PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[PurpleWhiteOut]

The city does need to do better at fixing up city owned vacant housing for sure. It's frustrating looking at neighborhoods with lots of vacancy and seeing that a majority of it is owned by the city that is neither sold nor put into use like West Diamond by Temple and countless others.

But regarding the tiny home project, from what I saw the purpose will be transitional housing into permanent housing for a specific group (in this case women iirc?). Presumably, having the whole group housed in one area will make it easier and cheaper for the city and various nonprofits to reach and work with them vs scattered housing. I don't believe it's intended to be permanent housing, but will provide shelter for those while they're working that out.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by TonyTone

That Tiny home for the homeless project is so redundant, are you serious telling me its easier to build some new tiny homes compared to fixing up abandoned Rowhomes and lots? cmon now what's up with the obsession with destroying every single thing and not fixing it up.

And yea I know im part of the camp of building new is better sometimes, however we still can reuse the structures we have, fix and rebuild the empty lots, is that hard to do for the city?

Tony, in this case it's on the property of the Riverview homes, a City owned assisted living facility. It's also clustered there with the prisons. I don't see a downside to this idea for that reason.; otherwise, I would agree with you.

[tsarstruck]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Construction Progresses At 943-49 Washington Avenue In Bella Vista


Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2022/10/construc...e-in-bella-vista-south-philadelphia.html

There is a brick up on the top floors, with some decent detailing. A much nicer looking project than I would have expected.

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by PHL10

Tony, in this case it's on the property of the Riverview homes, a City owned assisted living facility. It's also clustered there with the prisons. I don't see a downside to this idea for that reason.; otherwise, I would agree with you.

Im gonna read the article next time instead of assuming they were building these in Kensington.

I can say that's a good idea then because it provides the help and services needed to get people back on their feet in a "Controlled setting".

I think this is a good step to get people back on their feet, however the city really needs to fix these cribs up, and build new ones.

Im confused though, if the city were to build new rowhomes and fix them up, and then sell them or rent them wouldnt they be making money? Or would that be someone type of conflict of interest for the city.

Atleast we have some type of push going on, when you're at the bottom the only way from that is up so this can get people back on their feet if they want it.

[Mayormccheese]

Originally Posted by TonyTone

Im gonna read the article next time instead of assuming they were building these in Kensington.

I can say that's a good idea then because it provides the help and services needed to get people back on their feet in a "Controlled setting".

I think this is a good step to get people back on their feet, however the city really needs to fix these cribs up, and build new ones.

Im confused though, if the city were to build new rowhomes and fix them up, and then sell them or rent them wouldnt they be making money? Or would that be someone type of conflict of interest for the city.

Atleast we have some type of push going on, when you're at the bottom the only way from that is up so this can get people back on their feet if they want it.

All this makes too much sense and the land bank was supposed to somewhat help with this but pushes to build more public housing generally come from the federal level and in the current political climate I don’t see that happening any time soon.

[PHLtoNYC]

Glad to see this moving forward!

Downey’s Is Down at Front & South, Apartments Up Next
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/s...s-down-at-front-south-apartments-up-next

[Gferg01]

Didn't see this posted anywhere, but the McDonald's on Broad and Girard closed very recently. Probably last week. It's completely boarded and signage is removed. Along with the gas station, that's been gone for years this is one terrible looking open lot.

Anyone know if this is being developed soon?

I did see them doing some digging at the CVS lot diagonal of McD's last week, so hopefully they can get rolling with that building soon.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by Gferg01

Didn't see this posted anywhere, but the McDonald's on Broad and Girard closed very recently. Probably last week. It's completely boarded and signage is removed. Along with the gas station, that's been gone for years this is one terrible looking open lot.

Anyone know if this is being developed soon?

I did see them doing some digging at the CVS lot diagonal of McD's last week, so hopefully they can get rolling with that building soon.

It's about damn time! Aside from the fact that I really want to see that corner developed (along with the NW corner), that McDonald's location was the worst in the city by far.

I hope we see a nice proposal soon! Unfortunately, however, the parcel is zoned CMX-2.5, so we may see something underwhelming should a proposal move forward.

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

It's about damn time! Aside from the fact that I really want to see that corner developed (along with the NW corner), that McDonald's location was the worst in the city by far.

I hope we see a nice proposal soon! Unfortunately, however, the parcel is zoned CMX-2.5, so we may see something underwhelming should a proposal move forward.

