PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by PurpleWhiteOut

I was curious about that as well. They must have been TINY trinities, which is out of character for the area. I'm wondering also if these new homes will front Hicks instead of Pine (except maybe the corner house), I'm thinking they'd be too skinny otherwise. I would LOVE to see the parking lot at 17th and pine to be redeveloped. The only good thing about it is a nice skyline view lol, but if you think about it it's insane that that parking lot is still there. It has to be one of the most valuable properties in the city because of its size and location (but would be more if upzoned of course)

They must be fronting Hicks, except the Southern unit. And the drive-aisle will be on Pine.

And no idea what happened to the little homes. My guess is torn down due to blight/abandonment to make way for a parking lot during the rise of the automobile era?

And for the 1700 Block parking lot, I would love to see a substantial project, it can certainly handle it. Likely won't happen due to zoning and pushback, which is ridiculous IMO. It would actually be a great spot for a boutique hotel, like The Edition brand found in NYC, LA, and Miami.

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

I can kinda speak to the bolded, though I'm a slightly different case, as I grew up in a high-crime neighborhood in the city. My fiance and I are both young (25 and 26, respectively) professionals who are currently looking to buy in the city. My fiance is not as passionate about city living as I am, but she would still prefer to be in the city. Though we are on track to get married and will certainly have kids in the next 5+ years, we're looking to stay for the long-term.

To us, crime can happen anywhere, but experiencing it can be minimized. We currently live in Fairmount, which has very minimal crime. If I were to ignore the news, then it would seem as though crime doesn't exist in the city. The areas that we're looking in (mostly the Northwest) are very similar. Additionally, I always tell people that as long as you're not involved in the lifestyle and remain vigilant, then you have very little to worry about. Random crime isn't non-existent, but the vast majority of violent crime in the city is targeted. I feel like a lot of people in my age group not only know and accept the risks, but we're also cognizant of exactly why many neighborhoods in Philadelphia declined--deindustrialization, combined with blockbusting, redlining, and the fact that this country effectively subsidized the growth of auto-oriented suburbs.

If I'm being honest, I feel a greater sense of danger out in the suburbs than in the city. My chances of being hit by a car due to auto-centric suburban design are MUCH higher than my chances of being a victim of a crime here in the city.

Great to see you both have strong confidence in the city! I am a city person and the rise in crime doesn't deter me, and I am younger too (30). BUT the major increase in homicides and other crime is still a very real citywide issue and not a good look, and needs to be addressed ASAP, though I don't see any real movement until after the 2023 Mayoral race.

The media is starting to latch on similar to what they do with Chicago. One ironic tidbit about crime, pre-2020 Washington DC had equal or higher crime rates across the board, yet got a free pass.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

I can kinda speak to the bolded, though I'm a slightly different case, as I grew up in a high-crime neighborhood in the city. My fiance and I are both young (25 and 26, respectively) professionals who are currently looking to buy in the city. My fiance is not as passionate about city living as I am, but she would still prefer to be in the city. Though we are on track to get married and will certainly have kids in the next 5+ years, we're looking to stay for the long-term.

To us, crime can happen anywhere, but experiencing it can be minimized. We currently live in Fairmount, which has very minimal crime. If I were to ignore the news, then it would seem as though crime doesn't exist in the city. The areas that we're looking in (mostly the Northwest) are very similar. Additionally, I always tell people that as long as you're not involved in the lifestyle and remain vigilant, then you have very little to worry about. Random crime isn't non-existent, but the vast majority of violent crime in the city is targeted. I feel like a lot of people in my age group not only know and accept the risks, but we're also cognizant of exactly why many neighborhoods in Philadelphia declined--deindustrialization, combined with blockbusting, redlining, and the fact that this country effectively subsidized the growth of auto-oriented suburbs.

If I'm being honest, I feel a greater sense of danger out in the suburbs than in the city. My chances of being hit by a car due to auto-centric suburban design are MUCH higher than my chances of being a victim of a crime here in the city.

I understand where you’re coming from; one can feel safer without turning on the news I suppose. However, I live in Spring Garden. As you might know, there was an armed robbery at Bold Pizza a few weeks ago and there was a car jacking that involved gun shots at 16th/Folsom a few days ago. At some point it becomes difficult for people not to experience the crime wave personally.

