PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[kool-ski]

July CDR Submissions are up today!!

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Read what I said carefully: It's an improvement in function and not form. It represents a higher use of the land, but ultimately is a design that will look dated and tacky in about 10 years.
Compare that to some of the other beautiful, contextual projects going up in Old City (like that surface lot between Market and Chestnut on 2nd) and it's no question that those will stand the test of time, while this will (hopefully) be torn down for something better in a decade or two.

Oh this is that Old City site we were talking about the other day right?

[Gatorade_Jim]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

It’s so hard to predict what’ll be the next areas with major development. It could go north on the Broad St Line. I think the area between Old City and NoLibs and down to Del Ave is one of the most potentially desirable locations, if I were making a bet. If the city would create a new square block park in there, we’d see that area boom with massive development.

I also think Del Ave could be very desirable from a quality of life standpoint. If they put some small marinas, mid to high rises with pools on top, and beef up commercial— there’s def a demographic who’d want that waterfront living. It’s a market niche that Philly doesn’t have yet.

Really hoping the towers in the Penns Landing development get us moving in that direction. It seems like such a slam dunk to build up the NoLibs/Old City connection. The main reason I can’t see myself moving there/fishtown is the gap in between there and CC

[DIESELPOLO]

• 4746-48-Spruce-Street – Big. Bland. Good density though. Passable architecture. Will the adjacent park get upgrades as part of a community benefits package?
  
  
• 1130 N. Delaware Ave – I actually love white brick, but this one feels very wall-like and bland. I think I might actually like it better if they went all white – the black brick moments don't feel like they help.
  
  
• 3618-32-Haverford-Ave – This one isn't winning any awards, but it's passable. The black back feels jarring though.
  
  
• 2201-E-Allegheny-Avenue – With any industrial / trucking things like this, I'm inclined to ask questions about the pollution impact to surrounding neighborhood and planting trees / attractive landscaping.
  
  
• LEWIS C. CASSIDY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – This is a beautiful new school! I guess the old building (also beautiful) is not slated to make it, which feels a little sad.
  
  
• 2201 E Tioga St – Torn on this one. The front section is a stunner. The parking underneath looks very lame but for car owners, snow/rain cover is likely appreciated. The landscaping hiding the parking is good, but then there's also just a wall of trees – will there be pedestrian lighting under this tree canopy? And the sides of the building looks like they cheapened out on the beautiful front facade brick. I'm leaning towards this one getting some more pointed design feedback.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by Gatorade_Jim

Really hoping the towers in the Penns Landing development get us moving in that direction. It seems like such a slam dunk to build up the NoLibs/Old City connection. The main reason I can’t see myself moving there/fishtown is the gap in between there and CC

I’m surprised that area hasn’t taken off already. If a developer built larger, more affordable apartments like Goldtex but along the water front, there’s no doubt there’s a market for it.

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

Well NIMBY's use information like this to further their point by saying things like "it's not that we aren't building enough, it's that corporations are buying all the houses for sale! Look Philly saw the largest increase!"

Which in some places in the south maybe true, but not in Philadelphia. The truth is Philly didn't build enough houses in the last decade to match the increase in population, which in turn drove up the cost of everything. Not investors buying 'all the houses'.

I don't think that around 78,000 people over ten years is enough to make a housing issue in a city the size of Philly and the bigger problem was that there's been rapidly decaying areas so when you look at where people can reasonably live you get less of an area, now add affordability on top of that and you shrink it down even further...now it appears as if there is a shortage. But once all of this revitalization comes online some of this may cool down.


And I still stand by my comments from a few months ago that all of this investor purchasing is going to dramatically change Philly in the years to come.

[PHLtoNYC]

Thoughts? Primary is 5/16/23. That will likely be the day we know the next Mayor.

The 2023 race for Philly mayor is starting soon. Meet the candidates who might run.

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/ph...-20220622.html

Jeff Brown (grocer)
Allan Domb
Derek Green
Helen Gym
Cherelle Parker
Maria Quiñones-Sánchez
Rebecca Rhynhart

I heard Cindy Bass from another source, but my guess is she won't run.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Thoughts? Primary is 5/16/23. That will likely be the day we know the next Mayor.

The 2023 race for Philly mayor is starting soon. Meet the candidates who might run.

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/ph...-20220622.html

Jeff Brown (grocer)
Allan Domb
Derek Green
Helen Gym
Cherelle Parker
Maria Quiñones-Sánchez
Rebecca Rhynhart

I heard Cindy Bass from another source, but my guess is she won't run.

Rhynheart, Domb, Green, and Brown are all solid candidates. Don't know enough about Cherelle Parker and Quiñones-Sánchez, and if Gym got the nomination I'd punch a wall.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Rhynheart, Domb, Green, and Brown are all solid candidates. Don't know enough about Cherelle Parker and Quiñones-Sánchez, and if Gym got the nomination I'd punch a wall.

