PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Londonee

It's just nonsense. Who's the hotel banner under? Who's leasing 300k worth of shops - any leases potentially lined up? Is Live Nation running the concert venue? They're just spitting nonsense out of their mouths in an 11th hour attempt to woo Labor (which is fully behind 76 Place) - of course Inga is eating it all up clearly due to (Comcast) editorial influences on the Inky Board... it just feels pathetic and eye-rolling. They should have done this stuff 20 years ago.

It's too little, too late. I'm told that announcements are coming pretty soon making 76 Place officially official.

+1

We taking days or months?

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Londonee

It's just nonsense. Who's the hotel banner under? Who's leasing 300k worth of shops - any leases potentially lined up? Is Live Nation running the concert venue? They're just spitting nonsense out of their mouths in an 11th hour attempt to woo Labor (which is fully behind 76 Place) - of course Inga is eating it all up clearly due to (Comcast) editorial influences on the Inky Board... it just feels pathetic and eye-rolling. They should have done this stuff 20 years ago.

It's too little, too late. I'm told that announcements are coming pretty soon making 76 Place officially official.

This. Inga has made me a better urbanist but she's lost her mind on this topic. The fact that she can't correctly identify the disingenuousness of this proposal makes her take (on this) even more pathetic.

According to her this is going to ruin Chinatown which is nearly inconceivable given our Asian population is higher than ever. On top of that, I've not seen one quality building built in Chinatown in my lifetime in 45 years...so what amazing urbanity is at risk.

Anyways...looking forward to a downtown arena.

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

This. Inga has made me a better urbanist but she's lost her mind on this topic. The fact that she can't correctly identify the disingenuousness of this proposal makes her take (on this) even more pathetic.

According to her this is going to ruin Chinatown which is nearly inconceivable given our Asian population is higher than ever. On top of that, I've not seen one quality building built in Chinatown in my lifetime in 45 years...so what amazing urbanity is at risk.

Anyways...looking forward to a downtown arena.

Yeah it's been bizarre to see her against a 76ers arena which is quite possibly the most urban proposal our city has ever seen. It's a carbon copy of MSG, basically forcing people to take the regional rail, subways and walk to games. It encourages people to go to bars, restaurants and stores before and after events. It encourages tourists to stay at the nearby hotels. All while saving a dying mall in a dying area.

Then you have Chinatown which has been slowly migrating to Oxford Circle. Surely the 76ers are behind why Shiao Lan Kung closed after 30 years. Same with Imperial Inn after 40 years. What about the fire at 10th and Race near Jade Harbor. Two buildings were burnt, demolished and replaced with a surface parking lot.

I care about Chinatown but Chinatown doesn't care about improving and adapting. If Chinatowns can thrive and survive in NYC and San Francisco, then they surely can in Philly. But expecting the world to stand still around you is not realistic.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

This. Inga has made me a better urbanist but she's lost her mind on this topic. The fact that she can't correctly identify the disingenuousness of this proposal makes her take (on this) even more pathetic.

According to her this is going to ruin Chinatown which is nearly inconceivable given our Asian population is higher than ever. On top of that, I've not seen one quality building built in Chinatown in my lifetime in 45 years...so what amazing urbanity is at risk.

Anyways...looking forward to a downtown arena.

They're worried about Asian owners in Chinatown taking advantage of Asian renters in a gentrifying area due to value increases from a vibrant urban development that would transform Market East - a corridor that has more tourism than possibly any in the Northeast.

The newest outrage is that the city is trying to take control of Eastern Market street. This is apparently, a sinister plan hatched by the 76ers to strengthen their grip on the city and their precious and evil urban arena. What isn't talked about is that this has been going on for YEARS starting with the Nutter administration. Wresting it away from Penndot clears the way for development from Old City to City Hall that could transform Market street. Dealing with Harrisburg stops any of that dead in it's tracks. And the city has specifically ensured that this transfer of maintenance could only happen if it were fiscally neutral.

The amount of misguided opinions on this arena is stunning. And Inga, whom I respect, is fanning the flames.

[SEFTA]

Is the Asian population higher than ever?

It is NOT a carbon copy of MSG it is a significantly smaller lot.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by SEFTA

Is the Asian population higher than ever?

It is NOT a carbon copy of MSG it is a significantly smaller lot.

What? Yes. Large swathes of the lower Northeast have become significantly Asian in the past 10 years. Centered in and around Mayfair.

