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  #14321  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 1:11 PM
3rd&Brown 3rd&Brown is offline
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Originally Posted by bigfish View Post
Obviously trash is a quality of life issues that even for someone of modest means can be annoying. However as Front Street said if people for making 100k+ that is their main issue with the city they are really out of touch. We have a murder rate that is skyrocketing, K&A is in the worst shape I have seen in my life being in that area and the opioid crisis is growing, persistent deep poverty, many failing schools. The city should absolutely 100% institute citywide street sweeping. Also it really comes from a place of privilege to complain about trash in a neighborhood like Fitler Square when that is definitely one of the cleaner neighborhoods of the city and covid has been spreading within the trash collection department and they are dealing with massive backup throughout the city.
Again. The only way schools improve is if you have a built in constituency that has the means, time, energy and money (priviledge) to help pitch in. That's what you've seen time and time again in Philadelphia. The schools that have improved have catchments that have (sometimes just barely) enough wealth and priviledge to reach a tipping point where there are enough people to dig in ang provide extra hands, time, and resources. I'm thinking of places like Meredith (many years ago in QV), Jackson (in South Philly), Nebinger, Adaire in Fishtown. You're even seeing in places like West Germantown now at Lingelbach.

So QOL and improving schools go hand in hand. The more people don't leave for other QOL issues, the more resources are available to make progress on the most dire issues for the city.

This is not an either or issue.

It's astounding to me that people don't see the connection.
     
     
  #14322  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 1:59 PM
Frontst17 Frontst17 is offline
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Wealthy people moving to an already wealthy neighborhood to send their kids to a wealthy private school helps the school district how? I love to see investment in private schools and hope that continues in MANY more neighborhoods, but again it’s not at all indicative of the rest of the city. Why not move to Francisville or Kensington? Is it because of the schools? People who don’t make a lot of money such as those living in the poorest large city in America don’t have that choice. It’s astounding you don’t see it.

If people want to move out of desirable neighborhoods because of trash and power lines then more power to em. Someone else with bigger pockets than them will move in and take their place. I’m more worried about the family trying to make it in the city who has to move out because their school is failing their child and reputable private schools are too expensive. Talk about making excuses for the city why are you letting the public school system off the hook? Don’t you want to live in a city that cares about its residents? That cares about education for everyone? That doesn’t have immense drug and poverty issues? Then screw complaining to your council person about the damn power lines from an ivory tower and get active trying to help your fellow Philadelphians. You all sound like NIMBYS get on with it and move to society hill towers already
     
     
  #14323  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 2:13 PM
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Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown View Post
Again. The only way schools improve is if you have a built in constituency that has the means, time, energy and money (priviledge) to help pitch in. That's what you've seen time and time again in Philadelphia. The schools that have improved have catchments that have (sometimes just barely) enough wealth and priviledge to reach a tipping point where there are enough people to dig in ang provide extra hands, time, and resources. I'm thinking of places like Meredith (many years ago in QV), Jackson (in South Philly), Nebinger, Adaire in Fishtown. You're even seeing in places like West Germantown now at Lingelbach.

So QOL and improving schools go hand in hand. The more people don't leave for other QOL issues, the more resources are available to make progress on the most dire issues for the city.

This is not an either or issue.

It's astounding to me that people don't see the connection.
Good post. Bache-Martin in Fairmount is another good example.
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  #14324  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 2:24 PM
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I don't think the details of the good public schools has been discussed here. They are facing a lot of uncertainty (even pre-COVID). They're trying to fix the inequalities and prevent overcrowding at the good schools. Meredith, which is always highly rated, was planning on setting up 2 trailers outside their main building as additional classrooms this year. The entirety of South Philly schools are going too be realigned in some way in the near future. The process is the 1st phase of the Comprehensive School Planning Review (CSPR) and will end up impacting a lot, if not all public schools in the near future. Catchment lines may be redrawn or grades redistributed into new Middle Schools. I'm sure political pressures will stop full scale catchment changes but things are being done. That said, I can see some parents looking at schools to be unnerved by the fact that the catchment they bought into (South Philly schools in particular) might not be there in a few years.

