PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY-READING | Metro Development Thread

[summersm343]

'Unique' oceanfront pool coming to Jersey Shore town

Read more here:
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...ront-pool.html

[summersm343]

Pa. approves Amazon's Woot! plant near Norristown

Read more here:
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/i...-20171116.html

[ePlanningPhila]

I know Harrisburg does not constitute Philadelphia metro, but anyone from Pennsylvania should understand this is a big deal.

New mixed use highrise is being proposed; about 600,000 square feet, and expected to top around 450 ft tall, and possibly 500ft for Downtown Harrisburg. Not sure if any of you have been to Harrisburg recently, but there is lots of momentum. Harrisburg and the Lehigh Valley fight for the 3rd largest metro desigination, but Harrisburg definitely has the 3rd largest CBD in the state after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It really has the potential to grow to 200,000 with the right vision, and some very light annexation of a few neighboring urban municipalities that border it.

(Just to give you perspective; the tallest building in Phoenix, AZ is 483 feet). This building in Harrisburg would surpass that.

If we can showcase our capital city more, I really think our legislature can better understand the value that results from investing in Pennsylvania's cities.

There is a Harrisburg development thread for anyone who is familiar with the area and would like to join the discussion. I also included the article regarding the tower proposal.


http://www.cpbj.com/article/20171115...-tallest-tower

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/...43038&page=142

[domodeez]

Food hall coming to DuPont Building's (Chemours HQ) 10th Street side near Rodney Square

The opening onto Market Street on the old DuPont building is blocked by construction. Playgoers are asked to enter at the spiffed-up entrance on 10th Street. This will become the theater's permanent entrance.

The Market Street door across from Rodney Square will become the entrance for Chemours' corporate headquarters.

...

More changes are coming. By the end of 2018, dining options will expand with the opening of a world-class food hall within just feet of The Playhouse box office. In addition, the Hotel du Pont will provide beverage service in the Lobby, as well as in the Green Room Bar.

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/...now/862951001/

[jonesrmj]

Originally Posted by ePlanningPhila

I know Harrisburg does not constitute Philadelphia metro, but anyone from Pennsylvania should understand this is a big deal.

New mixed use highrise is being proposed; about 600,000 square feet, and expected to top around 450 ft tall, and possibly 500ft for Downtown Harrisburg. Not sure if any of you have been to Harrisburg recently, but there is lots of momentum. Harrisburg and the Lehigh Valley fight for the 3rd largest metro desigination, but Harrisburg definitely has the 3rd largest CBD in the state after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It really has the potential to grow to 200,000 with the right vision, and some very light annexation of a few neighboring urban municipalities that border it.

(Just to give you perspective; the tallest building in Phoenix, AZ is 483 feet). This building in Harrisburg would surpass that.

If we can showcase our capital city more, I really think our legislature can better understand the value that results from investing in Pennsylvania's cities.

There is a Harrisburg development thread for anyone who is familiar with the area and would like to join the discussion. I also included the article regarding the tower proposal.


http://www.cpbj.com/article/20171115...-tallest-tower

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/...43038&page=142

That sounds great for Harrisburg if it gets built! Good Luck on getting this project approved and under construction! Also just a question of interest, isn't Harrisburg in its own metro?

[jonesrmj]

Delaware refuses to release full pitch for Amazon HQ2, and continues to fight hard for HQ2!

WILMINGTON, Del. — Delaware’s governor is refusing to release the state’s entire pitch for Amazon’s second headquarters.

The News Journal in Wilmington reported Thursday that it obtained a heavily redacted version of the 103-page document through the Freedom of Information Act.

It showed that New Castle County promised Amazon it would not collect an extra dime in property taxes. The county also said it would be willing to expand New Castle Airport. Some runways would be reserved exclusively for Amazon’s use.

The administration of Gov. John Carney has refused to release the full document. Officials cited a nondisclosure agreement that it signed with Amazon weeks before submitting the state’s proposal.