More bizarre uneven zoning. It's surrounded by CMX-4 parcels and right on a major transit hub

[PhilliesPhan]

Just saw a permit for the consolidation of thirteen CMX-3 lots near the corner of 13th and Vine, on what is currently a surface parking lot owned by Patriot Parking. Could something interesting be in the works here?

ZP-2022-012401
Nov 8, 2022
225-39 N 13TH ST, Philadelphia, PA 19107-1629 FINE ROBERT P, LEVY MARGARET FINE 1

For the relocation of lot lines to create one (1) lot (Parcel "A") from thirteen (13) existing lots, as reflected on the attached Consolidation Plan approved by the Survey District on 10/11/22

[PHLtoNYC]

Four Seasons GM says Philadelphia unlike other cities, is optimistic hospitality industry will rebound

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia...elia-samara-four-seasons-resiliency.html

[PHLtoNYC]

Philly City Council is considering new requirement for affordable housing

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelph...-clarke-north-broad-street-20221108.html

Council President Darrell Clarke has introduced a bill that would require developers building multifamily housing around North Broad Street to provide units for lower-income residents in their projects.

Clarke’s plan for the area around North Broad Street would require developers building more than 10 rental housing units to designate at least 20% of them for people at 60% of area median income. That means housing earmarked for those making about $50,000 for a two-member household (allowing a rent of about $1,423 a month).

The bill would also allow for the developer to build units for higher-income residents if they offered for-sale units instead of rentals. The exact rental restrictions would evolve over time to keep up with inflation.

[TonyTone]

Philly voters approve ballot measures to create aviation department, expand city workforce pipeline


https://www.inquirer.com/politics/electi...ions-2022-election-results-20221109.html

Philadelphia voters on Tuesday passed two ballot measures that will create a permanent aviation department within city government and tweak the city’s civil service regulations to expand employment opportunities.

Voters historically almost always approve ballot questions, and this Election Day was no different.

Philadelphia’s $400-million-a-year aviation department has long been nested within the Department of Commerce — an unusual arrangement for an agency tasked with overseeing two airports and balancing the third-largest departmental budget in City Hall.

Mayor Jim Kenney and former Philadelphia International Airport CEO Rochelle “Chellie” Cameron backed the proposal to designate aviation as its own entity in the city charter, which airport officials said would streamline operations and give the airport more say over staffing and grant funding.

The second ballot question that voters greenlit Tuesday deals with the city’s civil service regulations. While the mayor appoints key officials, most government jobs are filled through the Civil Service Commission, a test-based system that is designed to fill jobs based on merit by hiring only top-scoring applicants.

But with the city facing a critical workforce shortage — with about 1 in 7 municipal jobs sitting vacant — lawmakers have sought to broaden hiring practices. The approved charter change would tweak the city’s regulations to grant hiring preference to graduates from one of the School District of Philadelphia’s career technical education programs.

City Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson, who pushed for the charter change, touted it as a way to strengthen the pipeline from the school district to well-paying, union-represented government jobs.

[TonyTone]

John Fetterman wins Senate race and Josh Shapiro elected Pa. governor as Democrats take both statewide races

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/electi...idates-voting-updates-news-20221108.html

John Fetterman, the lieutenant governor and mayor of Braddock, who stayed in the race despite experiencing a stroke shortly before the primaries, will be Pennsylvania’s next U.S. senator, the Associated Press projects.

The Democrat, 52, defeated Mehmet Oz, a surgeon and television personality, in the most expensive Senate race in the country this year. The candidates spent a combined $312 million to win a seat that could decide which party controls the Senate.

In a speech just after 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, Fetterman, wearing a black hoodie, credited his victory to a campaign strategy that sought to cull votes for him even in Pennsylvania’s deep red counties.

”We jammed them up,” he said. “I never expected that we were going to turn these red counties blue but we did what we needed to do.”

Josh Shapiro, a former Montgomery County commissioner and the state’s attorney general, will be Pennsylvania’s next governor, the Associated Press projects.

He defeated State Sen. Doug Mastriano, of Franklin County, who ran a hard-right campaign that railed against COVID-19 restrictions and “wokeness,” and called trans issues “the sexualization of our children.” Shapiro’s election marks the first time since 1950 the same party has won three consecutive gubernatorial races in the state. In his victory speech, Shapiro framed his election as a vote against extremism.

