PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread IX

[bucks native]

And here we have the Home Depot Gallery...

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by bucks native

And here we have the Home Depot Gallery...

Not a Claes Oldenburg fan?

[tsarstruck]

Hotel planned for ex-Sears site near 69th Street in Upper Darby:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20140516_Coming_soon__Hotel_planned_for_69th_Street.html

[josef]

Originally Posted by summersm343

I just shit my pants.

I literally just lol'd at this.

I can't wait to take pictures of these blocks being torn down. This is so ridiculously, indeed pants-shittingly, exciting.

Originally Posted by bucks native

It's essential that these new "brains" vote to fix Philadelphia's entrenched, tax dollar sucking, self-serving political system. If that can be done, Philadelphia will stand alone among US cities. And history is on Philadelphia's side, in that it was done here once before. If I could, I would vote to have Wharton run the city.

God yes. I'm mounting a one-man effort to get Stephen Tang from the Science Center to run. I was really impressed by him after reading the article that AxisPhilly did on him a while ago - http://axisphilly.org/article/innovation-inc/

I know we have some great institution and non-profit players who go a great job in the city (Jane Golden, Paul Levy, etc), but having an actually progressive (as in, bringing the city further into the 21st century), intelligent, and imaginative mayor would set such a great tone for where the city is right now.

Ahh one can dream.

[EastSideHBG]

Changing Skyline: Children's Hospital garage megaproject brushes off neighbors

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/home/201405...s_off_neighbors.html#tRqvQlTvxkG775kR.99

[MikeNigh]

When is the best western going to be demolished?

[summersm343]

Zoning changes for University City High site clears way for large mixed use development

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell introduced a bill Thursday that would allow Drexel University to build a new mixed-use development on a property at 38th Street and Powelton Avenue that currently houses the empty University City High School, Charles Drew Elementary School, and the Walnut Center.

Drexel has not released details about what it plans to do with the 14-acre site, but according to Blackwell’s bill, the project will entail education, research, retail, office, and residential uses.

The bill also says that the project requires demolition of the existing buildings on the site to make way for 2.7 million square feet of new construction at a cost of nearly $1 billion to Drexel and its partner, Wexford Science and Technology. The development would eventually provide 3,700 permanent, full-time jobs.

http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/05/1...y-city-high-school-and-surrounding-areas

[christof]

http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/05/1...y-city-high-school-and-surrounding-areas[/QUOTE]

A billion dollars development right there...

[Londonee]

Distefano's article says:

National has joined Philadelphia investors SSH Real Estate and Young Capital Management Inc., and JOSS Realty Partners L.L.C. of New York to commit more than $80 million to the project. They expect Pennsylvania will kick in $7.5 million in matching funds. The developers are recruiting banks to fund the rest of the cost.

So it doesn't sound like they have all of their financing in place for East Market and it's unclear beyond the $80million exactly how much of the $230million they have in hand.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Londonee

Distefano's article says:



So it doesn't sound like they have all of their financing in place for East Market and it's unclear beyond the $80million exactly how much of the $230million they have in hand.

This is the same group that brought us 2116 Chestnut. I'm more than faithful they can get things done. Even the first phase will be a huge improvement over what is there, and I will gladly wait a few years for future phases if it means they bring us Phase 1. I don't think they'll have any issue getting the remaining funding for this.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Zoning changes for University City High site clears way for large mixed use development



http://planphilly.com/articles/2014/05/1...y-city-high-school-and-surrounding-areas

Not that familiar with this particular area, so maybe this isn't a big deal, but:

The overlay also caps the height of new construction at 75 feet near the street line, and up to 120 feet for portions set back from the street by 50 feet or more.

The development would also involve “significant above ground parking facilities,” according to the bill, and Blackwell’s proposed overlay exempts the property from zoning rules that would require the developer to receive special approval to build above-ground parking.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Philly Fan

Not that familiar with this particular area, so maybe this isn't a big deal, but:

Above ground parking could be in the base of the towers. Height limit is really a non-issue because any proposal or taller towers could always get zoning variances. Since there are no definite plans yet, I wouldn't worry.

[Philly Fan]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Above ground parking could be in the base of the towers. Height limit is really a non-issue because any proposal or taller towers could always get zoning variances. Since there are no definite plans yet, I wouldn't worry.

Well, I'll sleep better at night knowing that you're on the case.

[iheartphilly]

Is Philly the 11th-Best City on the Planet?

Got to love the Spaniards...

