PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread - Page 468

iheartphilly · #**9341** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 2:33 PM**

^
There's a part of Kenso that Philly is giving commercial grants to businesses willing to set up shop there.

eixample · #**9342** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 2:55 PM**

Bart Blatstein sells half of his South Columbus Boulevard site. I can't read the article because of the paywall, but it sounds like it is a serious residential developer. I saw somewhere else that he said he was going to build a Lidl grocery store on his portion beginning this quarter. Does anyone know what this means for either half of this site? I thought the whole thing he had proposed (auto centric wawa, grocery store, townhomes) was contrary to the Central Delaware zoning overlay and he was trying to push a bill through council or get variances. Anyone have better info than me?

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...-lidl-cre.html

Boku · #**9343** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 2:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eixample

Bart Blatstein sells half of his South Columbus Boulevard site. I can't read the article because of the paywall, but it sounds like it is a serious residential developer. I saw somewhere else that he said he was going to build a Lidl grocery store on his portion beginning this quarter. Does anyone know what this means for either half of this site? I thought the whole thing he had proposed (auto centric wawa, grocery store, townhomes) was contrary to the Central Delaware zoning overlay and he was trying to push a bill through council or get variances. Anyone have better info than me?

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...-lidl-cre.html

Go back one page, the article is there.

PHL10 · #**9344** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 3:14 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

^
There's a part of Kenso that Philly is giving commercial grants to businesses willing to set up shop there.

Kenso has historically referred to a person who is from Kensington and not the place itself. Out of curiosity, are you a transplant or a native? I'm not sure if it's a matter of the term changing or being misused or perhaps a use that has been around I just had never heard until recently. And it was generally used as a derogatory term.

hammersklavier · #**9345** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 3:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by eixample

Bart Blatstein sells half of his South Columbus Boulevard site. I can't read the article because of the paywall, but it sounds like it is a serious residential developer. I saw somewhere else that he said he was going to build a Lidl grocery store on his portion beginning this quarter. Does anyone know what this means for either half of this site? I thought the whole thing he had proposed (auto centric wawa, grocery store, townhomes) was contrary to the Central Delaware zoning overlay and he was trying to push a bill through council or get variances. Anyone have better info than me?

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...-lidl-cre.html

US Realty's Samschick -- who has made several renovations happen, but has no track record whatsoever for new construction.

iheartphilly · #**9346** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 3:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHL10

Kenso has historically referred to a person who is from Kensington and not the place itself. Out of curiosity, are you a transplant or a native? I'm not sure if it's a matter of the term changing or being misused or perhaps a use that has been around I just had never heard until recently. And it was generally used as a derogatory term.

I've only heard of it used as a shorthand way of referring to the place, per se. Did not know that it could be used in a derogatory way-btw-what's the source of that? And I'm a native.

City Wide · #**9347** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 3:38 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsbrook

Maybe Black Pearl Estates to class it up a bit...although this development won't make much of a dent in this neighborhood's problems, it's good to see it. A commercial component would have been nice.

Plans include 4 commercial spots----http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projectreviews/PDF/CDR%202035%20E%20LEHIGH%20AVE%20[11X17]%2001.09.18_reduced.pdf

very ambitious plans. In my true blood Philly fashion I'm doubtful that this will fly. But if it does, wow, what a impact.

Larry King · #**9348** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 3:55 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

US Realty's Samschick -- who has made several renovations happen, but has no track record whatsoever for new construction.

No it’s US Construction, different company. They build more rowhouses than anyone in town, I’m sure they’ll actually build it.

Larry King · #**9349** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 3:56 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by City Wide

Plans include 4 commercial spots----http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/projectreviews/PDF/CDR%202035%20E%20LEHIGH%20AVE%20[11X17]%2001.09.18_reduced.pdf

very ambitious plans. In my true blood Philly fashion I'm doubtful that this will fly. But if it does, wow, what a impact.

Same builder is basically sold out of a 30 something unit project across the street. Project location not as crazy as it seems.