Although, this seems to be the trend in most cities these days, which I think puts everyone in limbo to some extent - there just isn’t anywhere else to go. The nearest cities to Philly are in bad shape as well. We have friends of the family whose son and daughter in law live in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago. They’ve always loved their neighborhood but over the last year or so crime has skyrocketed there. Recently, our friends’ daughter in law (who by no means is some kind of sheltered Republican suburban soccer mom) called them crying saying how terrified she was; they have a young daughter. She’s outraged at city leadership and wants to move but it sounds like they just don’t have a lot of options at the moment.

Anecdotally, I think it is interesting how different people are dealing with the recent crime wave in big cities. I go back and forth on my optimism. It’ll be interesting to see how the dust settles.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

I understand where you’re coming from; one can feel safer without turning on the news I suppose. However, I live in Spring Garden. As you might know, there was an armed robbery at Bold Pizza a few weeks ago and there was a car jacking that involved gun shots at 16th/Folsom a few days ago. At some point it becomes difficult for people not to experience the crime wave personally.

Although, this seems to be the trend in most cities these days, which I think puts everyone in limbo to some extent - there just isn’t anywhere else to go. The nearest cities to Philly are in bad shape as well. We have friends of the family whose son and daughter in law live in the Lake View neighborhood of Chicago. They’ve always loved their neighborhood but over the last year or so crime has skyrocketed there. Recently, our friends’ daughter in law (who by no means is some kind of sheltered Republican suburban soccer mom) called them crying saying how terrified she was; they have a young daughter. She’s outraged at city leadership and wants to move but it sounds like they just don’t have a lot of options at the moment.

Anecdotally, I think it is interesting how different people are dealing with the recent crime wave in big cities. I go back and forth on my optimism. It’ll be interesting to see how the dust settles.

Here is the reality- not only is actual crime up (not all, but violent gun related crime), the redevelopment of the city has higher income (usually white) people living in areas that they would not have lived in 10-15 years ago. So some of this is a matter of new people being exposed to old problems based on geography and the rest of it comes down to an increased volume of crime. I do think the "I don't see any crime in my nice area" mentality is one reason why there isn't a unified sense of outrage amongst citizens. There are many who continue to believe that just because they have yet to be directly affected that they are somewhat insulated from what happens to bad people in bad areas. Problem many "good" areas are very very close to what some consider the bad areas- that is more true now than ever before.

I definitely dont think the notion that this isnt that big of a deal simply because a lot of development continues unabated is the right position to take.

[CleetMcDougle]

There is another (purely anecdotal) issue that may explain some of the increasingly city homicide rates countrywide, and that's the PUA most citizens got during the height of COVID. While most spent that money on necessities to stay afloat, I've seen discussions where gang member used this cash to arm themselves, thus creating more of an influx of guns.

No data to back this up yet, so please don't take it as gospel, but it does make some degree of sense. And if you think about our government inadvertently funding the increasing homicide rate, it makes it that much sadder.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by cardeza

Here is the reality- not only is actual crime up (not all, but violent gun related crime), the redevelopment of the city has higher income (usually white) people living in areas that they would not have lived in 10-15 years ago. So some of this is a matter of new people being exposed to old problems based on geography and the rest of it comes down to an increased volume of crime. I do think the "I don't see any crime in my nice area" mentality is one reason why there isn't a unified sense of outrage amongst citizens. There are many who continue to believe that just because they have yet to be directly affected that they are somewhat insulated from what happens to bad people in bad areas. Problem many "good" areas are very very close to what some consider the bad areas- that is more true now than ever before.

I definitely dont think the notion that this isnt that big of a deal simply because a lot of development continues unabated is the right position to take.

I definitely am not trying to minimize the crime situation by suggesting that development still seems to be moving forward. It’s just wild that new developments still seem to be cropping up in places like Kensington and Wayne Junction even with the crime situation being what it is. I was simply trying to make sense of it. I mean, aren’t developers in these areas the least bit nervous or apprehensive? Would be really interesting to get their take.

I know you’re not trying to offend anyone but let’s frame it as “gentrifying areas” instead of white. The conversation tends to spiral otherwise. I think part of your point is true - gentrifying neighborhoods are all of the sudden dealing with problems that had seemingly been more latent up until a few years ago, but then again everywhere from Rittenhouse to the UWS to Beverly Hills are being hit as well.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by CleetMcDougle

There is another (purely anecdotal) issue that may explain some of the increasingly city homicide rates countrywide, and that's the PUA most citizens got during the height of COVID. While most spent that money on necessities to stay afloat, I've seen discussions where gang member used this cash to arm themselves, thus creating more of an influx of guns.