Read more here - https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...=.d5d7be884714

And I also hate to say this, but as much as I would love to see Amazon in Wilmington, it's very unlikely because I feel like there is nothing here to attract amazon. Crime rates are increasing, offices are leaving, all what the city is getting are low rise apartments! Wilmington has just gone down from attracting business here!

[Milksteak]

Originally Posted by ePlanningPhila

I know Harrisburg does not constitute Philadelphia metro, but anyone from Pennsylvania should understand this is a big deal.

New mixed use highrise is being proposed; about 600,000 square feet, and expected to top around 450 ft tall, and possibly 500ft for Downtown Harrisburg. Not sure if any of you have been to Harrisburg recently, but there is lots of momentum. Harrisburg and the Lehigh Valley fight for the 3rd largest metro desigination, but Harrisburg definitely has the 3rd largest CBD in the state after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It really has the potential to grow to 200,000 with the right vision, and some very light annexation of a few neighboring urban municipalities that border it.

(Just to give you perspective; the tallest building in Phoenix, AZ is 483 feet). This building in Harrisburg would surpass that.

If we can showcase our capital city more, I really think our legislature can better understand the value that results from investing in Pennsylvania's cities.

There is a Harrisburg development thread for anyone who is familiar with the area and would like to join the discussion. I also included the article regarding the tower proposal.


http://www.cpbj.com/article/20171115...-tallest-tower

http://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/...43038&page=142

Great news, I would like to see Trenton get the same kind of love. I know it is the center of corrupt NJ politics, but it's unique in that it is the connecting regional rail point for Septa and NJ transit with an Amtrak station thrown in there as well.

[Nova08]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

That sounds great for Harrisburg if it gets built! Good Luck on getting this project approved and under construction! Also just a question of interest, isn't Harrisburg in its own metro?

Yes, but I think it is easy to forget that the upgrades on Amtrak's Keystone line and the PA Turnpike 70mph speed limit make Harrisburg awfully close. Under 2 hours on the train and 1 1/2 hour drive from the Conshohocken/KOP area (avoiding any city traffic). And the Amtrak Keystone line is not priced like Amtrak's NEC. $62 roundtrip make it manageable to commute from Harrisburg/Lancaster area to Philly on a somewhat regular basis.

[ePlanningPhila]

I wish I knew how to delete posts. Please refer to the bottom.

[ePlanningPhila]

Originally Posted by Nova08

Yes, but I think it is easy to forget that the upgrades on Amtrak's Keystone line and the PA Turnpike 70mph speed limit make Harrisburg awfully close. Under 2 hours on the train and 1 1/2 hour drive from the Conshohocken/KOP area (avoiding any city traffic). And the Amtrak Keystone line is not priced like Amtrak's NEC. $62 roundtrip make it manageable to commute from Harrisburg/Lancaster area to Philly on a somewhat regular basis.

Yea great point! A lot of people from the Harrisburg area consider KOP to be a flagship shopping area that they will travel to more regularly than you would think. Without traffic you can make it from Harrisburg to KOP in roughly 60 - 90 minutes depending on what part of HBG you are coming from.

Harrisburg is definitely considered its own Metro. But the proximity to Philadelphia is definitely to be noted, and this project is HUGE. Allentown has some really ripe investment now, but Harrisburg has the 3rd largest CBD in the state (its skyline looks of a city 3/4 times its size), and is ripe really for some record setting investment in the next 10 years, as the larger cities surrounding it cost of living continue to increase. Real Estate in DC and NYC is unmanageable and even Philadelphia is really starting to see a dramatic increase in price, although large swaths are still attainable.

With that, I think over the next 25 years, you are going to see a huge wave of investment in small and medium size cities, as the larger ones, become so expensive. This is good news for Pennsylvania, because the state is blessed with over 10, historically significant, dense, small - med cities. Some have seen investment for years and are coming along nicely (Lancaster), some are just in the scope of major revitalization (Allentown, Harrisburg) and some have immense potential (Reading).