My neighborhood is about 60% Chinese. A 'weakened' Chinatown is clearly not a deterrant.

[therealdawk]

Originally Posted by Mtphilly

Yes it was, Rittenhouse has been packed for a while now on the weekends but it was nice to see east of Broad packed as well due to the flower show.

In my opinion, foot traffic seems back to 100% on the weekends. Now it’s just about weekday traffic which anecdotally still seems about 80% from pre-Covid.

I sure hope Chinatown was able survive with all of those pesky, money spending visitors in and around their neighborhood. Parking must have been a mess!

[Justin7]

nm

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by SEFTA

Is the Asian population higher than ever?

It is NOT a carbon copy of MSG it is a significantly smaller lot.

I mean that it's an arena built on top of a transit hub...which is undeniably true for both 76 Place and MSG.

[summersm343]

Comcast Spectacor one-ups the Sixers with a smart, urban plan for the sports complex

The plan that Comcast Spectacor released to The Inquirer last week won’t turn those parking lots into a living neighborhood overnight — or even over the next decade — but it does demonstrate a dawning recognition that the status quo is unacceptable. The real value of the plan, which was overseen by Nelson, the firm that helped the Atlanta Braves create the mixed-use Battery complex, is that it starts a discussion about how to use that wasted real estate for the kinds of activities that make cities, well, cities.

While some elements in the $2.5 billion proposal are clearly aspirational, Comcast Spectacor deserves credit for putting out a vision that could turn the auto-centric sports complex into a walkable, 24/7 neighborhood. In the drawings that Comcast Spectacor officials showed me, almost everything south of Pattison Avenue would be filled in with mixed-use buildings, including a 5,500-seat concert venue.

Those new buildings, which include apartments, hotels and offices, would be connected to the sports arenas by a network of walkways and plazas lined with two-story buildings, restaurants and shops.

In case you’re worried about where to park, fear not: Comcast Spectacor would construct three enormous garages, with a total of 10,000 spaces, on the perimeter of the stadiums. Comcast Spectacor officials also took pains to emphasize that the existing tailgating zone would remain a sacred space, untouched, apart from a few infrastructure upgrades.

A row of 12- to 15-story high-rises would overlook FDR Park in much the same way that Pennsylvania Avenue’s apartments enjoy views of Kelly Drive’s greenery. In remaking this part of Broad Street as an elegant residential boulevard, Comcast Spectacor could help strengthen connections to the Navy Yard, which plans to add 4,000 apartments over the next two decades.

The question, of course, is whether Comcast Spectacor is serious about following through with its plan — or just using the glowing renderings to bolster its public relations fight with the Sixers. We know that Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Philadelphia Flyers, stands to lose a bundle if the Sixers arena poaches events from the Wells Fargo Center. Its facility currently hosts 220 events a year spread over 200 days.

During an interview, Daniel Hilferty, head of Comcast Spectacor, insisted that the new plan is not simply a response to the Sixers’ proposed move. He says the company is fully committed to urbanizing the stadium district regardless of whether the city gives the Sixers a green light for their arena.

At the same time, he believes the urbanization plan could make South Philadelphia more attractive to the Sixers. “When people come to their senses,” Hilferty told me, “we hope the Sixers will join us” at the sports complex.

Comcast Spectacor has certainly not spared any expense in preparing this plan. Besides Nelson, it enlisted several blue-chip design firms to work on the details: Foster & Partners — architects of the Comcast Technology Center — for the residential buildings; Populous for the music venue; Field Operations for the landscaping. John Gattuso, who oversaw the initial transformation of the Navy Yard, served as the “creative consultant.”

Still, there is good reason to worry that Comcast Spectacor might not take this project all the way to the finish line. The company says it would kick off the project with the concert hall, which would be midway between the Wells Fargo Center and Citizens Bank Park. The walkways and the retail would be built simultaneously. New parking garages would follow.

But the real meat of the plan — the apartments, hotels and offices — might not happen for years. Comcast Spectacor officials note that they need City Council’s approval to add residential buildings to the sports complex and that they must work with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., which owns the land.

