PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[PhilliesPhan]

Just as I expected! With rent rates going up on Walnut Street, it was only a matter of time before Chestnut Street was set to take off. With the project on 1100 block and the proposed tower on the 1900 block, I have the utmost faith in Chestnut Street. If only Mandeville Place was still in the works! Chestnut would be full of life right by Schuylkill Banks.

http://www.philly.com/philly/busines...reet__Too.html

[shadowbat2]

Drexel Kline renovation:
007 by tehshadowbat, on Flickr

004 by tehshadowbat, on Flickr

The block of Doom LOL:
002 by tehshadowbat, on Flickr

001 by tehshadowbat, on Flickr

[EastSideHBG]

The idea of car-less days is gaining some momentum:

The drive for carless streets in Philadelphia
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20...P7CyB6qBmoi.99

[BenKatzPhillytoParis]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

The idea of car-less days is gaining some momentum:

The drive for carless streets in Philadelphia
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20...P7CyB6qBmoi.99

Not if Stu Byko has anything to do with it.

[summersm343]

Old GSK Building recladding
Will be 10 floors of offices and 14 floors of apartments

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by BenKatzPhillytoParis

Not if Stu Byko has anything to do with it.

He won't, the old fuck. Probably will croak soon.

[1487]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Old GSK Building recladding
Will be 10 floors of offices and 14 floors of apartments

That looks much better.

[1487]

Originally Posted by mja

You have such a weird way to see things sometimes. I find my myself completely agreeing with you half the time and violently disagreeing with you the other half of the time.

Take this argument, for instance. I don't actually disagree with anything you've written regarding 1500 Chestnut. I do agree that people have a bizarre obsession with the block. I do agree that people who throw around terms like riffraff are frequently just unnecessarily uncomfortable with people from a different racial / socio-economic / cultural backgrounds. I actually don't have any particular feelings regarding whether or not lots are going to get consolidated on any stretch of Chestnut, one way or the other.

But then you strangely throw 1300 Chestnut under the bus to make your point, and end up coming off as out of touch with reality. By any measure, 1300 Chestnut is thriving commercial corridor and your refusal to acknowledge that isn't helping your case any.

I said 10th to broad needs work. Thats all I said. It's OK, could be a lot better and hopefully that will happen. It's not on the list of commercial stretches I would take a visitor to right now, obviously you and others are pretty impressed with what we have there. And compared to the foot traffic you see on west chestnut/walnut its really got a ways to go. Popular spot for homeless as well.

[Jawnadelphia]

Sorry if posted earlier -

Sonesta Hotel mural started today, some 25 stories tall.

[IMG]Untitled

[tsarstruck]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

Sorry if posted earlier -

Sonesta Hotel mural started today, some 25 stories tall.

Watching it go up from my office window as I type. Mural is by MOMO, as part of MA's Open Source project. More of his stuff here.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

Sorry if posted earlier -

Sonesta Hotel mural started today, some 25 stories tall.

Pretty neat. More info on the Mural and the event tonight to celebrate it here: http://blog.sonesta.com/2015/09/28/s...rt-exhibition/

[Jawnadelphia]

Wow - found it, that's awesome.

[MikeNigh]

looks like a windows 3.1 screen saver

[Jawnadelphia]

Originally Posted by MikeNigh

looks like a windows 3.1 screen saver

Oh boy - prefer that blank wall, do ya??

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

Oh boy - prefer that blank wall, do ya??

Actually an advertising mural would have amazing on that wall. But then we'd have the Citizens Against Signs (or whatever they're calling themselves these days) set against it

[blart]

Behind the Piazza, Monday, 10-5. Cafeguy said earlier that this was probably going to be a parking garage. Digging going on, and some concrete has already been poured:

[New2Fishtown]

Yes, the overall site plan has called for a structured parking garage in this general location from the beginning. It's not as large as what they originally received approval for, but I doubt the full build-out of the Piazza site will look much like the original proposal. Point being, this garage consolidates the current surface parking into a smaller space, freeing up the remainder of the site along Germantown Avenue for new phases of development. My hope would be another apartment building on the Gtown side, and then rowhouses facing the existing ones along the Howard Street side. A diagonal cut that allowed for pedestrian movement from the Piazza toward the MFL stop would be amazing, but I'm not holding my breath and will be glad to see some kind of order finally be imposed on this large dirt patch.

