PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by iamrobk

Just read an absolutely fascinating article in the Inquirer about the drug trade in Kensington. Highly recommend it, particularly in light of the recent discussion about the DA race: https://www.inquirer.com/zzz-systest/a/h...ladelphia-dealers-violence-20210520.html

Wow. Fascinating read. If the Inquirer put out stories written this competently every week they’d regain my subscription.

It reminds me a lot of a BillyPenn article on the same subject, written by a former heroin addict. Both articles make an important point: simply going in with cops and kicking them out/arresting them does nothing.

This is a nationwide epidemic, and cities like Chicago, Philly, LA, and especially Baltimore have been hit the hardest. The only real solutions are going to have to come from a nationwide effort, fueled by public and federal investment.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

I still think that there were several other buildings on that block that should’ve been saved before the Robinson Building was even constructed. That theatre comes to mind (I can’t seem to remember the name).

The "Earle," I believe.

[summersm343]

29-Unit Building Rising at 952 N. 3rd Street in Northern Liberties



Read/view more here:
http://www.rising.realestate/29-unit-building-rising-in-northern-liberties/

[summersm343]

Renderings Revealed For 55-Unit Building At 1426 North 6th Street In Ludlow, North Philadelphia







Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2021/05/renderings-revealed-for-1426-north-6th-street-in-ludlow.html

[summersm343]

Renderings Revealed For 104-Unit Development At 1631 South 52nd Street In Kingsessing, Southwest Philadelphia







Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2021/05/renderings-revealed-for-1631-south-52nd-street-in-kingsessing.html

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Wow. Fascinating read. If the Inquirer put out stories written this competently every week they’d regain my subscription.

It reminds me a lot of a BillyPenn article on the same subject, written by a former heroin addict. Both articles make an important point: simply going in with cops and kicking them out/arresting them does nothing.

This is a nationwide epidemic, and cities like Chicago, Philly, LA, and especially Baltimore have been hit the hardest. The only real solutions are going to have to come from a nationwide effort, fueled by public and federal investment.

I read it too. Jaw dropping how frank some of the interviews are.

That being said, speaks to the dire need to increase minimum wage and even create a KOZ in that part of the city. Pulling bigger light industrial employers into Harrowgate, Frankford, and Juniata/Fairhill would go a long way toward pulling folks into the economy.

If I were the czar of solving the current heroin issue, I'd:

1. Increase state minimum wage
2. Create some sort of advanced manufacturing institute allied with either CCP or Thaddeus Stevens Institute of Technology located in this part of Philly or the NE.
3. Create KOZs targeted to manufacturing and warehousing in said locations.
4. Simplify the process of opening a business in Phila and reduce biz taxes


We need to pull people into the economy and give them a bridge to the future.

Heroin is a symptom of a problem. Not the problem itself.

We are at a unique moment in history, our version of the industrial revolution, where millions of people are simply being left behind. There needs to be a coordinated effort to bring these folks back into the fold.

Otherwise, this will continue unabated for another 15-20 years until this economic phase is complete. Which unfortunately means many of these people will just be dead.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Heroin is a symptom of a problem. Not the problem itself.

We are at a unique moment in history, our version of the industrial revolution, where millions of people are simply being left behind. There needs to be a coordinated effort to bring these folks back into the fold.

Otherwise, this will continue unabated for another 15-20 years until this economic phase is complete. Which unfortunately means many of these people will just be dead.

This. This this this this this.

[ScreamShatter]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

I read it too. Jaw dropping how frank some of the interviews are.

That being said, speaks to the dire need to increase minimum wage and even create a KOZ in that part of the city. Pulling bigger light industrial employers into Harrowgate, Frankford, and Juniata/Fairhill would go a long way toward pulling folks into the economy.

If I were the czar of solving the current heroin issue, I'd:

1. Increase state minimum wage
2. Create some sort of advanced manufacturing institute allied with either CCP or Thaddeus Stevens Institute of Technology located in this part of Philly or the NE.
3. Create KOZs targeted to manufacturing and warehousing in said locations.
4. Simplify the process of opening a business in Phila and reduce biz taxes


We need to pull people into the economy and give them a bridge to the future.

Heroin is a symptom of a problem. Not the problem itself.

We are at a unique moment in history, our version of the industrial revolution, where millions of people are simply being left behind. There needs to be a coordinated effort to bring these folks back into the fold.

Otherwise, this will continue unabated for another 15-20 years until this economic phase is complete. Which unfortunately means many of these people will just be dead.

I’d do a 10 year tax abatement for new small startups, and I’d increase taxes slightly on big box retail to try to even playing field for smaller businesses. The aim would be to create more small community retailers and corner grocery stores. I’d also carve out more of Fairmount Park for growing food for those small grocery stores in those communities. I’d also convert schools into multi-purpose community centers so they could be used for evening events and business space for locals.

Ultimately, I feel like self sustaining community wealth building is what many neighborhoods need. So much low income money goes to Walmart and Target and then that profit gets sucked out of the neighborhoods. If we encourage more small local, affordable businesses it’ll keep money in neighborhoods and then those businesses in return support the area.

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Wow. Fascinating read. If the Inquirer put out stories written this competently every week they’d regain my subscription.

It reminds me a lot of a BillyPenn article on the same subject, written by a former heroin addict. Both articles make an important point: simply going in with cops and kicking them out/arresting them does nothing.

This is a nationwide epidemic, and cities like Chicago, Philly, LA, and especially Baltimore have been hit the hardest. The only real solutions are going to have to come from a nationwide effort, fueled by public and federal investment.

It's incredible to me, that lessons that were learned 30+ years ago in the crack epidemic have still barely moved the needle in terms of public policy. I mean honestly, how old is The Wire? I watched that show in high school.