No data to back this up yet, so please don't take it as gospel, but it does make some degree of sense. And if you think about our government inadvertently funding the increasing homicide rate, it makes it that much sadder.

I’n sure that’s perhaps a piece of the puzzle but I think there’s several larger factors that are contributing to it as well.

I actually moved to Philly from Downtown LA about a year and a half ago. If you want to see a rapidly deteriorating dystopian city, go there. A few days ago, a woman was stabbed to death by a vagrant at a high end furniture store. The reality is there’s a lot of people that are out on the streets that shouldn’t be in more ways than one. Simply throwing more money at the problem doesn’t seem working all that well either.

[PHLtoNYC]

Looks like the new much larger Free People space will be at 1617 Walnut Street (former Jack Wills store).

New York investor buys prime Walnut Street building, lands new retail tenant

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...Pos=5#cxrecs_s

"A New York investor has paid $5.34 million for 1617 Walnut St., a two-story building in the center of Philadelphia’s High Street retail corridor."

"The nearly 7,000-square-foot building was put up for sale in late 2019 by a local family who had it in a trust and listed for $7.5 million. The price that it ended up selling for is a reflection of how the pandemic has affected real estate and the building, which has been vacant for the last roughly five years but the new owner did secure a tenant, Free People, to lease the space."

"Free People has a store next door at 1625 Walnut St., which it closed and indicated that it will reopen soon at a new location. The building at 1617 Walnut allows it to double the amount of square footage it now occupies."

"The more difficult the New York market becomes the more interesting the Philadelphia market becomes,” Mallin said. “It’s easy and convenient. Every person I deal with from New York likes Philadelphia. The population is expanding each year, our retail didn’t suffer as much and it's a stable environment here."

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Looks like the new much larger Free People space will be at 1617 Walnut Street (former Jack Wills store).

New York investor buys prime Walnut Street building, lands new retail tenant

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...Pos=5#cxrecs_s

"A New York investor has paid $5.34 million for 1617 Walnut St., a two-story building in the center of Philadelphia’s High Street retail corridor."

"The nearly 7,000-square-foot building was put up for sale in late 2019 by a local family who had it in a trust and listed for $7.5 million. The price that it ended up selling for is a reflection of how the pandemic has affected real estate and the building, which has been vacant for the last roughly five years but the new owner did secure a tenant, Free People, to lease the space."

"Free People has a store next door at 1625 Walnut St., which it closed and indicated that it will reopen soon at a new location. The building at 1617 Walnut allows it to double the amount of square footage it now occupies."

"The more difficult the New York market becomes the more interesting the Philadelphia market becomes,” Mallin said. “It’s easy and convenient. Every person I deal with from New York likes Philadelphia. The population is expanding each year, our retail didn’t suffer as much and it's a stable environment here."

Glad to see 1617 Walnut will finally be occupied. It’s a cool building. Thought they might take over the old Steve Madden spot since they’re moving out but probably would have been too small.

Seems like women’s brick and mortar retailers are still relatively holding their own. Gentlemen, please learn how to dress again. Ordering jeans on Amazon isn’t doing you any good.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

"The more difficult the New York market becomes the more interesting the Philadelphia market becomes,” Mallin said. “It’s easy and convenient. Every person I deal with from New York likes Philadelphia. The population is expanding each year, our retail didn’t suffer as much and it's a stable environment here."

This is what I like to hear!

[Raja]

I doubt we will ever fully understand the causes for this extreme spike in crime. Obviously there is COVID, the death of half a million family matriarchs, the closure of in-person activities and resources, and decreased foot traffic. There is the anti-police movement, the random shooting of officers, and the resulting decline in community policing and engagement. There is the exponentially increasing income gap. There is generalized angst resulting from extreme partisan division. There is the proliferation of weapons. There is the rise of social media and the influencer class. As a relatively new city homeowner I personally find it alarming. But I also agree that this is not just a Philadelphia problem, and I'm not sure what to make of where the trend is headed.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by Raja

I doubt we will ever fully understand the causes for this extreme spike in crime. Obviously there is COVID, the death of half a million family matriarchs, the closure of in-person activities and resources, and decreased foot traffic. There is the anti-police movement, the random shooting of officers, and the resulting decline in community policing and engagement. There is the exponentially increasing income gap. There is generalized angst resulting from extreme partisan division. There is the proliferation of weapons. There is the rise of social media and the influencer class. As a relatively new city homeowner I personally find it alarming. But I also agree that this is not just a Philadelphia problem, and I'm not sure what to make of where the trend is headed.