Busy Bee · #**9350** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 4:48 PM**

Anyone know what that former rail yard was named?

PHL10 · #**9351** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 5:01 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

I've only heard of it used as a shorthand way of referring to the place, per se. Did not know that it could be used in a derogatory way-btw-what's the source of that? And I'm a native.

I'm almost 50 and for my lifetime a "Kenso" has been a derogatory term for white trash from Kensington. There was a pretty big influx of Kensington people into the lower NE in the 80's and 90's so it was a term I heard quite a bit growing up. I think some of the remaining generational residents may have actually taken pride in the term but not so sure of that.

PHL10 · #**9352** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 8:59 PM**

Crappy picture but good progress at 4th and Race.

ScreamShatter · #**9353** Posted **Jan 3, 2018, 9:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebuilder

yeah pushing them off to other neighborhoods isn't exactly a solution. And I don't think anyone can really argue the old situation was better- having people living in 3rd world conditions in a heroin refugee camp on conrail property.

Sadly -- there's no perfect solution, and especially not one the direct neighborhood can solve without a citywide, state, or national approach. I'm just tired of hearing about all the crime in Kensington on the news each night, and the best way for the community to disrupt that crime or drug problem is by revitalization and making the area less appealing for drug suppliers. That said, it's no solution to the epidemic but it does help Kensington, at least.

allovertown · #**9354** Posted **Jan 4, 2018, 1:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by PHL10

I'm almost 50 and for my lifetime a "Kenso" has been a derogatory term for white trash from Kensington. There was a pretty big influx of Kensington people into the lower NE in the 80's and 90's so it was a term I heard quite a bit growing up. I think some of the remaining generational residents may have actually taken pride in the term but not so sure of that.

A Kenzo is white trash from Kensington with a drug habit. for sure

3rd&Brown · #**9355** Posted **Jan 4, 2018, 12:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by allovertown

A Kenzo is white trash from Kensington with a drug habit. for sure

No. The term Kenzo describes a white working class person from Kensington. No drugs.

The term was around long before the drug epidemic.

There's a gracious silver haired woman with a slicked bouffant and pearls who lives at Waterfront Square and drives an S-Class Mercedes. I used to see her every day on my morning commute as I wound down Delaware Avenue to the 95 on ramp...our commuting schedules were clearly aligned.

She has/had a personalized license plate on that S-Class that says "KENZO".

I'm pretty sure she didn't have a drug problem.

3rd&Brown · #**9356** Posted **Jan 4, 2018, 12:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by allovertown

A Kenzo is white trash from Kensington with a drug habit. for sure

Also. In the history of Kensington, there was a time when Kensington proper was considered the nicest part of Kensington and it was thought that all the "white trash" lived in Fishtown.

So yes. The trajectory of places do change.

iheartphilly · #**9357** Posted **Jan 4, 2018, 1:54 PM**

.

iamrobk · #**9358** Posted **Jan 4, 2018, 2:28 PM**

FWIW I'm in my late 20's and everyone I know has always used Kenzo to refer to the area, not a person. Might be a generational thing, or might just be because we're pretty much all from the suburbs, not the city.

frbrown · #**9359** Posted **Jan 4, 2018, 3:45 PM**

A few pictures of developments in University city that I took yesterday, before the snow.

40th Street trolley portal. Bringing in trees

The Azalea at 40th and pine.

Ronald McDonald house putting up steel

So is the Hamilton Court renovation

uCity Square

3675 Market from Market st. with work on the connecter with 3601

And 3675 from Filbert

Perelman center for Political Science

McBane · #**9360** Posted **Jan 4, 2018, 3:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boku

Blatstein sells portion of waterfront property

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...ess+Journal%29

Curious what sort of handshake agreement the two developers came to in regards to the entire plot of land. If Blatstein moves forward with his plans, then how viable will the Delaware Ave-fronted half be for residential? It's great that US Construction wants to build homes here, but who wants to live behind a Wawa gas station and supermarket? That would really put a crimp in the home values and would seem to put both developers on the path of conflicting interests. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.