Luckily at least public perception has been slowly shifting in the right direction, but the idea that anyone still believes the answer to the problems described in this article are more policing and more arrests is disheartening.

I went to high school in delco, graduated less than 20 years ago and more than 10 percent of my class is dead from this shit. People need to wake up to the scope of this problem.

[reparcsyks]

Spot on! The "War on Drugs" is such a complicated issue for a number of reasons.

I always think about the BBC series "Traffik" - one of the most poignant moments of the whole series was a speech given by the father of a drug user who basically says (and I'm paraphrasing it badly):

"We're never going to stop people using drugs, but we can work toward creating a society that people don't need drugs to escape from."

Originally Posted by allovertown

It's incredible to me, that lessons that were learned 30+ years ago in the crack epidemic have still barely moved the needle in terms of public policy. I mean honestly, how old is The Wire? I watched that show in high school.

Luckily at least public perception has been slowly shifting in the right direction, but the idea that anyone still believes the answer to the problems described in this article are more policing and more arrests is disheartening.

I went to high school in delco, graduated less than 20 years ago and more than 10 percent of my class is dead from this shit. People need to wake up to the scope of this problem.

[ImaTeleUSomthing]

https://www.belmontbehavioral.com/about/construction-updates/

This place is near completion, and may assist those with mental/ substance abuse issues.
Better than a morphine clinic, I hope.

[PhilliesPhan]

Looks like 836 North Broad, a five-story building containing 32 units and that will have frontage on North Broad, Parrish, and Carlisle Streets, is officially under construction:





The significance of this building lies within the fact that it will rise on one of Francisville's last large underutilized properties. At this point, the parking lot at 17th and Girard, the CVS at Broad and Girard, the Francisville Triangle, and the lot at 836 North Broad all have large projects planned for them. The lot at 15th and Parrish is still in limbo (at last check, it was supposed to be developed into workforce housing), and the only large lots left with nothing planned will the People2People parking lots--parking lots that People2People are actively marketing. With a lack of large parcels left along Ridge Avenue, Francisville marches closer and closer to being fully redeveloped.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by ImaTeleUSomthing

https://www.belmontbehavioral.com/about/construction-updates/

This place is near completion, and may assist those with mental/ substance abuse issues.
Better than a morphine clinic, I hope.

What is a morphine clinic? I'm fairly certain there is no such thing.

[Busy Bee]

[methadone clinic] ?

[TonyTone]

Lmao Morphine clinic is something that would definitely have been real in the 40s & 50's.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by reparcsyks

Spot on! The "War on Drugs" is such a complicated issue for a number of reasons.

I always think about the BBC series "Traffik" - one of the most poignant moments of the whole series was a speech given by the father of a drug user who basically says (and I'm paraphrasing it badly):

"We're never going to stop people using drugs, but we can work toward creating a society that people don't need drugs to escape from."

I feel like we're glossing over a massive culprit which was a decades long pharma push to get opiates into the hands of the masses for all manners of aches and pains. My wife attended a high school on the main line with 98% college attendance rate and the few folks who struggled with this came to it through that route - so it's not like they were suffering from a lack of hourly corner retail jobs or access to $$.

I will also say this issue just doesn't get a ton of national interest/attention. AFAIK there's no national policy/directive/funding on how to combat it at the grassroots level from education to policing to treatment - meaning each (underfunded) city is left to try and figure it out for itself. And this just isn't a problem in "poor" cities - San Francisco, Seattle, LA and Portland are all struggling with this issue equally.

[summersm343]

Surface Lot on the Outs at 3rd & Lombard, Parish Hall is Coming

Current site:


Rendering:


Rendering:


Read/view more here:
http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/society-hill/surface-lot-outs-3rd-lombard-parish-hall-coming

[summersm343]

69 Units + Retail Planned within Willow Street Steam Plant in Callowhill

Zoning permits were issued today to adaptively reuse the building with 2 commercial spaces on the first floor and 69 residential units within the structure. The plans also include 20 automobile parking spaces and 35 bicycle stalls.

Here’s the exact text of the zoning permit: Change of use and new accessory parking for an existing building. CHANGE OF USE OF EXISTING BUILDING: BASEMENT: UTILITIES, ACCESSORY STORAGE & PORTION OF VACANT COMMERCIAL 1ST FLOOR: 2 VACANT COMMERCIAL SPACES & RESIDENTIAL ENTRANCE UPPER FLOORS: 69 DWELLING UNITS 20 PARKING SPACES (INCLUDING 1 ADA VAN SPACE) 35 CLASS 1A BICYCLE SPACES @1ST FLOOR GARAGE ALONG ACCESSIBLE ROUTE (We were told that we needed to submit an application for this project under “parking” rather than change of use”. Original application ZP-2021-002498)

Read/view more here:
http://www.rising.realestate/69-units-re...willow-street-steam-plant-in-callowhill/

[summersm343]

Facade Nearly Complete At 2100 Hamilton Street







Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2021/05/facade-n...-in-franklintown-north-philadelphia.html

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by summersm343

69 Units + Retail Planned within Willow Street Steam Plant in Callowhill





Read/view more here:
http://www.rising.realestate/69-units-re...willow-street-steam-plant-in-callowhill/

Keep in mind this is owned by 'Developer' John Wei, who also has been sitting on Church of the Assumption for nearly a decade. He also had plans for the historic Poth Brewery, but flipped that property to MMPartners.

I'm not familiar with Wei's track record otherwise. I've seen him referred to as a "Chinatown developer," in some articles, but have no idea specifically what he has successfully developed other than the Independence Press building on N. 11th St. Does anyone here know more? Please cite some specific projects he has completed.