In the meantime, if you haven't been to see The Fillmore yet, it is pretty exciting. Takes a little imagination to visualize what the building will become when Philadelphia Distilling, bowling alley, and restaurant all move in and fill it up, but it already feels profoundly changed even with just The Fillmore in place. Having a hive of activity in that particular location will really serve to knit together the energy of the Piazza, Frankford Ave, and the casino. One of those developments that helps people to realize how close these things are to one another.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by New2Fishtown

Yes, the overall site plan has called for a structured parking garage in this general location from the beginning. It's not as large as what they originally received approval for, but I doubt the full build-out of the Piazza site will look much like the original proposal. Point being, this garage consolidates the current surface parking into a smaller space, freeing up the remainder of the site along Germantown Avenue for new phases of development. My hope would be another apartment building on the Gtown side, and then rowhouses facing the existing ones along the Howard Street side. A diagonal cut that allowed for pedestrian movement from the Piazza toward the MFL stop would be amazing, but I'm not holding my breath and will be glad to see some kind of order finally be imposed on this large dirt patch.

In the meantime, if you haven't been to see The Fillmore yet, it is pretty exciting. Takes a little imagination to visualize what the building will become when Philadelphia Distilling, bowling alley, and restaurant all move in and fill it up, but it already feels profoundly changed even with just The Fillmore in place. Having a hive of activity in that particular location will really serve to knit together the energy of the Piazza, Frankford Ave, and the casino. One of those developments that helps people to realize how close these things are to one another.

The fact that Front's seen a ton of new construction between the 95 overpass and Spring Garden doesn't hurt, either.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by TallCoolOne

Wow - found it, that's awesome.

Pretty cool honestly. If no one has seen yet, there is an electronic/digital ad on the other side at night. Noticed it the other night. It's pretty sweet and gets me excited for the ones along Market East.

[summersm343]

"New Bensalem" River Renaissance Project on Waterfront to Include Town Center, Transit Boulevard

Behold the latest riverfront conversion project to hit the Delaware River waterfront: River Renaissance in New Bensalem. (And no, that’s not it in the picture, but close! Keep reading.) As we told you in last week’s preview of the Bucks County development, River Renaissance is slated to be a 675-acre mixed-use community with several amenities that have now been shared in a little more detail by the project’s authors.

They are as follows:

Town Center: Small local businesses at ground level with residential dwellings above; shops, restaurants and cafés; riverfront amphitheater; central park and riverfront plaza with “open market”
Town General: Single-family homes, twins, townhomes, condos; corner stores; three- to four-stories with 4- to 12-units per acre; pocket parks and playgrounds
Neighborhoods: Small- to medium-sized lots; two-story units with 2-6 units per acre; single-family dwellings; pocket parks and playgrounds
Natural Areas: Preservation of wetlands and open space; parks for flood mitigation; restoration of historic drainage patterns
Recreational Outdoor: Walking trails and bike routes; “The Loop,” a two-mile route connecting to all parts of the riverfront; connection to the East Coast Greenway
Commuter Routes and Public Transportation: New pedestrian and bike bridge over Station Avenue connecting to new transit boulevard (Rail Blvd.); Rail Blvd. to include shops, restaurants and commuter conveniences facing boulevard and rails; primary use will be bus traffic; access ramps and pedestrian routes

In addition to these residential amenities, River Renaissance will have a Regional Technology and Manufacturing Center with small- to medium-sized enterprises and advanced manufacturing facilities. This component was developed as a way to promote economic growth and increased employment in the area.

Read more and see photos/renderings at http://www.phillymag.com/property/20...mMAhg0bYLf1.99