PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread - Page 1101

PhilliesPhan · #**22001** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 3:16 PM**

I've been in Arizona the last few days, so I'm catching up on things I've missed. If this project happens, it will be a small but significant change to Lehigh Avenue:

Quote:

ZP-2022-005632
Oct 13, 2022
1221 W LEHIGH AVE PARCEL A, Philadelphia, PA 19133-1115
TALLEY ALBERT M III 5
(4) FOUR NEW 3 STORY BUILDING FOR THE USE OF TRIPLEX

The area around Broad and Lehigh has a ton of potential, especially considering what's in the pipeline (I'll have more info to share on this soon). Let's just hope that these four triplexes don't stand out too much, as the 1200 block of West Lehigh Avenue is gorgeous.

TempleGuy1000 · #**22002** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 5:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

Let's just hope that these four triplexes don't stand out too much, as the 1200 block of West Lehigh Avenue is gorgeous.

There's a diagram attached. Looks to be pretty similar to the originals.

Urbanthusiat · #**22003** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 5:34 PM**

Development for Good: Kensington Neighborhood Trust

therealdawk · #**22004** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 5:50 PM**

Just saw where Peirce College is moving from Pine to that old Modell's building on Walnut.
And I know that Barnes and Noble will leave Walnut for a smaller space on Chestnut. Should we be concerned about the health of retail on Walnut?

Gatorade_Jim · #**22005** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 5:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by therealdawk

Just saw where Peirce College is moving from Pine to that old Modell's building on Walnut.
And I know that Barnes and Noble will leave Walnut for a smaller space on Chestnut. Should we be concerned about the health of retail on Walnut?

I have to assume they’re moving into the upper floors of the building. I would be concerned if they’re taking the ground floor space.

skyhigh07 · #**22006** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 5:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by therealdawk

Just saw where Peirce College is moving from Pine to that old Modell's building on Walnut.
And I know that Barnes and Noble will leave Walnut for a smaller space on Chestnut. Should we be concerned about the health of retail on Walnut?

The rumor is the old B&N space on Walnut will become a Starbucks Reserve flagship.

Gatorade_Jim · #**22007** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 5:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

The rumor is the old B&N space on Walnut will become a Starbucks Reserve flagship.

You’re playing with my emotions. I’ll lose my ___ if that’s actually announced. Here’s hoping

skyhigh07 · #**22008** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 5:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatorade_Jim

I have to assume they’re moving into the upper floors of the building. I would be concerned if they’re taking the ground floor space.

Correct. They’ll be occupying the 19th floor only.

mcgrath618 · #**22009** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 6:41 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

There's a diagram attached. Looks to be pretty similar to the originals.

I can’t believe the developers would design something so non-functional! How dare they attempt to make something that looks like it belongs in the neighborhood! Where’s the metal paneling???
/s

Busy Bee · #**22010** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 7:36 PM**

Yeah! How's any 21st century human supposed to live modernly in something like that!?!? LOL

therealdawk · #**22011** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 8:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

Correct. They’ll be occupying the 19th floor only.

ok, cool.

Phillyguy215 · #**22012** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 9:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Yeah! How's any 21st century human supposed to live modernly in something like that!?!? LOL

From personal experience it’s certainly not a modern lifestyle, more a poor one.

mcgrath618 · #**22013** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 9:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phillyguy215

From personal experience it’s certainly not a modern lifestyle, more a poor one.

For context: we're referring to how the new construction matches the old in terms of styling. There was a debate on here a few days ago where someone said that old rowhomes aren't practical.

No offense meant towards the people currently living on the 1200 block of Lehigh. Quite the opposite in fact; those rowhomes have held up well.

TonyTone · #**22014** Posted **Oct 17, 2022, 10:57 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

I can’t believe the developers would design something so non-functional! How dare they attempt to make something that looks like it belongs in the neighborhood! Where’s the metal paneling???
/s

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Yeah! How's any 21st century human supposed to live modernly in something like that!?!? LOL

Lets see the new floorplans and then the floorplans of the old homes and see if they are the same from the basement to the 3rd floor.

I never said homes couldn't be rebuilt in the same exact way, In fact I said that all empty lots should have replacements done exactly this way.

These replacements will 80% cover all issues wrong with the old ones, albeit space not increasing.

allovertown · #**22015** Posted **Oct 18, 2022, 2:11 AM**

It's truly an insane take that older row homes are not suitable for people today. I love my house which is 100+ years old and while kitchens and bathrooms have certainly been updated, the layout remains virtually unchanged from when it was built and it is perfectly suitable.