Read/view more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate...-20240303.html

[TempleGuy1000]

Inga's hate for the redevelopment of Market East is obvious in all her recent writings. People need to understand this: Philadelphia's growth is going to be finite in the coming decades. To think it's somehow more beneficial to put the growth out in the middle of a sea of parking lots at the edge of the city vs. in the heart of the city where the commercial corridor is completely faltering is beyond stupid.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Comcast Spectacor one-ups the Sixers with a smart, urban plan for the sports complex











Read/view more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/real-estate...-20240303.html

so in other words a pipe dream. when this comes to fruition the 76ers will be more than half way through the life of the next iteration of its facility. if they move, they can have this on day one.

[AnEmperorPenguin]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

This. Inga has made me a better urbanist but she's lost her mind on this topic. The fact that she can't correctly identify the disingenuousness of this proposal makes her take (on this) even more pathetic.

According to her this is going to ruin Chinatown which is nearly inconceivable given our Asian population is higher than ever. On top of that, I've not seen one quality building built in Chinatown in my lifetime in 45 years...so what amazing urbanity is at risk.

Anyways...looking forward to a downtown arena.

Inga saw an early plan that they might do something to Jefferson stations big windows and has been against it ever since, even though they decided they wont do that.

I think she realizes very few people care (it's a train station after all) so she's just kind of throwing everything else up just in case one of those other reasons makes sense

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

What? Yes. Large swathes of the lower Northeast have become significantly Asian in the past 10 years. Centered in and around Mayfair.

My neighborhood is about 60% Chinese. A 'weakened' Chinatown is clearly not a deterrant.

Whats really going to be fun is that the arena is going to get blamed for the Asian community moving away from Chinatown in general even though as you note it's already been happening for years

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by AnEmperorPenguin

Inga saw an early plan that they might do something to Jefferson stations big windows and has been against it ever since, even though they decided they wont do that.

I think she realizes very few people care (it's a train station after all) so she's just kind of throwing everything else up just in case one of those other reasons makes sense





Whats really going to be fun is that the arena is going to get blamed for the Asian community moving away from Chinatown in general even though as you note it's already been happening for years

Yep, similar to DC. Main difference is DC Chinatown was way further into it's change, the arena was actually built in Chinatown, and demolished buildings in Chinatown.

The 76ers arena would not be built in Chinatown, but rather Market East, and would only demolish a portion of a struggling mall.

If Chinatown in Philadelphia declines it's because the Asian population gave up on it and sold out. The majority of property owners and renters in Chinatown to this very day are of Asian descent.

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Yep, similar to DC. Main difference is DC Chinatown was way further into it's change, the arena was actually built in Chinatown, and demolished buildings in Chinatown.

The 76ers arena would not be built in Chinatown, but rather Market East, and would only demolish a portion of a struggling mall.

If Chinatown in Philadelphia declines it's because the Asian population gave up on it and sold out. The majority of property owners and renters in Chinatown to this very day are of Asian descent.

And DC has a building height limit ratio which ends up limiting buildings around 150-180 feet which is like 11-13 floors. There is ample open space in this area to build up without ever infringing on Chinatown.

[PhilliesPhan]

It appears that construction on the Beury Building at Broad and Germantown may have commenced. Someone posted a picture of the building with a seemingly new construction elevator on the building’s north face. I may go out and confirm if tonight’s run takes me that way.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

It appears that construction on the Beury Building at Broad and Germantown may have commenced. Someone posted a picture of the building with a seemingly new construction elevator on the building’s north face. I may go out and confirm if tonight’s run takes me that way.

Oh hell yea, great news if true. Where did you see a photo? FB?

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

Oh hell yea, great news if true. Where did you see a photo? FB?

I saw the photo in a FB group called Changing Germantown. I was able to get out to the site, and I can confirm that a new construction elevator is indeed on site:

https://imgur.com/DrxhIAq

There were no signs of construction workers, but at least this is the first sign of progress in a while!

EDIT: I tried to upload my picture, but it came out too large. It seems as though Imgur no longer allows for editing photo size? I included a link instead.

[ok-ez]

that's been there a year or two. they used it to stabilize the roof

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

I saw the photo in a FB group called Changing Germantown. I was able to get out to the site, and I can confirm that a new construction elevator is indeed on site:

https://imgur.com/DrxhIAq

There were no signs of construction workers, but at least this is the first sign of progress in a while!

EDIT: I tried to upload my picture, but it came out too large. It seems as though Imgur no longer allows for editing photo size? I included a link instead.

[TK2001]

https://whyy.org/articles/jefferson-...-philadelphia/

Honickman Center is officially open!