I hear ya. I’m a relatively new city homeowner myself. You’re not alone in feeling a bit queasy about the current crime situation. I try to help out as much as I can - volunteer, pick up trash on my block etc. Also, I think complaining to the city or to your local neighborhood association even over little things helps haha. If they get enough of them, it starts adding up and that’s when change happens. If people don’t care, that’s when things start falling apart.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by Raja

I doubt we will ever fully understand the causes for this extreme spike in crime. Obviously there is COVID, the death of half a million family matriarchs, the closure of in-person activities and resources, and decreased foot traffic. There is the anti-police movement, the random shooting of officers, and the resulting decline in community policing and engagement. There is the exponentially increasing income gap. There is generalized angst resulting from extreme partisan division. There is the proliferation of weapons. There is the rise of social media and the influencer class. As a relatively new city homeowner I personally find it alarming. But I also agree that this is not just a Philadelphia problem, and I'm not sure what to make of where the trend is headed.

It is true that violence has increased in most large cities- the part that people such as Kenney leave out is that Philadelphia's homicide rate was already higher than most large cities well before the pandemic so the increase here has even worse consequences. Many other cities like NY and LA were coming off of their lowest levels in many decades. Our homicide numbers (and likely shooting numbers) have been going up since Kenney took office- so this is about more than COVID. We had less than 50% as many murders about 10 years ago. The national increase really only covers the last 2 years.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

This is what I like to hear!

To be fair, he works in commercial real estate. If a sinkhole to hell opened up in front of City Hall, he’d probably be saying the same thing.

I appreciate his positivity though.

[PHLtoNYC]

Some excellent venture capital news.

Philly's venture capital boom sees new heights

https://www.axios.com/local/philadel...e-capital-boom

Makes me laugh at the fools on City Data that recently compared the entirety of Philadelphia to "Newark 2005" or "Southside Chicago" and claimed there are "no opportunities". Yes, people actually typed that.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Some excellent venture capital news.

Philly's venture capital boom sees new heights

https://www.axios.com/local/philadel...e-capital-boom

Makes me laugh at the fools on City Data that recently compared the entirety of Philadelphia to "Newark 2005" or "Southside Chicago" and claimed there are "no opportunities". Yes, people actually typed that.

If you’re able to share the link to these comments, feel free to do so. Feeling pugnacious today lol

[philly_account12]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

I can kinda speak to the bolded, though I'm a slightly different case, as I grew up in a high-crime neighborhood in the city....

This is 100% my perspective as well. Well said.

[summersm343]

Genetic medicines developer that recently opened a Philadelphia lab raises $75M

Ceptur Therapeutics, a New Jersey genetic medicines company that recently opened a Philadelphia lab, has raised $75 million in a Series A financing.

Ceptur was founded last year by Dr. Peter Ghoroghchian, previously senior vice president of Cambridge-based Repertoire Immune Medicines; Samuel Gunderson, an associate professor of molecular biology at Rutgers University; and Rafal Goraczniak, a former Rutgers researcher who now serves a Ceptur's director of platform development.

The company is focused on developing targeted oligonucleotide therapeutics based on U1 adaptor technology licensed from Rutgers.

U1 adaptor technology is a new gene silencing technology designed to treat diseases using targeted interference with pre-messenger RNA processing inside the cell nucleus.

Ceptur, which acquired SilaGene's technology license, opened lab and office space earlier this month at the new B. Labs life sciences incubator inside Cira Centre in Philadelphia.

Ceptur will continue to have it headquarters in Hillsborough, Somerset County, and is also recently opened a location in Denmark.

Ghoroghchian, Ceptur's CEO, said the company, which has 15 employees, plans to use proceeds from the private stock sale to advance its "broad discovery pipeline of differentiated genetic medicines.”