Guess what? It's incredibly easy and cheap to build a closet into a room. These are not real problems. Sometimes a house's layout is not ideal for a particular person, but that's often true of modern houses as well. I think all the room modern houses love to dedicate to a mudroom/laundry room on the main floor of a house is insane and that shit will end up going back into the basement where it belongs.

Mtphilly · #**22016** Posted **Oct 18, 2022, 2:29 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by therealdawk

Just saw where Peirce College is moving from Pine to that old Modell's building on Walnut.
And I know that Barnes and Noble will leave Walnut for a smaller space on Chestnut. Should we be concerned about the health of retail on Walnut?

I was concerned 6-12 months ago but there have been a lot of recent announcements for Walnut Street. I think it’s actually in pretty good shape now for the near future.

cardeza · #**22017** Posted **Oct 18, 2022, 12:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by allovertown

It's truly an insane take that older row homes are not suitable for people today. I love my house which is 100+ years old and while kitchens and bathrooms have certainly been updated, the layout remains virtually unchanged from when it was built and it is perfectly suitable.

Guess what? It's incredibly easy and cheap to build a closet into a room. These are not real problems. Sometimes a house's layout is not ideal for a particular person, but that's often true of modern houses as well. I think all the room modern houses love to dedicate to a mudroom/laundry room on the main floor of a house is insane and that shit will end up going back into the basement where it belongs.

The funny thing is due to the obsession with open floorplans many modern or renovated houses have less than an ideal amount of counter space or cabinet space just like their older counterparts. Obviously closet space is always much better in a new house. And I think a lot about the livability of an older house depends on its size and location. There are many older houses with decent space- but if your standard for an older house is a South Philly rowhouse with less than 1100 sf than I can definitely see how you may say its hard for a family in modern times to fit in such a place.

PhilliesPhan · #**22018** Posted **Oct 18, 2022, 1:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

There's a diagram attached. Looks to be pretty similar to the originals.

Wow, they look great! I hope to not only see these on Lehigh, but also on North 33rd Street through Strawberry Mansion (which is experiencing an early-stage revitalization) and along Erie Avenue between Hunting Park Avenue and Old York Road (where a number of building permits have been issued recently).

allovertown · #**22019** Posted **Oct 18, 2022, 1:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardeza

The funny thing is due to the obsession with open floorplans many modern or renovated houses have less than an ideal amount of counter space or cabinet space just like their older counterparts. Obviously closet space is always much better in a new house. And I think a lot about the livability of an older house depends on its size and location. There are many older houses with decent space- but if your standard for an older house is a South Philly rowhouse with less than 1100 sf than I can definitely see how you may say its hard for a family in modern times to fit in such a place.

1,100 Sq feet is just small though, I don't think age is the issue there. If the argument is that newer row homes have more square footage then that's just a different house for a different income level.

I would say that most small row homes in philly that are very old are laid out pretty sensibly to maximize space and interior light. Some are of course terrible, I remember looking at house that had such an enormous and oddly positioned staircase and 2nd floor hallway that I feel like more than half the second floor was just staircase and hallway. But again, I think a lot of newer row homes also have terrible layouts as well.

Bad layouts exist regardless of age. Smaller homes exist regardless of age and serve a market even if they're not practical for everyone. There is nothing inherently unsuitable about an old row home for modern living.

McBane · #**22020** Posted **Oct 18, 2022, 2:28 PM**

Not only the closet space but the bathroom situations in older homes suck. Our airlite had no bathroom on the first floor (and neither do many older homes). Doesn't mean you can't add one but in a tight 1100 sf rowhome, there's not really space. And upstairs? No master bath, just a tiny shared bathroom with very little countertop space and if you have kids, it's not ideal.

And it's not as if a first floor bathroom and a master bathroom are ostentatious luxuries for the 1%. Pretty much every home built after the 1970's have these features, even modest townhomes. Homes with master bathrooms and first floor bathrooms (not to mention off-street parking, central air, bedrooms bigger than shoeboxes, etc.) are all very much attainable on a middle class salary. It's not as if one has to make compromises to afford such a home.

Some of the older larger homes (like what you may find in Spruce Hill) can be retrofitted because they're big enough to start with and within neighborhoods where that kind of investment makes financial sense. And even still, you have to be a little more than just middle class to do this or afford a remodeled Victorian.

I've said this before and I'll repeat it here: There's not enough neighborhoods in Philly that can cater to the average middle class family. Homes in and around Center City are super expensive and then you get into the outer neighborhoods where the homes are cheap but old and tiny. Relative to the endless rows of airlites and older rowhomes, the small pockets of decently sized modern-ish homes in the far northeast and pockets of northwest is small.