As one of those parents, I've recently moved from Point Breeze to a better quality catchment. I know the suburbs, I know the pandemic and I know that buying a house is a long term purchase and I'll be here well after the issues of the last few months dissipate. Moving to the burbs was never on the table for my family for many reasons and I'm sure I'm not alone. Are some leaving? Yes, but their houses are not sitting vacant when they go. They're appreciating like crazy and being replaced. I'm optimistic that the schools are going to improve overall and am not worried about population trends shifting the wrong way.
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  #14325  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 2:36 PM
Justin7 Justin7 is offline
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Originally Posted by Londonee View Post
the "it's the schools" excuse is widely overblown - in my experience.

But, my friends are cashing out homes in places like Fishtown, Bella Vista (Meredith!!!) GHo (Stanton) and South Philly (EPX) for $600 - $700K. The money available to them is simply too great and, for staying, the QOL return here as 30+ somethings who can't do the nightlife thing like they used to just isn't worth it to them. That type of $$ buys you a nice spot in Conestoga SD.
"It's not about the schools! My rich friends are cashing out their city homes for a lot of money which allows them to move to one of the top... school... districts... in... wait, what was I saying?"
     
     
  #14326  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 3:18 PM
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Knight Hospitaller Knight Hospitaller is offline
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Excuse me, I'm looking for a thread about low-rise construction. Can anyone help me? ;-)
     
     
  #14327  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 7:27 PM
3rd&Brown 3rd&Brown is offline
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Originally Posted by Frontst17 View Post
Wealthy people moving to an already wealthy neighborhood to send their kids to a wealthy private school helps the school district how? I love to see investment in private schools and hope that continues in MANY more neighborhoods, but again it’s not at all indicative of the rest of the city. Why not move to Francisville or Kensington? Is it because of the schools? People who don’t make a lot of money such as those living in the poorest large city in America don’t have that choice. It’s astounding you don’t see it.
I do see it. You don't.

You need wealthy people in the city to pay for all the bullshit you're talking about. Yeah. Let's fund the schools with a city full of people who make poverty wages.

And a $150K a year isn't wealthy. It isn't wealthy enough to pay a mortgage and send your kid to a $40K a year school. And it's certainly not enough to live in the best neighborhood AND send your kid to private school. But hey. I don't know who all these wealthy people and wealthy neighborhoods are in Philadelphia. Even the highest income zipcode in Philadelphia would be middle upper income in the suburbs. There are probably 100 zipcodes in the suburbs with median family income above that of 19106 (Society Hill).

So for all the hand wringing about those wealthy people. Guess what? They're not as wealthy as you think they are.
     
     
  #14328  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 7:42 PM
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Sad, disappointing news for Market East

Luxury discount retailer Century 21 is going out of business — shuttering one end of Philadelphia’s Fashion District

Read more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/business/re...-20200910.html
     
     
  #14329  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 7:54 PM
allovertown allovertown is offline
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Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown View Post
I do see it. You don't.

You need wealthy people in the city to pay for all the bullshit you're talking about. Yeah. Let's fund the schools with a city full of people who make poverty wages.

And a $150K a year isn't wealthy. It isn't wealthy enough to pay a mortgage and send your kid to a $40K a year school. And it's certainly not enough to live in the best neighborhood AND send your kid to private school. But hey. I don't know who all these wealthy people and wealthy neighborhoods are in Philadelphia. Even the highest income zipcode in Philadelphia would be middle upper income in the suburbs. There are probably 100 zipcodes in the suburbs with median family income above that of 19106 (Society Hill).

So for all the hand wringing about those wealthy people. Guess what? They're not as wealthy as you think they are.
I think we're talking past each other a bit.

I just posted that even at 200k, living in a desirable neighborhood and sending your kid to private school is a stretch. If you happen to have 2 or 3 kids? It's tough. So doesn't that tell you something? That even if you're making 150-200k a year it can be a struggle to live here with a family and feel good about the school you're sending your kids to?

This still doesn't change the fact though that 150k is very wealthy for a city like philly and if we focus all of our attention on doing right by people making 150k, we're going to severely miss the mark of serving a city of 1.6 million people where over half the population doesn't even make a third of 150k.