That is exactly my thought!

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Thoughts? Primary is 5/16/23. That will likely be the day we know the next Mayor.

The 2023 race for Philly mayor is starting soon. Meet the candidates who might run.

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/ph...-20220622.html

Jeff Brown (grocer)
Allan Domb
Derek Green
Helen Gym
Cherelle Parker
Maria Quiñones-Sánchez
Rebecca Rhynhart

I heard Cindy Bass from another source, but my guess is she won't run.

Rebecca Rhynhart would have my vote in a heartbeat, as would Allen Domb. Although I'm more ideologically aligned with Helen Gym, it is admittedly hard to enact radical change without some sort of federal backing. Philly can and will emerge strong from the pandemic, but we need quality leadership to take hold as we progress through the remainder of the decade.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

Rebecca Rhynhart would have my vote in a heartbeat, as would Allen Domb. Although I'm more ideologically aligned with Helen Gym, it is admittedly hard to enact radical change without some sort of federal backing. Philly can and will emerge strong from the pandemic, but we need quality leadership to take hold as we progress through the remainder of the decade.

Solidly in the Domb camp.

Helen is an extension of Jimbo.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

Rebecca Rhynhart would have my vote in a heartbeat, as would Allen Domb. Although I'm more ideologically aligned with Helen Gym, it is admittedly hard to enact radical change without some sort of federal backing. Philly can and will emerge strong from the pandemic, but we need quality leadership to take hold as we progress through the remainder of the decade.

I think Helen Gym has actually done a lot of good (previously). But like you said, these are not problems Philly can fix alone.

Philly needs a technocrat who has a genuine interest in running the city well. Making improvements to the day to day stuff we see. I think Kenney's heart is in the right place but he literally doesn't have a operational bone in his body. I'm certain he doesn't even know what the term metric means.

In the past, I would have said Rhynhart and Domb were my first choices.

I now think it's Green and Rhynhart in that order. Go forward, I'm not voting for any boomers in any capacity in any office anywhere because it's time for them to move on and step aside. Domb can continue in a leadership capacity on council as he adds genuine value there but we also need creative problem solvers, ingenuity and vision.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

I think Helen Gym has actually done a lot of good (previously). But like you said, these are not problems Philly can fix alone.

Philly needs a technocrat who has a genuine interest in running the city well. Making improvements to the day to day stuff we see. I think Kenney's heart is in the right place but he literally doesn't have a operational bone in his body. I'm certain he doesn't even know what the term metric means.

In the past, I would have said Rhynhart and Domb were my first choices.

I now think it's Green and Rhynhart in that order. Go forward, I'm not voting for any boomers in any capacity in any office anywhere because it's time for them to move on and step aside. Domb can continue in a leadership capacity on council as he adds genuine value there but we also need creative problem solvers, ingenuity and vision.

I think I agree with the idea that Domb's place is on the Council. I worry that if he runs, he will have to give up his seat to someone less qualified.
I think I also agree that Helen Gym has done some good in the past, but I think her track record of late has lost me. I agree with Reddog that if elected, she'd likely be a lot like Kenney: a lot of performative activism and barely any real change (because, as the both of you said, that kind of change has to come from a higher level).

Don't agree that Kenney's heart is in the right place. I question if he even has one.

[ScreamShatter]

Rebecca Rhynhart all the way.

[mja]

Gym is a true believer, Kenney isn't really that, and his heart being in the right place is his one redeeming feature. He's just not terribly focused or especially competent, and doesn't really have any strong principles aside from wanting to help.

A couple of years ago, I would have assumed Gym would be leading the field but things have been trending in the wrong direction for an unabashedly hard left progressive candidate.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Rhynheart, Domb, Green, and Brown are all solid candidates. Don't know enough about Cherelle Parker and Quiñones-Sánchez, and if Gym got the nomination I'd punch a wall.

i think we need to hear a bit more about their plans before any of them are deemed solid. Especially Brown who has no track record to evaluate as an elected official. Based on what I've seen from Kenney I am led to believe that people who were not district council people may not be the best fit as mayor. Kenney was not directly accountable to any neighborhood when he was on council and I think that has a lot to do with his management style and lack of leadership.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

I think Helen Gym has actually done a lot of good (previously). But like you said, these are not problems Philly can fix alone.

Philly needs a technocrat who has a genuine interest in running the city well. Making improvements to the day to day stuff we see. I think Kenney's heart is in the right place but he literally doesn't have a operational bone in his body. I'm certain he doesn't even know what the term metric means.

In the past, I would have said Rhynhart and Domb were my first choices.

I now think it's Green and Rhynhart in that order. Go forward, I'm not voting for any boomers in any capacity in any office anywhere because it's time for them to move on and step aside. Domb can continue in a leadership capacity on council as he adds genuine value there but we also need creative problem solvers, ingenuity and vision.