Article behind paywall here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...hia-genes.html

[summersm343]

Shuttered Cobbs Creek Golf Course to receive $65M restoration, new community center

The 105-year-old Cobbs Creek Golf Course in West Philadelphia is set to undergo a $65 million restoration beginning this spring that will include a new community and education center.

The course shuttered in 2020 due to frequent flooding, a fire in 2016 destroying the course's clubhouse, capital needs and safety concerns.

Completion of the restoration is expected in 2023 before opening to the public in 2024. Officials are hopeful the overhaul can help the city land a stop on the PGA Tour.

The project is being funded by the Cobbs Creek Foundation, which will lease the site of the course from the city for 70 years. The lease is paid for through the nonprofit's investment along with its continued work on and around the golf course.

The Cobbs Creek Foundation will not only aim to renovate the public golf course but also to become a neighborhood hub complete with a community and education center on the grounds.

The overhauled Cobbs Creek Golf Course along with its community and education center will collectively bring some 150 jobs to the West Philadelphia neighborhood, according to the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation. Those jobs will total about $6.5 annually in compensation. The restoration itself will make for 750 jobs totaling $56 million in compensation.

What will differentiate the restored course from other renowned courses in the area is that Cobbs Creek, as it always has been, will be open to the public, whereas most of the area's top courses are private.

The new course will include a 9-hole short course and an 18-hole championship course that can be suitable for PGA Tour events, which the Cobbs Creek Foundation wants to make a regular occurrence.

"Our intention is at one point to bring a regular tour stop to Philadelphia, the largest market in the United States that doesn't have a regular tour stop," Shanahan said.

Article behind paywall here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...Pos=3#cxrecs_s

[cardeza]

This is interesting. Very modest amounts of housing being built in PA outside of Philadelphia. So in spite of the various barriers people talk about much more is happening within the City limits than outside of them which is sort of counterintuitive.

https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/h...onanza-philly/

[summersm343]

EVOLUTION ALONG THE EL

As residential development pushes northeast along the Market-Frankford Line, hospitality businesses gravitate to an emerging ‘micro-city’

One of Steve Cook’s first recollections of spending time in Fishtown was when he and Michael Solomonov were on a very specific restaurateur mission.

The co-owners of CookNSolo hospitality group were gearing up to launch their acclaimed restaurant Zahav in 2008, and they wanted to convert a hand-crank meat grinder into a machine that could form the shells for kibbeh, a meat-filled, bulgur dumpling-like Middle Eastern dish. After a lengthy search, the restaurateurs found help in an old-school machinist in Fishtown.

“It felt like another country,” Cook said of their venture through the neighborhood in the late aughts. “... Fast forward 13 or 14 years later, and the neighborhood has changed over completely. Mostly for good, but there’s not a lot of machinists left in Fishtown.”

Nowadays the high-profile team behind concepts like Abe Fisher and Dizengoff have an established presence in Fishtown and its adjacent neighborhoods. That started with their Olde Kensington spot Laser Wolf at 1301 N. Howard St., which opened just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and was recently named one of the world’s best new restaurants by Condé Nast Traveler. CookNSolo has since added a Fishtown outpost of its vegan restaurant Goldie at 1601 N. Front St., which is also home to the group’s forthcoming events venue Lilah that is set to begin operations this spring.

Similar to CookNSolo, hospitality and entertainment groups — both local and otherwise — have flocked to Philadelphia’s burgeoning lower northeastern neighborhoods like Northern Liberties, Olde Kensington, Fishtown and Port Richmond over the last couple years. The boom of food and entertainment businesses has breathed new energy into the area, building on the trickle of concepts that opened nearby in years prior.

The Piazza is a mixed-use community in Northern Liberties that has a mix of apartments and retail space around a central amenity area. Initially developed by Bart Blatstein, it is now owned by Post Brothers, which revamped it and is adding the final phase, which involves the $500 million development of 1,100 additional apartments.

Other forces at work include destination venues such as Rivers Casino and recently opened Brooklyn Bowl that added to the momentum and signaled others, even out-of-town brands, to enter the market. A shopping center on Aramingo Avenue that was rebranded to Fishtown Crossing from Port Richmond Village epitomizes the changes underway in the area. It now boasts a Honeygrow, Nifty Fifty’s and a Starbucks.

“It’s absolutely an evolution and an exciting one at that,” Cooper said. “Northern Liberties, Fishtown, Olde Kensington … we are optimistic with their growth and maturity as neighborhoods and as a retail submarket.”