And while I understand Philly needs a tax base to make improvements. Again, this is a city with a 45k median household income. This is a city where a family pulling in 60 - 80k is really punching well above their weight in terms of contributing to the tax base. And what are the options for a family like that? Private school is out of the question for them and getting a house where there is a decent elementary school is largely out of the question too. And imagine what they could do with that salary in the burbs? They could get a small house is an ok school district that would be head and shoulders above what is available to most students in Philly. If you think the draw of the suburbs is strong for a family making 150k, it's twice as strong for a family making half that with less income to throw around to paper over this city's drawbacks.

Philly doesn't just lose 200k families to the suburbs. Those middle and lower middle class families that leave hurt too.

And while I understand you don't have kids, living somewhere with a functional education system helps everyone and is a fundamental need of any community.

And i agree that this stuff goes hand in hand, we should absolutely be trying harder to keep the city clean and stuff like that. It all matters. But it all doesn't matter the same. And all I'm saying is that if one of your prime concerns in Philly is overhead powerlines you've lost sight of the forest for the trees.

Last edited by allovertown; Sep 11, 2020 at 8:14 PM.
     
     
  #14330  
Old Posted Sep 11, 2020, 9:20 PM
PurpleWhiteOut PurpleWhiteOut is offline
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Originally Posted by Knight Hospitaller View Post
Excuse me, I'm looking for a thread about low-rise construction. Can anyone help me? ;-)
^

The structure at Broad and Bainbridge is almost completely demolished. There's just a bit more than one wall left

Last edited by PurpleWhiteOut; Sep 11, 2020 at 11:39 PM.
     
     
  #14331  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 12:45 AM
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I think there's always going to be families moving to the 'burbs to raise kids regardless of the quality of city schools. The 'burbs make it easy to raise kids - a yard, sports leagues, quiet streets, scouts, parks, lots of other young families in the neighborhood, etc, and schools that aren't always as academically good as some think but are safe and quiet. It's boring as f**k here now that my kids are grown and covid has really pointed out how very little there is to do and how dreadfully unwalkable it is, but it was fun while the kids were growing and our social life was focused on them. So many families moved out as soon as the last kid graduates. We can't wait to do so too. I think this will be the circle for lots of people.
     
     
  #14332  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 1:45 AM
Frontst17 Frontst17 is offline
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I think all over town summed it up with a nice delicate bow. Thank you
     
     
  #14333  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 2:44 AM
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Who can read this? Locked behind paywall

Ensemble buys more buildings at Philadelphia Navy Yard for $83M

Quote:
The real estate company now owns or has interests in nine properties and is poised to develop an additional 109 acres at the South Philadelphia site.
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...buildings.html
     
     
  #14334  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 4:06 AM
kool-ski kool-ski is offline
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Originally Posted by summersm343 View Post
Ensemble buys more buildings at Philadelphia Navy Yard for $83M



https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...buildings.html
Ensemble Real Estate Investments has bulked up on its Philadelphia Navy Yard holdings and paid $83 million for a three-building portfolio.

The purchase of the properties means Ensemble has solidified its presence at the Navy Yard, establishing a critical mass at the site and stepping in where Liberty Property Trust left off. The real estate company now owns or holds interests in nine buildings totaling 1.1 million square feet at the South Philadelphia site and has invested a total of $360 million there.

More than half of its holdings, or five buildings totaling 550,000 square feet and an investment of $155 million, involve buildings that have manufacturing, laboratory, R&D and office space used for the development of immunotherapies, including cell-gene therapy. They house life science companies such as Adaptimmune Therapeutics, which maintains its U.S. headquarters at the Navy Yard, and Iovance Biotherapeutics, which has a manufacturing facility under development.

Long Beach, Calif.-based Ensemble is also part of a team named in July to develop 109 acres that is expected to reshape the next phase of the Navy Yard and it also controls several other sites that can be developed.

In its latest acquisition, the company purchased:

- 400 Rouse Blvd., a 140,000-square-foot office and laboratory building;
- 4751 League Island Blvd., an 82,000-square-foot building; and,
- 150,000-square-foot building at 4701 League Island Blvd.

All of the buildings are leased on a long-term basis to WuXi AppTec, which is one of the largest tenants at the Navy Yard.

"This is a critical component to our portfolio at the Navy Yard and to our growth strategy," said Mark Seltzer, senior vice president of development with Ensemble. "Wuxi is the driver of the life science cluster at the Navy Yard. They serve as the gateway to the new development and next phase of the Navy Yard."

