PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

^^^
Value engineering at its finest...looks at those cheap panels (first clue)...it's criminal if this get built to those renders.

Value engineering comes later.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller

In this case, being able to buy an aspirin has greater public benefit than what looks like trans-Schuylkill student housing.

Haha seriously.... I mean.... look how comically under-scaled this building is in that aerial rendering. 2116 Chestnut and 2400 Chestnut tower over this thing and they're not that tall!!!

The blank wall facing Walnut Street? You couldn't move the elevator shafts into the center of this massively bulky shit-turd? It's so awful on so many levels.

I don't even want to make a separate thread for this abomination.

[Skang]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Haha seriously.... I mean.... look how comically under-scaled this building is in that aerial rendering. 2116 Chestnut and 2400 Chestnut tower over this thing and they're not that tall!!!

The blank wall facing Walnut Street? You couldn't move the elevator shafts into the center of this massively bulky shit-turd? It's so awful on so many levels.

I don't even want to make a separate thread for this abomination.

I wouldn’t blame , I hate this project very disappointing

[gjrip]

Wow…

POS

[summersm343]

I lived on top of a sports stadium. It was fantastic.

Read/view more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/com...-20220812.html

[summersm343]

Hahnemann bankruptcy agreement sidelines former owner Joel Freedman and clears way for property sale

Hoping the redevelopment of the Hahnemann properties result in some shiny new highrises!

Read/view more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/business/he...11.html#loaded

[Skang]

I think our developing market is drying up, there hasn’t been one Office Tower more than 400 ft built in a very long time I can remember and it’s only happing in the Philly market , something need to change

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by Skang

I think our developing market is drying up, there hasn’t been one Office Tower more than 400 ft built in a very long time I can remember and it’s only happing in the Philly market , something need to change

Well, I mean Covid? Not sure what you mean by “it’s only happening in the Philly market” - there’s a lot of cities out there lol. This has been discussed pretty extensively on here. Covid killed the Center City office market like most downtowns, but it’s starting to come back. It’ll take some time. Meanwhile the residential market is still fairly strong.

Obviously, more things could be done to bring more jobs and business into the city but it’s hard to make and quick and fast judgements considering the post Covid office environment.

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by Skang

Guys just relax , I think they might come up with something better

That's not the way it works around here. 90% of the time the proposals get worse as time goes on.
The only excuse I can think of is that the owner of the land is only offering a land lease, or whatever it might be called, on very bad terms, so the developer is only willing to build trash so they can make their profits in the shortest possible time.
Didn't 12th & Sansom go through 2 or 3 owners very quickly after the first plan was announced? Maybe this team, including the architect, can be tossed out in Walnut St. traffic and someone with at least a little interest will step forward.

And please, no separate thread for this, certainly not yet. No one should do anything to encourage any forward progress on this turd of a doghouse

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by mja

The 23rd & Walnut Rite Aid proposal is a massive disappointment.

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate...-20220812.html

I didn't know they stacked shit this short.

[McBane]

I may be in the minority here, but I don't think 23rd and Walnut is as premium a location as others may feel. After 21st, Walnut quickly loses its luxurious feel. This specific location is on the fringe of Rittenhouse but not on the riverfront either (like say, Mandeville Place). Even still, I imagined something taller and more elegant. This feels like it belongs in Brewerytown, Germantown or another emerging fringe neighborhood.

Ironically, one of the dings on this stretch of Walnut Street is that Sunoco station, which apparently, Dranoff is going to develop. I don't recall reading anything on here about Dranoff and the Sunoco station, so there's some good news.

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by McBane

I may be in the minority here, but I don't think 23rd and Walnut is as premium a location as others may feel. After 21st, Walnut quickly loses its luxurious feel. This specific location is on the fringe of Rittenhouse but not on the riverfront either (like say, Mandeville Place). Even still, I imagined something taller and more elegant. This feels like it belongs in Brewerytown, Germantown or another emerging fringe neighborhood.

Ironically, one of the dings on this stretch of Walnut Street is that Sunoco station, which apparently, Dranoff is going to develop. I don't recall reading anything on here about Dranoff and the Sunoco station, so there's some good news.

I get what you're saying, but this area is definitely a solid area Probably Upper middle/Wealthy families, it gives off more of a Filter Square vibe which is solid households, with commercial, and restaurants all in the area. That stretch of Walnut is primarily Brownstones? and some Midrises, It can handle the height, however its calmer on this end.

That being said that proposal is a dump, and they could have at least created the design with some decent brick work with real stone to give it a historic look since they are skimping on the height.

Hopefully the backlash gets them to redesign.

https://www.google.com/maps/search/r.../data=!3m1!1e3


Million dollar homes, this area is definitely exclusive

https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sal...oom%22%3A17%7D

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by McBane

I may be in the minority here, but I don't think 23rd and Walnut is as premium a location as others may feel. After 21st, Walnut quickly loses its luxurious feel. This specific location is on the fringe of Rittenhouse but not on the riverfront either (like say, Mandeville Place). Even still, I imagined something taller and more elegant. This feels like it belongs in Brewerytown, Germantown or another emerging fringe neighborhood.

Ironically, one of the dings on this stretch of Walnut Street is that Sunoco station, which apparently, Dranoff is going to develop. I don't recall reading anything on here about Dranoff and the Sunoco station, so there's some good news.

That may be the case today but it's 1000% geographically prime even if it doesn't "feel" that way. All it takes is a few nice developments to change that perception.

[TempleGuy1000]

I lived in 3 different apartments in Rittenhouse/Fitler Square over the last decade in Center City and would 100% rather live west of 21st ha. Nicer, safer, and cleaner imo. The current proposal belongs on Washington or Spring Garden avenues. Not Walnut.

[reparcsyks]

Yes, it's ugly as sin. But what's truly disappointing is that if the developers gave a shit, this plot, combined with the Sunoco and Laurel would absolutely transform the stretch of Walnut to the river, almost ensuring a Mandeville-esque building is finally built on the Schuylkill. While this eyesore won't completely halt the progress, it would really help the overall development of the area if this were a 400 footer. This is where a building like 1919 Market would be ideal.

[McBane]

Just to clarify my position, I still think this project is very underwhelming. But I stand by my comment that these blocks of Walnut are not the most attractive/premium part of Rittenhouse (doesn't mean they're bad). And it's not even that 21st is a firm dividing line. As you go below Walnut Street, those blocks (Locust, Spruce, etc.) west of 21st are very attractive and upscale.

[Justin7]

Originally Posted by McBane

Just to clarify my position, I still think this project is very underwhelming. But I stand by my comment that these blocks of Walnut are not the most attractive/premium part of Rittenhouse (doesn't mean they're bad). And it's not even that 21st is a firm dividing line. As you go below Walnut Street, those blocks (Locust, Spruce, etc.) west of 21st are very attractive and upscale.

These two lots are the primary reason this area is not as nice. This is the opportunity to fix that.

[iheartphilly]

^
Exactly! And the promoxity to the River and Square as I've said. Walnut river to river should be very desirable.

[JohnIII]

This proposal should be at 43rd and Chestnut not 23rd and Walnut.

Maybe we should just keep the Rite Aid there until a better proposal comes up. I never thought I'd say that...

[Mayormccheese]

Can we somehow band together and publicly shame the developer into a better design