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2014/05/16/philly-11th-best-city-planet/

[VikingDutchman]

Zoning changes for University City High site clears way for large mixed use development

Drexel has already bought it, yes?

Upzoning AFTER the sale seems like a pretty massive missed opportunity on the city's part... Why not upzone them first (all the way to CMX-5!) and then sell them for maximum return to the city's finances?

[McBane]

http://www.philly.com/philly/business/ho...t_Broad__Spruce_clears_final_hurdle.html

Reading this article as well as the one about the Drexel purchase makes me think how the city bungled the new zoning code. I was expecting a new zoning code that would allow most projects to be built by right; and less "spot zoning" by city council; but that's just not the case. In the West Philly article, Blackwell introduced a bill to make some properties on Market St from multi-family to single-family!? And why aren't more lots, such as the one where SLS will go, zoned C5? It really does drive be bonkers.

But happy about SLS moving forward.

[philatonian]

Originally Posted by relnahe

The PMA has the second or third largest collection of art in North America. They could build 3 more Pearlman's easily.

I didn't realize that. Bring it on. If visitorship keeps them from expanding, more Pearlman's on the Parkway won't increase visitors. It's impossible to see all the art on the Parkway in one weekend as it is, so a lot of people choose one of the another. Put a new museum on Independence Mall or right in Center City. Penn's Landing. Rebuild one of the old Centennial Exposition buildings on Centennial Park. Just daydreaming here.

[relnahe]

Originally Posted by bucks native

It's essential that these new "brains" vote to fix Philadelphia's entrenched, tax dollar sucking, self-serving political system. If that can be done, Philadelphia will stand alone among US cities. And history is on Philadelphia's side, in that it was done here once before. If I could, I would vote to have Wharton run the city.

You do know the current mayor is a Wharton grad.

Originally Posted by NYC2ATX

That may change now that Philadelphia is becoming more nationally and internationally recognized. There's no doubt I think amongst any of us here that Philly's star is fast on the rise. The amount of new development is one thing but I've read several news and editorial pieces in the last few years that praise and herald promise for the emerging Philadelphia arts/culture, food and shopping scenes.

As Boston, New York and Washington have become expensive places where some feel unwelcome, Philadelphia has emerged as the easygoing and palatable Northeastern city, the alternative to the others. I left New York (born and raised native) for Austin a few months ago for exactly those reasons, among others, and I say now all the time that if I ever return to the Northeast, I'd live in Philly. The city is more on people's radar now than ever before, and that's huge.

I would love to see another new freestanding museum of some sort along Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Barnes relocation was quite the coup in my mind because I always felt that, for a cultural district, BF Parkway lacked simply in number of institutions residing on it. A modern/contemporary art museum (or something else entirely), whether affiliated with PMA or supported by a new organization altogether would be tremendous for the boulevard and the area. I'm super excited for Philadelphia and I look forward to seeing what's still to come.

Being originally from New York state I could not agree more with what you said.

[Insoluble]

Originally Posted by McBane

Reading this article as well as the one about the Drexel purchase makes me think how the city bungled the new zoning code. I was expecting a new zoning code that would allow most projects to be built by right; and less "spot zoning" by city council; but that's just not the case. In the West Philly article, Blackwell introduced a bill to make some properties on Market St from multi-family to single-family!? And why aren't more lots, such as the one where SLS will go, zoned C5? It really does drive be bonkers.

But happy about SLS moving forward.

Someone else can correct me if I'm wrong here, but the vast majority of the city has not actually been rezoned yet. The new zoning code has been written, but the zoning of actual parcels has not been changed. I think a very crude reinterpretation took place so that everything that used to be C5 is now CMX5 and so forth, but there are still a whole lot of parcels that are under zoned or poorly zoned because their zoning is based on a land use that has been out of date for decades. Hopefully a lot of these issues are fixed when they finish re-zoning city parcels.

[gttx]

Originally Posted by bucks native

It's essential that these new "brains" vote to fix Philadelphia's entrenched, tax dollar sucking, self-serving political system. If that can be done, Philadelphia will stand alone among US cities. And history is on Philadelphia's side, in that it was done here once before. If I could, I would vote to have Wharton run the city

Right, because the bankers have done such a good job running everything else. Why look to Wharton when you have one of the best city planning and urban design programs in the country at Penn?

Better yet, why worry about either of them when you have their graduates running really great civic organizations, non-profits, and private companies in the city? This network of people is what keeps Philadelphia humming, even when the politicians try their best to get in the way.