PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

Germantown trolley... please come back

The #23 trolley, I think I read someplace that it was the worlds longest regular trolley line, running from the top of Chestnut Hill to Oregon Ave is S. Philly. it seems odd that cities across this country are pissing themselves to open up new trolley lines, and our beloved SEPTA just announced that they want to scrap the Girard Ave line. And if it wasn't for the tunnel running from CC out to 40th St. SEPTA would probably want to do away with all the 5 W. Philly lines, (which are usually packed all hours of the day)

[Busy Bee]

^Regarding the 15-Girard trolley, I believe that is a consultant recommendation of some sort, not a Septa intention. The route, like all the others, would benefit greatly from the trolley transformation plan put forth by Septa last year. We'll see, I have expectations it will survive.

[nimshady]

There are no plans to scrap the 15 trolley. In fact in August Richmond and Allegheny will be shut down for a few weekends to re-do the turn around and they will finally lay the tracks down on Richmond Street in Port Richmond to hopefully have the Trolley open by this time next year.

[Londonee]

Originally Posted by allovertown

I don't know, the article paints it that way, but I see little evidence in that regard.

Retail is struggling everywhere but Walnut seems to be doing just fine. There are closures, but overall it seems the balance has been on the upswing.

It seems a considerable part of this has less to do with Walnut St and more to do with Underarmor itself. As per the article:

Eh. When an Eternity Fashion opens... and a Michael Kors closes...it's not great.

Some vacancies have been there for years now. Rent needs to drop. It's strange b/c Walnut has consistently more foot traffic than i've ever seen...

I've said this before on other threads, but I think there's a bit of market uncertainty with the Fashion District. New retailers who may be circling our market are in a holding pattern until they see how the Fashion District comes together. FD offers more of a build-to-suit, brand new space with far cheaper rents than Walnut (older, costly retrofit, way more expensive rent).

Once the dust settles - and assuming FD doesn't suck - i think Walnut and FD can complement each other nicely. It may really depend on how an individual brand sees itself - which determines which street they open up shop on. A lot of wait and see.

[Capsule F]

Originally Posted by Londonee

Eh. When an Eternity Fashion opens... and a Michael Kors closes...it's not great.

Some vacancies have been there for years now. Rent needs to drop. It's strange b/c Walnut has consistently more foot traffic than i've ever seen...

I've said this before on other threads, but I think there's a bit of market uncertainty with the Fashion District. New retailers who may be circling our market are in a holding pattern until they see how the Fashion District comes together. FD offers more of a build-to-suit, brand new space with far cheaper rents than Walnut (older, costly retrofit, way more expensive rent).

Once the dust settles - and assuming FD doesn't suck - i think Walnut and FD can complement each other nicely. It may really depend on how an individual brand sees itself - which determines which street they open up shop on. A lot of wait and see.

Retail rents need to get in check, Walnut Street is built for success however the right assortment is necessary. Topshop, L.L. Bean, Charles Tyrwhitt, Bose, Burberry (again), COS, Cheap Monday, Louis Vuitton, and UNTUCKit are the appropriate market niche to do extremely well. I currently can't determine any more brands I feel would succeed in the long run, its tough climate for brick and mortar.

[summersm343]

Originally Posted by Capsule F

Retail rents need to get in check, Walnut Street is built for success however the right assortment is necessary. Topshop, L.L. Bean, Charles Tyrwhitt, Bose, Burberry (again), COS, Cheap Monday, Louis Vuitton, and UNTUCKit are the appropriate market niche to do extremely well. I currently can't determine any more brands I feel would succeed in the long run, its tough climate for brick and mortar.

There are some stores that I feel would do well on Walnut that do not have a presence there - Superdry, Ted Baker, Tory Burch, Hugo Boss, etc.

It’s definitely a tough retail market though. Some new places have opened to replace he vacated stores which is nice, but some glaring vacancies remain.

[Philly Kid]

Under Armour also closed.

[Capsule F]

Originally Posted by summersm343

There are some stores that I feel would do well on Walnut that do not have a presence there - Superdry, Ted Baker, Tory Burch, Hugo Boss, etc.

It’s definitely a tough retail market though. Some new places have opened to replace he vacated stores which is nice, but some glaring vacancies remain.

Hey Summers, I originally pondered every brand you mentioned here. My thoughts: Superdry is losing market share and doesn't have a defined demographic or niche, I don't expect KOP location to last. Ted Baker I think is a possibility, however it's brand recognition doesn't resonate as much as it should in the Phila metro. Hugo Boss's street wear is decent, however its still mostly known for suiting and I don't see it competing with Indochino and Suit Supply. Tory Burch should be successful.

[GtownFriend]

Part of an extensive set of pics from a recent tour of Philly Parks and green spaces. From Penn's Landing, to Schuylkill Banks, Fishtown, Eraserhood and more. What a beautiful city!

DSC_0255 by Montgomery Parks, MNCPPC, on Flickr
Some of the shots are unusual as they show how the city looks/feels from inside the trees. I especially note pics from the new public space on the west side of the Alexander. More young trees.

