PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[JohnIII]

Originally Posted by Stg4100

He is a Full sized version, It is like 10 or 15 62 megapixel pictures stitched together, If any of yous want the uncompressed photo it comes out to 15000x5000 pixels. It could make a 6 to 8 foot poster.

This poster would certainly be worth looking into.

By 2026 this view will dramatically change for the good.

[colemonkee]

Those rooftop spaces look really nice. I wonder if they would allow owners/tenants to build raised flower beds along the edges where the greenery is. That is some prime summer vegetable growing space right thurr.

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by summersm343

I also refuse to create one LOL. This might be the first 12+ story building since 2011 to not get it's own dedicated thread on this forum.

Good decision. Until, and if, the details come out about the arrangement between the landowner, the present holder of the development rights, and the developer of this eye sore, it's hard to know who is to blame for this meager attempt at a new building. So, in the meantime, blame them all.

[MadhattersLT]

Not to be that “I wish it was taller” guy but why does it seem that with a lot of Philly Projects (with a few exceptions) height from the original proposal is always slashed with the final product. You look at other cities and there are 500+ foot towers going up. I know we have the one on broad street possibly eclipsing that mark but, it seems we get the 200-300 foot towers when there is clearly a demand for units. That proposal on the riteaid site is embarrassing and made me go back and look at a lot of projects that have been built. Just curious, like is it a price vs return on investment thing or maybe dealing with approval from the city???

[Mayormccheese]

Originally Posted by MadhattersLT

Not to be that “I wish it was taller” guy but why does it seem that with a lot of Philly Projects (with a few exceptions) height from the original proposal is always slashed with the final product. You look at other cities and there are 500+ foot towers going up. I know we have the one on broad street possibly eclipsing that mark but, it seems we get the 200-300 foot towers when there is clearly a demand for units. That proposal on the riteaid site is embarrassing and made me go back and look at a lot of projects that have been built. Just curious, like is it a price vs return on investment thing or maybe dealing with approval from the city???

We did just have arthouse and the laurel go up at 500+ and the broad and Lombard project as well as 19th and sansom project both look like they’re happening as well. But I def get your point.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by MadhattersLT

Not to be that “I wish it was taller” guy but why does it seem that with a lot of Philly Projects (with a few exceptions) height from the original proposal is always slashed with the final product. You look at other cities and there are 500+ foot towers going up. I know we have the one on broad street possibly eclipsing that mark but, it seems we get the 200-300 foot towers when there is clearly a demand for units. That proposal on the riteaid site is embarrassing and made me go back and look at a lot of projects that have been built. Just curious, like is it a price vs return on investment thing or maybe dealing with approval from the city???

There are several 500'ers currently going up or in the works. Just in the last five years we've had The Laurel, Arthaus, W Hotel, and the FMC building. In the pipeline we have 117 s 19th, the Schuylkill Yards tower (and possibly future towers), several Penn's Landing towers, and a CHoP building that just barely misses 500'.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

There are several 500'ers currently going up or in the works. Just in the last five years we've had The Laurel, Arthaus, W Hotel, and the FMC building. In the pipeline we have 117 s 19th, the Schuylkill Yards tower (and possibly future towers), several Penn's Landing towers, and a CHoP building that just barely misses 500'.

^ And the Broad & Lombard tower.

And based on a quick Wikipedia search, current skyscraper construction in Philadelphia (total buildings and height) is comparable to Boston, San Fran, Houston, Dallas.

The only standouts appear to be New York (obvious), Chicago, Miami, and Austin.

But yea, I get the point of tower heights being slashed when they could certainly accommodate more units/floors. For example, The Harper on Chestnut, and 1919 Market should be more like 40 floors instead of 24 & 28. But I don't know how the math works... so I assume there is logic when determining floor counts.

[McBane]

Taller buildings have more units and the market can only absorb so many units at any one time. Of course the skyline would be nicer with some taller buildings that rose above the mass of 300-500 buildings but I would assume if any of the recent buildings had more units, other buildings may not have gotten off the ground period. It has to make financial sense or you get nothing. That being said, the proposal at 23rd and Walnut is still criminally underwhelming.

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Originally Posted by McBane

Taller buildings have more units and the market can only absorb so many units at any one time

Yeah, another factor at play here is that Philly has a ton of development in other neighborhoods constantly absorbing lots of people as well. Many cities like the sunbelt don't have dense historic neighborhoods as well which is a big asset for us otherwise but are equally in competition. Personally, I've always lived in rowhomes

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by MadhattersLT

Not to be that “I wish it was taller” guy but why does it seem that with a lot of Philly Projects (with a few exceptions) height from the original proposal is always slashed with the final product. You look at other cities and there are 500+ foot towers going up. I know we have the one on broad street possibly eclipsing that mark but, it seems we get the 200-300 foot towers when there is clearly a demand for units. That proposal on the riteaid site is embarrassing and made me go back and look at a lot of projects that have been built. Just curious, like is it a price vs return on investment thing or maybe dealing with approval from the city???