Moving on. This project most likely will be between 475ft and 500ft.
Mind you the tallest building in Harrisburg now is 341 ft. The tallest building in Wilmington is 340ft. The tallest building in Phoenix is 483 ft.

The fact Harrisburg could have a taller building than Phoenix really makes a statement!

[hammersklavier]

Our wealth of midsize cities is one of the reasons I think we really need a cohesive state rail plan that links them all -- one that's twinned with serious outreach. Transportation investments do work when twinned with focused development efforts, and there's no reason not to think it could work on a statewide scale, especially one that advertises how these destinations are day or weekend trips from three of the Northeast's largest urban centers: "Visit PA city! X mins from Philly, Y from NYC, Z from DC!"

[Jawnadelphia]

Silverside Road/near Concord Pike (202):
6,200 SF of luxury amenity space including a state-of-the-art fitness center, bar/game room, club lounge, technology center and private meeting rooms
Resort-style swimming pool with outdoor kitchen
Future retail space
Consists of four 5-story buildings and two 4-story buildings.










For other B/P Group projects in Wilmington (and the National in Philly), see here:
http://www.bpgroup.net/portfolio/

http://www.bpgsconstruction.com/projects/

[ePlanningPhila]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Our wealth of midsize cities is one of the reasons I think we really need a cohesive state rail plan that links them all -- one that's twinned with serious outreach. Transportation investments do work when twinned with focused development efforts, and there's no reason not to think it could work on a statewide scale, especially one that advertises how these destinations are day or weekend trips from three of the Northeast's largest urban centers: "Visit PA city! X mins from Philly, Y from NYC, Z from DC!"

I agree, if you do some searching you can find an old railroad map of Pennsylvania, and nearly every small and medium size city was all connect via Rail. It truly was impressive. Once the automobile took over though, those railroads lost out. Some of the infrastructure still exists, some is now exclusively used for freight service, and some have been converted to rails to trails parks.

I agree though, the fact Harrisburg and Lancaster are connected via rail to Philadelphia and NYC is a huge economic advantage. I think PA's next priorities would be to connect 1) Lehigh Valley via rail to Philadelphia and NYC. 2) Reading via Rail to Philadelphia 3) Scranton/Wilkes Barre via Rail to NYC.

Pennsylvania has the highest concentration of historic, walkable, towns/cities in the USA. If we can implement the right policies and incentives, the potential to turn them into vibrant, highly desirable places once again is immense.

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Our wealth of midsize cities is one of the reasons I think we really need a cohesive state rail plan that links them all -- one that's twinned with serious outreach. Transportation investments do work when twinned with focused development efforts, and there's no reason not to think it could work on a statewide scale, especially one that advertises how these destinations are day or weekend trips from three of the Northeast's largest urban centers: "Visit PA city! X mins from Philly, Y from NYC, Z from DC!"

Originally Posted by ePlanningPhila

I agree, if you do some searching you can find an old railroad map of Pennsylvania, and nearly every small and medium size city was all connect via Rail. It truly was impressive. Once the automobile took over though, those railroads lost out. Some of the infrastructure still exists, some is now exclusively used for freight service, and some have been converted to rails to trails parks.

I agree though, the fact Harrisburg and Lancaster are connected via rail to Philadelphia and NYC is a huge economic advantage. I think PA's next priorities would be to connect 1) Lehigh Valley via rail to Philadelphia and NYC. 2) Reading via Rail to Philadelphia 3) Scranton/Wilkes Barre via Rail to NYC.

Pennsylvania has the highest concentration of historic, walkable, towns/cities in the USA. If we can implement the right policies and incentives, the potential to turn them into vibrant, highly desirable places once again is immense.