Again, it comes down to who has a plan and how they would implement said plan. Just having the right image or the right stance on one or two issues on council isn't sufficient for the challenges we are facing. Many people who are great one issue councilpeople are not great mayors. Whoever has the strongest, most cohesive message on crime will resonate- it's that simple. I can tell you there is minimal appetite for an anti crime message that is totally focused on social programs and supports. I mean there is still a lot of love for that in and around center city (where crime is lower) but not in the rest of Philadelphia. I would not be surprised if Gym reads the tea leaves and stays on council.

[helloworld]

Phase 1 of public outreach for Reimagining the Ben Franklin Parkway is underway. Theres some info and a survey in the link. Sounds like there’s also some surveying going on at the parkway. To me, the parkway is incredibly beautiful and has great bones but there is a lot of room for improvement. I can’t wait to see how it turns out but we’re likely a decade from a finished project

https://www.phlparkway.com/

[japmes]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

I think Helen Gym has actually done a lot of good (previously). But like you said, these are not problems Philly can fix alone.

Philly needs a technocrat who has a genuine interest in running the city well. Making improvements to the day to day stuff we see. I think Kenney's heart is in the right place but he literally doesn't have a operational bone in his body. I'm certain he doesn't even know what the term metric means.

In the past, I would have said Rhynhart and Domb were my first choices.

I now think it's Green and Rhynhart in that order. Go forward, I'm not voting for any boomers in any capacity in any office anywhere because it's time for them to move on and step aside. Domb can continue in a leadership capacity on council as he adds genuine value there but we also need creative problem solvers, ingenuity and vision.

Agree about boomers. One of the worst generations, IMO. I've always thought a politician could be successful running on a platform geared toward simplifying life...simplifying taxes, regulations, permitting and the general bureaucracy of government. There will be winners and losers but I think people get most frustrated with government when it makes their life more cumbersome. It may sound too generic a message but I think simplifying life is a good foundational narrative to build a campaign and structure policies around. I don't know if this aligns with any of the candidates but I'm probably more inclined toward Rhynhart at this point.

[iamrobk]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

I think Helen Gym has actually done a lot of good (previously). But like you said, these are not problems Philly can fix alone.

Philly needs a technocrat who has a genuine interest in running the city well. Making improvements to the day to day stuff we see. I think Kenney's heart is in the right place but he literally doesn't have a operational bone in his body. I'm certain he doesn't even know what the term metric means.

In the past, I would have said Rhynhart and Domb were my first choices.

I now think it's Green and Rhynhart in that order. Go forward, I'm not voting for any boomers in any capacity in any office anywhere because it's time for them to move on and step aside. Domb can continue in a leadership capacity on council as he adds genuine value there but we also need creative problem solvers, ingenuity and vision.

Originally Posted by cardeza

Again, it comes down to who has a plan and how they would implement said plan. Just having the right image or the right stance on one or two issues on council isn't sufficient for the challenges we are facing. Many people who are great one issue councilpeople are not great mayors. Whoever has the strongest, most cohesive message on crime will resonate- it's that simple. I can tell you there is minimal appetite for an anti crime message that is totally focused on social programs and supports. I mean there is still a lot of love for that in and around center city (where crime is lower) but not in the rest of Philadelphia. I would not be surprised if Gym reads the tea leaves and stays on council.

I generally agree with both of these posts. Ideally, I think we need someone who is going to be effective at running the city (to a large degree, this involves being able to hire the right people - the Mayor isn't personally overseeing 25k+ employees, billions of dollars in city contracts, etc.). I also agree that while a basic "tough on crime" message still won't really get someone elected, candidates better be prepared to talk about their plans to handle crime and poverty. I don't really know if I have a personal favorite candidate yet, though. I want to like Green since he actually has some city employment/operational experience prior to joining Council, but I'm not really sure of what his policies would be and I don't really think he's going to end up with more than 5% of the vote. And nothing against Rhynhart but I think she's benefited from the combination of a relatively unpopular Mayor and being in a role where your job is to be a counterweight to the Administration - whoever was Controller right now would be getting talked up for Mayor, and I think we're early enough in the process that I think we need to keep our minds open and consider all the different candidates who are running. To her credit, she has generally done a good job of acting as that counterweight (and I've heard good things from people who have worked with her) and I don't want to sound like I wouldn't vote for her (I really don't know who I'd vote for, right now) - I just think that, rightly or wrongly, she's benefitted from being in the right place at the right time.

Re: Kenney, while it's in part due to the pandemic, I think part of the problems with his administration that go un-talked about are that he had some pretty heavy turnover in his administration (i.e., Chief of Staff, etc.). A lot of his initial hires were either Nutter holdovers or campaign people who were not really "Kenney people," while over time he's replaced them with people who he'd worked with longer (or promoted those people into more prominent roles).