for cool, hip young people to live, should they happen to get lost one day, find themselves in Mount Airy, and decide to stay. If it is for condos, it gives people like me, who downsized, an option beyond Center City. Also, my sense is that at least two of the Mount Airy elementary schools are experiencing an in-flight of kids who in years past might have gone to private school. Full disclosure: if the private quaker schools in the area hadn't been an option, we probably wouldn't have moved here to begin with.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

A lot of young families from Fishtown in particular are moving to Germantown.

Though I agree with you about the patterns of typical gentrification, outside of East Germantown most of the black families in NW Philly are middle to upper middle class themselves who aren't opposed to "gentrification" per se. Lots of professionals and civil servants.

Anyway, I digress. What is distinctive about Germantown specifically compared to the other neighborhoods around it is that it has the potential to have a particularly distinctive, dynamic, and inclusive commercial district. There are a few well known chefs who usually work in Center City who moved to Germantown who are poking around for new projects (ex. Sylvia Senat). If more of this higher end multi family gets going and these awful strip malls start coming down, be prepared to see super dynamic experimental restaurants and social spaces that would be too expensive to attempt in Center City, would not be welcome in stodgier areas like Chestnut Hill, and wouldn't be understood or appreciated in bro-ier (sp?) areas like Manayunk or Roxborough.

I think Germantown is going to blow up in the next 6 years unlike anything we've seen in Philly.

Yep. Exactly. I think the same thing is going to happen in East Falls... or at least something similar with all of these new development along Ridge and Midvale popping up. Have you guys been to the new Black Squirrel Pub and Haunt in East Falls? It's exceptional.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

Purely ceremonial, apparently, and more of an event to announce the Gutmann naming before she leaves to become US Ambassador to Germany:



https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-en...-building-will-be-named-amy-gutmann-hall

Also, a surprising choice to me. I had expected New College House West to be named after her, following in the footsteps of nearby Rodin and Harnwell College Houses which are also named after former Penn presidents. I guess that could still happen, but seems less likely after this.

Additionally, some other interesting tidbits about the building in that news release:

Here's renderings of it for those that forgot:









https://www.facilities.upenn.edu/maps/locations/data-science-building

[KDD]

Originally Posted by Mark in Mount Airy

I have lived in East Mount Airy for over 20 years now and just sold my house and moved to one of the few new condo developments in the neighborhood. This part of Northwest Philadelphia is terrific but sleepy -- a perfect bedroom community of SEPTA riders. People own their homes for 30-40 years -- the neighborhood is mostly young families or old people. Generally speaking, young, childless hip people of any race do not move to Mount Airy. There are very few vacant lots on which to build and the city prohibits the construction of outbuildings (e.g. inlaw suites) that could add density. We have been seeing teardowns -- which were a rarity -- and the purchasing by developers of large old homes with huge lots in order to add townhouses. That is why the new development proposed by Ken Weinstein at the Trolley Car Diner location is so terrific and a wonderful example of transit-oriented development. If it is for rentals, then there will be finally a place for cool, hip young people to live, should they happen to get lost one day, find themselves in Mount Airy, and decide to stay. If it is for condos, it gives people like me, who downsized, an option beyond Center City. Also, my sense is that at least two of the Mount Airy elementary schools are experiencing an in-flight of kids who in years past might have gone to private school. Full disclosure: if the private quaker schools in the area hadn't been an option, we probably wouldn't have moved here to begin with.

I am 35 and single and I love where I am, W Mt. Airy. Center City is too expensive and any other part of town that has anything to offer is too young (ie Manayunk). I don't think I can afford to buy anywhere that isn't a total dump but there area I think does need more apartments/condos. Malvern Hall is a beautiful building, we need more of that. I cannot afford a 2,000 square foot home here but a 2 BD, 1200 condo in a decent building? I am game. They just don't exist in large numbers.

[cardeza]

they are core drilling at the site of the next phase of edgewater near 23rd and race. I have no idea what the project is called at this point, its been a long time since I have seen any info. Fence and signage is up as well.