I couldn't agree more and I think our country overall underestimates how important and utilized rail is in the megalopolis corridor. On a recent work trip to DC almost everyone took the train and they said that it was super packed, years ago those same people would have driven (and I know because they have) so mindsets are definitely changing...you can see this on the regional rail lines too.

[Mr Saturn64]

Didn't SEPTA used to go all the way to Bethlehem back in the day? That would be nice for connecting the Lehigh Valley to Philly. Not that I would count on SEPTA getting that to work, but SEPTA has so much potential to make the city better.

[Nova08]

Originally Posted by Mr Saturn64

Didn't SEPTA used to go all the way to Bethlehem back in the day? That would be nice for connecting the Lehigh Valley to Philly. Not that I would count on SEPTA getting that to work, but SEPTA has so much potential to make the city better.

I believe so. Keep in mind Septa originated from lines that were once the Pennsylvania Railroad and Reading Railroad. When rail traffic started to decline in the '50-'60s traffic on all of these lines slowly dwindled and once it become Penn Central then Conrail, these lines were shut down real quick.

Pennsylvania will never have rail service that once existed back in the PRR and Reading days but I absolutely agree we need a state rail plan that connects Reading and Allentown/Lehigh Valley with Philadelphia and more service from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. I question the viability of rail to State College with the Megabus.

[mcgrath618]

The SEPTA Bethlehem line also went as far as Allentown at one point. According to their budget report for this year, they're investigating returning to Bethlehem

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

I couldn't agree more and I think our country overall underestimates how important and utilized rail is in the megalopolis corridor. On a recent work trip to DC almost everyone took the train and they said that it was super packed, years ago those same people would have driven (and I know because they have) so mindsets are definitely changing...you can see this on the regional rail lines too.

Ultimately, being bureaucratic in nature, infrastructure planning probably lags public perception by some time. But I wouldn't be too surprised if the percolating increase in rail investment that's been happening nationwide reaches our neck of the woods sooner or later.

Originally Posted by Nova08

Pennsylvania will never have rail service that once existed back in the PRR and Reading days but I absolutely agree we need a state rail plan that connects Reading and Allentown/Lehigh Valley with Philadelphia and more service from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh. I question the viability of rail to State College with the Megabus.

The State College CSA actually has a little over 230k people living in it. It's also got Penn State which would have an inherent ridership draw. You're underestimating it.

Also interesting that the first city you thought of wasn't Reading or Scranton or the Lehigh Valley, no?

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

The SEPTA Bethlehem line also went as far as Allentown at one point. According to their budget report for this year, they're investigating returning to Bethlehem

That's always in their budget report. They're rail-trailed the ROW they owned from Shelly to the Lehigh Country border, though, and from there on to Bethlehem's been rail-trailed as well.

[mcgrath618]

Originally Posted by hammersklavier

Ultimately, being bureaucratic in nature, infrastructure planning probably lags public perception by some time. But I wouldn't be too surprised if the percolating increase in rail investment that's been happening nationwide reaches our neck of the woods sooner or later.

The State College CSA actually has a little over 230k people living in it. It's also got Penn State which would have an inherent ridership draw. You're underestimating it.

Also interesting that the first city you thought of wasn't Reading or Scranton or the Lehigh Valley, no?

That's always in their budget report. They're rail-trailed the ROW they owned from Shelly to the Lehigh Country border, though, and from there on to Bethlehem's been rail-trailed as well.

They still own the land though, right? Or is that just the Cynwyd trail?

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

They still own the land though, right? Or is that just the Cynwyd trail?

SEPTA still owns the old PRR Schuylkill Valley alignment at least as far as Ivy Ridge (possibly the entirety, remembering Schuylkill Valley Metro), the Newtown Branch, and the the old North Penn RR mainline at least as far as the Bucks County border that I know of that's been rail-trailed. I have no idea what the ownership situation looks like for the Newtown Square, Octoraro, or Perkiomen Valley branches though, to name some of the more useful abandoned routes in the region.