Development heads north

More development is on the way. One estimate has 3,000 to 4,000 additional residential units coming online in the Northern Liberties area in the next 18 months, largely filled by families or young professionals ages 25 to 35.

Several projects clustering around Spring Garden Street are underway and come in the wake of Alliance HP’s mixed-use development, Sono, which has Yards Brewing Co., a Target and a 50-unit apartment building.

They include:

-Southern Land is proposing a $200 million, 329-unit apartment building with 14,520 square feet of retail space and 89 parking spaces at 418 Spring Garden St.

-A venture between National Real Estate Development and KRE Group has plans for an ambitious $500 million, 1-million-square-foot development along North 2nd Street between Spring Garden and Callowhill streets.

-PRDC Properties is moving ahead on 650 Fairmount, a $100 million mixed-use project on a nearly 5-acre parcel that will create a new community in a part of the city that straddles both the Northern Liberties and West Poplar neighborhoods. The project will have 297 apartments; 107 townhouses, duplexes and triplexes; 221 parking spaces; and 21,000 square feet of retail space.

-Rodin Development is developing a 13-story building with 382 apartments and underground parking with 206 spaces at 5th and Spring Garden streets. An Amazon grocery store is the anchor tenant for the retail space.

D3 Real Estate Development, one of the early pioneers to build in Kensington, is moving ahead with 2001 Richmond St., which will have 218 units along with 5,000 square feet of retail. It comes on the heels of its $300 million Northbank, a residential community at 2001 Beach St. that straddles Fishtown and South Kensington and has “exceeded our expectations,” said Greg Hill, founder of D3.

Mo Rushdy’s Riverwards Group, which completed several residential projects in Kensington, is moving forward with a $100 million project with 535 units at Tulip and Somerset streets in Port Richmond.

From Johnny Brenda’s to Hook& Master and boutique hotels

All the development — both completed and underway — has nudged restaurateurs and other hospitality ventures to seize on the population growth in Philadelphia’s lower northeastern neighborhoods.

Since 2020, about 30 restaurants or other retail businesses have opened or finalized leases in the business improvement district, said Marc Collazzo, executive director at Fishtown Kensington Area Business Improvement District.

The blocks surrounding the go-to Fishtown concert venue Fillmore Philadelphia were completely overhauled during the pandemic, for example, with new businesses like Brooklyn, New York-based Other Half Brewing; Louliga Cigar Lounge; Brooklyn Bowl; and The Fin by Crab Du Jour taking over the Allen Street corridor. New York-based Five Iron Golf is similarly building out a new Fishtown location at 27 E. Allen St., while New Jersey-based Source Farmhouse Brewery opened in the former Fishtown Brewpub space at 1101 Frankford Ave. nearby and fourth-generation, family-owned concept Vince’s Pizzeria opened at 965 Frankford Ave.

Other noteworthy spots that recently launched in the Fishtown-Olde Kensington area include James Beard Award-winning Chef Jose Garces’ pizza and seafood restaurant Hook & Master at 1361 N. 2nd St. and Starr’s Mexican baja concept LMNO at 1749 N. Front St.

In Olde Kensington, Four Humours Distilling debuted in early 2020, and Dallas-based leisure and entertainment business operator Drive Shack Inc. is planning another indoor golf concept called Puttery Philadelphia in a 20,000-square-foot expanse at 1400 N. Howard St.

Glu Hospitality, the restaurant group behind concepts like Leda and the Swan and Vesper Center City, is another Philadelphia company that has established its hub in the Northern Liberties and Fishtown stretch throughout the pandemic.

“There’s no office density there yet, but it’s a pretty self-sustaining little micro-city,” Cook said.

The next phase in the evolution of the Fishtown and Olde Kensington area is to become a “traveling destination” for out-of-towners, Collazzo added. While declining to disclose details about their status, he said that boutique hotels are headed to the area in 2022 and beyond, marking the next development wave in the neighborhoods.

Those hotels mean that visitors to Philadelphia can start to look at the Fishtown area as their hub during vacations rather than Center City.

“In a few years, we’re going to be spoken of in that way,” Collazzo said. “You’re going to look in the in-flight magazine while you’re traveling and you’re going to see ‘Come stay at the Fishtown district.’”

Article behind paywall here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...ford-line.html