Wuxi located to the Navy Yard in 2004 when it opened a 75,000-square-foot contract testing and manufacturing facility. It continued to grow over the years, adding a non-viral cell therapy manufacturing facilities and, in 2017, established an advanced therapy unit to bolster its U.S.-based cell and gene therapies. Earlier this year, Wuxi moved into 400 Rouse, which houses an advanced therapies testing facility and doubled its testing capacity for gene and cell therapies.

Life science companies prefer these two and three-story buildings that enable them to conduct research and manufacturing on single floors.

"They want to be in a horizontal environment and that's what makes the Navy Yard attractive," Seltzer said. These companies also like the Navy Yard's proximity to Philadelphia International Airport and University City, where there's a labor force from which to draw.

In addition to the Wuxi buildings, Ensemble owns at the Navy Yard a Courtyard by Marriott and four office buildings including One Crescent Drive, 150 Rouse Blvd., 201 Rouse Blvd., and 1200 Intrepid Ave.

Prologis Inc., which acquired Liberty Property earlier this year, was the seller of the Wuxi buildings. Robert Fahey and Jerry Kranzel of CBRE Inc. arranged the transaction.

One of the buildings that had been for sale as part of that portfolio was 4000 S. 26th St., a 55,000-square-foot structure, but Prologis decided not to sell. WuXi is a tenant along with several other companies in the building.
     
     
  #14335  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 2:32 PM
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Longtime Surface Lot at 21st & Lombard Will Finally Disappear






http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...ally-disappear
     
     
  #14336  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 8:13 PM
PhillyEngineer PhillyEngineer is offline
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Originally Posted by summersm343 View Post
Luxury discount retailer Century 21 is going out of business — shuttering one end of Philadelphia’s Fashion District

Read more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/business/re...-20200910.html
This is a major blow to the Fashion District. I was there on Sunday and 5 of the smaller stores have already closed. One positive note - DSW opened and it is a nice store.
     
     
  #14337  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2020, 8:35 PM
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There is so much new construction going up in North Philly east of Broad! I just walked along Diamond Street, between 16th and Front Streets. The appeal of Diamond between Front and American Streets should be obvious at this point, but there are two huge clusters of new construction that caught my eye: between 5th Street and Germantown Avenue, and between 7th and 10th Streets—in both cases, looking north.

I know it’s going to be a WHILE before much of North Philly north of Berle and below Lehigh is broadly appealing to a large proportion of prospective renters and buyers, but who would’ve suspected that market-rate new construction would’ve stretched north of Diamond even five years ago?!
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  #14338  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 11:49 AM
cardeza cardeza is offline
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Originally Posted by Groundhog View Post
I don't think the details of the good public schools has been discussed here. They are facing a lot of uncertainty (even pre-COVID). They're trying to fix the inequalities and prevent overcrowding at the good schools. Meredith, which is always highly rated, was planning on setting up 2 trailers outside their main building as additional classrooms this year. The entirety of South Philly schools are going too be realigned in some way in the near future. The process is the 1st phase of the Comprehensive School Planning Review (CSPR) and will end up impacting a lot, if not all public schools in the near future. Catchment lines may be redrawn or grades redistributed into new Middle Schools. I'm sure political pressures will stop full scale catchment changes but things are being done. That said, I can see some parents looking at schools to be unnerved by the fact that the catchment they bought into (South Philly schools in particular) might not be there in a few years.

As one of those parents, I've recently moved from Point Breeze to a better quality catchment. I know the suburbs, I know the pandemic and I know that buying a house is a long term purchase and I'll be here well after the issues of the last few months dissipate. Moving to the burbs was never on the table for my family for many reasons and I'm sure I'm not alone. Are some leaving? Yes, but their houses are not sitting vacant when they go. They're appreciating like crazy and being replaced. I'm optimistic that the schools are going to improve overall and am not worried about population trends shifting the wrong way.