“Opportunity won. A woman’s right to choose won. The right to organize here in Pennsylvania, that won. Your right to vote won,” Shapiro said to supporters at Montgomery County’s Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. “In the face of all the lies and the conspiracies and baseless claims, you also ensured tonight that truth won right here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

[TonyTone]

City Council has four new members, as Vaughn, Harrity, Lozada, and Phillips win special elections

https://billypenn.com/2022/11/09/philadelphia-city-council-special-elections-results-november/

Philadelphia City Council will gain four new members, following a set of special elections prompted by a recent wave of resignations in advance of the mayoral race next year.

The four apparent winners on Tuesday — Quetcy Lozada in District 7, Anthony Phillips in District 9, and Sharon Vaughn and Jim Harrity for the two at-large seats — are all Democrats who led their opponents by double digits in the vote count as of early Wednesday morning.

They replace four fellow Democrats who stepped down from Council earlier this year: Maria Quiñones Sánchez, Cherelle Parker, Allan Domb, and Derek Green. All but Domb have explicitly declared their intentions to run for mayor in 2023. (By Philadelphia law, city officials must resign their current office before running for another.)

For one at-large position, Vaughn — a Feltonville resident and ward leader who spent 33 years working in city government — led with 79.5% of the vote as of Wednesday around 1 a.m., with 96% of divisions reporting the in-person vote and at least 50,000 mail ballots left to be counted citywide. Her opponents, Republican Jim Hasher and Libertarian Marc Jurchak, had garnered 18.8% and 1.5% of the tallied votes, respectively.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by TonyTone

John Fetterman wins Senate race and Josh Shapiro elected Pa. governor as Democrats take both statewide races

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/electi...idates-voting-updates-news-20221108.html

Great job Pennsylvania! Proud of my home state

[3rd&Brown]

Hey y'all. I never really dug deep into the statewide races (or candidates) because I knew I was always going to vote Shapiro, but I just started really paying attention to him in the last week and holy cow he's impressive.

Not to mention, he won counties Dems never or rarely win in statewide election, including Berks, Cumberland, and Luzerne. And he won other "swing" counties like Monroe, Northampton, and Dauphin in a drubbing.

I'm really excited about his tenure. He's obviously a rising star in the party (you can't not be when you win PA by 13 points) but I also get the sense that he's a real technocrat and I'm optimistically hopeful he'll be able to make progress on long standing issues like the minimum wage and Philadelphia's tax issue. If there's anyone that can get the uniformity clause issues across the finish line it will be him.

Woke up very excited today.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Hey y'all. I never really dug deep into the statewide races (or candidates) because I knew I was always going to vote Shapiro, but I just started really paying attention to him in the last week and holy cow he's impressive.

Not to mention, he won counties Dems never or rarely win in statewide election, including Berks, Cumberland, and Luzerne. And he won other "swing" counties like Monroe, Northampton, and Dauphin in a drubbing.

I'm really excited about his tenure. He's obviously a rising star in the party (you can't not be when you win PA by 13 points) but I also get the sense that he's a real technocrat and I'm optimistically hopeful he'll be able to make progress on long standing issues like the minimum wage and Philadelphia's tax issue. If there's anyone that can get the uniformity clause issues across the finish line it will be him.

Woke up very excited today.

I am a big Shapiro fan, but I would temper expectations just because the PA GOP still controls the state house and senate. His wins in the central part of the state are big though. We would be a much better state if we could get rid of Jake Corman

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Hey y'all. I never really dug deep into the statewide races (or candidates) because I knew I was always going to vote Shapiro, but I just started really paying attention to him in the last week and holy cow he's impressive.

Not to mention, he won counties Dems never or rarely win in statewide election, including Berks, Cumberland, and Luzerne. And he won other "swing" counties like Monroe, Northampton, and Dauphin in a drubbing.

I'm really excited about his tenure. He's obviously a rising star in the party (you can't not be when you win PA by 13 points) but I also get the sense that he's a real technocrat and I'm optimistically hopeful he'll be able to make progress on long standing issues like the minimum wage and Philadelphia's tax issue. If there's anyone that can get the uniformity clause issues across the finish line it will be him.


Woke up very excited today.

+1.

Really hope Shapiro can move the needle.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by Redddog

+1.

Really hope Shapiro can move the needle.

I hope he does too but PA always seems to default to mediocrity. It needs a considerable shift if it’s going to remain somewhat competitive. Will he really be that much of a departure from Wolf? Philly needs to lead that charge but I’m still unsure if that will happen going forward. Realistically, we may end up getting Gym as mayor.