I can only assume that past a certain height the developers decide the additional income from additional units that a taller building would give them is not worth the risk, because of added costs. At some point the whole structure has to become stronger, there needs to be an additional elevator added, the build takes longer, and so on.
No idea why first proposals often lose floor count. Are they trying to fool someone or create buzz about a project that won't be done for 3 years?

[Radio5]

Originally Posted by City Wide

I can only assume that past a certain height the developers decide the additional income from additional units that a taller building would give them is not worth the risk, because of added costs. At some point the whole structure has to become stronger, there needs to be an additional elevator added, the build takes longer, and so on.
No idea why first proposals often lose floor count. Are they trying to fool someone or create buzz about a project that won't be done for 3 years?

A lot of developers will go over what they really want, so that when the council/neighbors ask for concessions, they say fine, we will make it shorter, knowing they'd do this all along.

[TK2001]

Philadelphia skyline 08/21/2022 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

Philadelphia skyline 08/21/2022 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

Philadelphia skyline 08/21/2022 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

I haven't been to Citizens Bank Park in three years! Ot was good to be back

[kingtut]

Originally Posted by TK2001

Philadelphia skyline 08/21/2022 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

Philadelphia skyline 08/21/2022 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

Philadelphia skyline 08/21/2022 by Philly SkyGuy, on Flickr

I haven't been to Citizens Bank Park in three years! Ot was good to be back

Great photos , looking at that last photo I can envision WSFS bank building a 600' new headquarters on the east or west bank of the Schuylkill.

[Mikieman]

WOW, 1,240 Units to W Philly, 5 seven story buildings and one 18 story building.

https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate...-20220822.html

[TK2001]

https://phillyyimby.com/2022/08/look...a-skyline.html

[DeltaNerd]

I got hit with the yt algorithm and found this old video about the Cira Center.
Got got to say it was an "interesting" video

Building Philadelphia's $180 Million Skyscraper | Vertical City | Spark
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X09cSOr5QRo

[FtGreeneNY]

OMG...so much incorrect/contextless in just the first few minutes of this video:

1. "...due to huge taxes none ( skyscrapers) been built since 1991 - Two Commerce Square, 1992. The St. James, 2004...also, there were two pesky recessions b/w 1991 and 2005, but hey, go off.

2. Regarding the location of Cira Center discussed as if it's in some wasteland and not across the street from one of the busiest train stations in the nation and very near two large universities one of which is a research institution and an Ivy, and a ginormous hospital complex, not to mention it's literally a 5 minute or so walk to the main business district. Also, no recognition that Cira Center was actually part of two overlapping master plans for that area.

3. "It's the first tower in Philadelphia to be designed by a Star Architect" ... I.M. Pei (Society Hill Towers, Commerce Place), KPF (One AND Two Logan Square, BNY Mellon Center), Helmut Jahn (Liberty Place), and Lescaze & Howe (on general principal, PSFS) would like a word...

4. He should not wear his dad's blazers.

[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by FtGreeneNY

OMG...so much incorrect/contextless in just the first few minutes of this video:

1. "...due to huge taxes none ( skyscrapers) been built since 1991 - Two Commerce Square, 1992. The St. James, 2004...also, there were two pesky recessions b/w 1991 and 2005, but hey, go off.

2. Regarding the location of Cira Center discussed as if it's in some wasteland and not across the street from one of the busiest train stations in the nation and very near two large universities one of which is a research institution and an Ivy, and a ginormous hospital complex, not to mention it's literally a 5 minute or so walk to the main business district. Also, no recognition that Cira Center was actually part of two overlapping master plans for that area.

3. "It's the first tower in Philadelphia to be designed by a Star Architect" ... I.M. Pei (Society Hill Towers, Commerce Place), KPF (One AND Two Logan Square, BNY Mellon Center), Helmut Jahn (Liberty Place), and Lescaze & Howe (on general principal, PSFS) would like a word...

4. He should not wear his dad's blazers.

You gotta take yourself back to when it was built though. It was definitely pioneering at the time. University City looked way different in 2005. The City was still shrinking up until that year.

[FtGreeneNY]

Oh sure, but again, there were a number of assertions in just the first few minutes that were not correct...and also, development over the 30th Street rail yards was long-planned.

Even here in New York, only 8 office towers of any real height were constructed b/w 1992 and 2005. I wasn't living in Philly then but by most metrics it was pretty crappy here in New York as well. 1991-2005 were just a bad/slow period for commercial development in the Northeast.

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by FtGreeneNY

3. "It's the first tower in Philadelphia to be designed by a Star Architect" ... I.M. Pei (Society Hill Towers, Commerce Place), KPF (One AND Two Logan Square, BNY Mellon Center), Helmut Jahn (Liberty Place), and Lescaze & Howe (on general principal, PSFS) would like a word...

also Robert A.M. Stern.