People are always leaving the city and they always will. Population growth simply means more are born and move in than die and move out. Hundreds of thousands move out of NYC every year in spite of it being described as Utopia by many in Philly. Let's be clear, we only make a big deal about a certain demographic of Philadelphian that moves out or threatens to move out- the upper middle class (typically white) family who has "done the city a favor" by even living here for any amount of time. People of all types (except the very poor) move to the suburbs and in my part of the city its very common for parents of school age children to migrate to the suburbs and yet their houses gets sold and life goes on. No amount of increased street cleaning or enforcement of housing code issues is going to stop every family with the means from moving out. Some people just want the suburban lifestyle at a certain stage in life and they are wiling to pay the taxes to get it. No matter how much you clean up Philly it will never be the same as the suburbs, nor should it be.
     
     
  #14339  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 12:01 PM
cardeza cardeza is offline
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Originally Posted by allovertown View Post
I think we're talking past each other a bit.

I just posted that even at 200k, living in a desirable neighborhood and sending your kid to private school is a stretch. If you happen to have 2 or 3 kids? It's tough. So doesn't that tell you something? That even if you're making 150-200k a year it can be a struggle to live here with a family and feel good about the school you're sending your kids to?

This still doesn't change the fact though that 150k is very wealthy for a city like philly and if we focus all of our attention on doing right by people making 150k, we're going to severely miss the mark of serving a city of 1.6 million people where over half the population doesn't even make a third of 150k.

And while I understand Philly needs a tax base to make improvements. Again, this is a city with a 45k median household income. This is a city where a family pulling in 60 - 80k is really punching well above their weight in terms of contributing to the tax base. And what are the options for a family like that? Private school is out of the question for them and getting a house where there is a decent elementary school is largely out of the question too. And imagine what they could do with that salary in the burbs? They could get a small house is an ok school district that would be head and shoulders above what is available to most students in Philly. If you think the draw of the suburbs is strong for a family making 150k, it's twice as strong for a family making half that with less income to throw around to paper over this city's drawbacks.

Philly doesn't just lose 200k families to the suburbs. Those middle and lower middle class families that leave hurt too.

And while I understand you don't have kids, living somewhere with a functional education system helps everyone and is a fundamental need of any community.

And i agree that this stuff goes hand in hand, we should absolutely be trying harder to keep the city clean and stuff like that. It all matters. But it all doesn't matter the same. And all I'm saying is that if one of your prime concerns in Philly is overhead powerlines you've lost sight of the forest for the trees.
People with relatively high income discuss the burbs as if it's a viable option for everyone. It is not and unless you are comparing a decent suburban town with Philadelphia's top 20% of neighborhoods there is no comparison in terms of the cost of living, especially for those who work in Philadelphia and still pay the wage tax. Unless you count Upper Darby or other parts of eastern Delaware county as the burbs there is almost nowhere you are going to find a decent house for under $300-$350k and if you find something less than that its going to be outdated and in need of work. And then you have the taxes and additional fees for things like private trash hauling, a need for a vehicle for each driving adult and other expenses. It is not apples to apples, but for those with several kids who would otherwise be in private school it does come out cheaper. But subtracting that scenario you are paying more and presumably in the minds of those that move, you are getting more for all those additional dollars. And this price exclusion is what gives these areas "functioning" school districts. If your region is too expensive for any low incomes people and the taxes are paid by upper middle class people who can afford to live there you end up with a well funded school district that is not burdened with educating many low income kids. Problem solved. This is how education works in america, it's not about equity or uniformity. These issues have very little do with how competent or incompetent Philadelphia SD management is or is not, this is structural and it's taking place all over the country.
     
     
  #14340  
Old Posted Sep 14, 2020, 3:36 PM
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Originally Posted by PhillyEngineer View Post
This is a major blow to the Fashion District. I was there on Sunday and 5 of the smaller stores have already closed. One positive note - DSW opened and it is a nice store.
I think some of the smaller stores were always intended to only be there short term, FWIW, so I wouldn't look at them as an indicator of how well the Fashion District is (or is not) doing. On the other hand, apparently Candytopia is doing well because they were also supposed to have left a while ago but extended their lease. But yeah, either way it's really unfortunate that Century 21 is closing.

I was also at the Fashion District on Saturday with some family visiting from out of town and their takeaway was that it was nice, and they were surprised by the size of it, but that it needed more - more stores, more destinations, etc. I can't say I disagree with them.
     
     
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