DSC_0320 by Montgomery Parks, MNCPPC, on Flickr

[El Duderino]

Originally Posted by GtownFriend

Part of an extensive set of pics from a recent tour of Philly Parks and green spaces. From Peen's Landing, to Schuylkill Banks, Fishtown, Eraserhood and more. What a beautiful city!

Such awesome pics on your Flickr! Provides such a varied perspective of the city, yet there is so much more that can be explored. It’s also heartening that other non-Center City adjacent areas are really starting to see similar civic investment. Even after years and years, one can always find a little slice of something new here

[jsbrook]

I continue to think the Alexander is one of the best buildings in the city, from the design, to the materials, to the landscaping. It oozes class and sophistication. I wish they would build a condo building like that.

[Milksteak]

Originally Posted by jsbrook

I continue to think the Alexander is one of the best buildings in the city, from the design, to the materials, to the landscaping. It oozes class and sophistication. I wish they would build a condo building like that.

Agreed, it's a beauty. It's even better that it's in the location it's in, hopefully it leads by example for the area.

[iheartphilly]

^
Yep, Mormons are very smart like that. They made it picturesque and made it their little enclave within the street/sidewalk boundaries of the Church, Meeting House, and the Townhouse/Condo Buildings.

[ScreamShatter]

Imagine if the entire city had sidewalks like that. It'd make such a huge difference.

I've been wondering for a while why the median on Spring Garden between Front and Broad doesn't have trees/landscaping and the median between Spring Garden between Broad and 23rd does. Did the Fairmont Neighborhood Association push for that? It makes a huge difference in that street.

[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

Imagine if the entire city had sidewalks like that. It'd make such a huge difference.

I've been wondering for a while why the median on Spring Garden between Front and Broad doesn't have trees/landscaping and the median between Spring Garden between Broad and 23rd does. Did the Fairmont Neighborhood Association push for that? It makes a huge difference in that street.

They've been pushing for it for a while: http://pecpa.org/wp-content/uploads/...Greenway-1.pdf

It don't think it has ever been made a priority, however, because it's one of those "nice to have but not necessary for functionality" things. I think it will happen eventually, it's just a matter of when we decide to prioritize it. I think it'd be smart to do soon to capitalize on the momentum and for Kenney to push his Vision Zero initiative.

[El Duderino]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

They've been pushing for it for a while: http://pecpa.org/wp-content/uploads/...Greenway-1.pdf

It don't think it has ever been made a priority, however, because it's one of those "nice to have but not necessary for functionality" things. I think it will happen eventually, it's just a matter of when we decide to prioritize it. I think it'd be smart to do soon to capitalize on the momentum and for Kenney to push his Vision Zero initiative.

Is there a BID for that area? Arts and Crafts’ investment into the neighborhood might expedite this a bit. One thing that might hold things up is the prevalence of parking on the median of police/fire vehicles from around 4th east to 2nd. It’s a bit of a nuisance driving over there because of it.

[Urbanthusiat]

Originally Posted by El Duderino

Is there a BID for that area? Arts and Crafts’ investment into the neighborhood might expedite this a bit. One thing that might hold things up is the prevalence of parking on the median of police/fire vehicles from around 4th east to 2nd. It’s a bit of a nuisance driving over there because of it.

They're working on that as well: http://planphilly.com/articles/2018/...ement-district

[El Duderino]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

They're working on that as well: http://planphilly.com/articles/2018/...ement-district

Yep, but if this aligns with the Callowhill RCO boundaries, it ends to the east at 8th; the NoLibs BID covers Spring Garden east of 5th to 2nd and partially down to Callowhill, so there is seemingly still a no-man’s land from about 5th-8th, Vine to Spring Garden. Seems like no neighborhood wants to claim that section. Perhaps the SoNo branding (barf) at the Yards Brewery will take hold, because that general area could use some love.

[McBane]

Originally Posted by ScreamShatter

Imagine if the entire city had sidewalks like that. It'd make such a huge difference.

Dream on, my friend. How about setting our sights a little lower? Like making sure all sidewalks are smooth, flat, uniform (no more slate, please!) and not cracked and sprouting weeds. I thought I've read that in NYC (not another NYC comparison, sorry!), the city just fixes damaged sidewalks and bills the homeowner. That would be great if Philly did that. And for landscaping, too.

[Jawnadelphia]

Just some more info on the POD Hotel - well underway on 19th Street.



https://www.intechconstruction.com/p...d-philly-hotel

"The Pod Philly is situated on 19th Street, between Ludlow and Ranstead Streets. The eleven-story micro-hotel offers 252 guestrooms at approximately 170 square feet each, featuring comfortable beds, large televisions, and highly-appointed bathrooms, with trendy design flourishes throughout. A coffee shop and restaurant will occupy the first floor, which will also feature an outdoor dining area. The Eleventh floor is dedicated to a penthouse bar and restaurant, with a large lounge and private dining areas, and a large retractable skylight that will open up this space to the outside. The building is a steel superstructure, with precast concrete plank floors. The exterior wall is made up of primarily of pre-fabricated panels with an EIFS finish, and large windows for the guestrooms."