PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by allovertown

That's a great list, I think that laser tag was an April folks joke though.

lol i am an idiot.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by Aaamazarite

There's even more---
-opera house work has already begun
-142 N Broad residential conversion with addition on top just got zoning approval
-639 N Broad has been listed by its long-time owner, probably taking advantage of 631 and 655's recent sales at crazy prices
-Speaking of 655 (santucci's), going through zoning now is a proposed residential conversion with addition in back and/or on top
-678 N Broad has been for sale and/or available for co-development for some time
-836 N Broad's development has flown under the radar but there is talk of a seven story residential building going there-- demo of the old catholic school on the property has begun
-Four other things I can't tell you about

Nice! In a few years the street will be be significantly upgraded.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

Temple bought the vacant high school off of the school district. It will be athletic fields replacing Geasey Field on the west side of the lot



http://news.temple.edu/news/2015-11-...s-south-campus

The other half of the lot right along Broad St. is being codeveloped by the school and Laborer's District Council to create a community training center.



http://education.temple.edu/news/tem...y-job-training


This obviously opens up the possibility of of completely redeveloping Geasey Field. Though I do know some people who work at the athletic department and according to them the stadium is still a few years off. I have heard Theobald's vision is to have people tailgate on the newly created University Mall directly on campus ala Tulane University's new tailgate village. The biggest challenge is parking. The obvious answer is to build a big parking garage next door but there is a city pool, community track and playground.

Thank you for all the info! I didn't realize the school fronted Broad as I'm rarely ever on street-level around that section of North Broad. I'll be attending Temple this upcoming semester, so I can't wait to see how this and Temple's other projects turn out!

[DudeGuy]

Sources: Police Are Considering Moving Headquarters to Old Inquirer Building

In a move that would be rich with real estate-related irony, the Philadelphia Police Department is considering relocating its headquarters to the former home of the Inquirer and Daily News.

Wait, what?

You might recall that former Mayor Michael Nutter’s administration spent several years mapping out an elaborate plan to move the department’s headquarters to the grand Provident Mutual Insurance Building at 46th and Market streets in West Philadelphia.

A ground-breaking ceremony for the $250 million project was held in 2014; the 13-acre plot was slated to be renamed the Public Safety Services Campus, and house the Department of Public Health and the Medical Examiner’s Office. City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell introduced two bills to secure funding for the project, which was expected to be finished in 2018. And last fall, plans for a $675,000 public art installation were announced.

But Nutter isn’t running the city anymore. Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration is reevaluating the costly move, and kicking the tires on the huge (and hugely empty) former Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad Street, sources have told Philadelphia magazine.

Mike Dunn, the mayor’s spokesman, released the following statement when asked about the possible change of plans:

"The Kenney administration is in the midst of a thorough review of plans developed by the previous administration to relocate Police Headquarters and the Medical Examiner’s Office to 4601 Market Street. This is due diligence given the scope and anticipated cost of the entire project.

In light of this review, it is incumbent on the administration to simultaneously review various options, while we also continue work at 4601 Market to move the site’s improvements along. The administration is committed to choosing a site that meets the needs of the affected departments, particularly the Police Department, and that is a responsible choice for taxpayers.

With regards to 400 N. Broad Street, we have no comment."

Many cops privately grumbled over the planned move to 46th and Market. The department’s current headquarters — the unloved concrete slab known as the Roundhouse — has plenty of drawbacks, like frequent flea infestations. But its location at 7th and Race is close to the Criminal Justice Center, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, places that detectives and top brass have to regularly visit.

Housing the M.E.’s Office, the Health Department and the Police Department on the same West Philly campus would bring a surge of activity to the surrounding neighborhood, which could be a good thing. But the practicality and high cost is clearly a concern for Kenney’s team.

Of course, turning the old Inquirer building into a police command center won’t come cheap, either. But it is situated a hell of a lot closer to City Hall, the courts, and the highways. The stately building has sat empty ever since developer Bart Blatstein purchased the 526,000-square foot property in 2011 for a reported $21 million. The Daily News, Inquirer and Philly.com in turn moved to the former Strawbridge & Clothier building at 8th and Market.

Blatstein’s initial pitch to turn the building and its adjacent parking lot into a casino known as the Provence didn’t pan out. Last spring, he announced a new plan to transform the property into a $36 million boutique hotel. But little has been heard about the project since then. Blatstein declined to comment for this story.

There’s a chance that this could all turn out to be much ado about nothing. The city could simply opt to follow through on the West Philly mega-project after exploring other options. According to the fiscal year 2017 budget, the city paid $60,000 to the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. to manage the property during the last fiscal year, and was planning on shelling out the same amount again. But you have to wonder how much interest there really is in that scenario. After all, the 46th and Market site was a pet project of Nutter’s and his chief of staff, Everett Gillison’s, and Kenney hasn’t been shy about rethinking some of his predecessor’s decisions.

http://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/0...irer-building/

I don't think this would be good for N. Broad at all. Police headquarters are notoriously auto-centric. Use of this building would most certainly require a nearby parking lot, unless the building has a built-in parking garage (which to my knowledge it does not).

[Milksteak]

"The department’s current headquarters — the unloved concrete slab known as the Roundhouse — has plenty of drawbacks, like frequent flea infestations."


Wait, what? This seems like a pretty fixable issue...I'm sure there are other reasons, but this is the biggie that made the article?

Also, how? Why?

[AbortedWalrus]

Originally Posted by DudeGuy

Sources: Police Are Considering Moving Headquarters to Old Inquirer Building




http://www.phillymag.com/news/2016/0...irer-building/

I don't think this would be good for N. Broad at all. Police headquarters are notoriously auto-centric. Use of this building would most certainly require a nearby parking lot, unless the building has a built-in parking garage (which to my knowledge it does not).

There are actually two big parking garages right behind the Inquirer building, and a surface parking lot. I wouldn't be surprised if the city just bought one of those garages. I don't even think they are heavily used as is.

[Tlphila]

Some Mt. Airy projects:

Germantown Ave & Pelham Road area




Green & Carpenter Lane

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by iamrobk

I lived in UC for ~3 years, can you post examples of what you're talking about? I can't think of what you're referring to off the top of my head and now I'm curious.

Well, I didn't take it (came from NakedPhilly), but this is an example of what I'm talking about, at 46th and Walnut:


http://www.ocfrealty.com/sites/www.o...s/IMG_6649.JPG
http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...at-46th-walnut

There's tons more stuff like this going up west and northwest of Penn and Drexel. It's really very sad. The worst kind of street-killing non-architecture. It borders on criminal, in my opinion.

An empty lot would actually be better than this.

It really is surprising and disappointing in this day and age that this can be built anywhere near Center City or University City.
I'm surprised Penn has not tried to prevent this kind of development because it reverses much of what Penn is trying to do in terms of livening and reducing crime in the streets in the area.

The only redeeming attribute of these shed structures is that they are so cheap that they will likely need to be torn down in a very short period of time.
Or they will just fall down or burn down.

That this now exists is also a testament to the the quality of person and politician Jannie Blackwell is.
She has not lifted a finger to make quality development easier in West Philly (look at the costly, possibly deal-killing multi-year struggle U3 Ventures had to go through at Clark Park).
Given the outdated zoning that Blackwell refuses to update in her district, it would appear that the easiest kind of stuff to slap up by right is this pre-slum housing.

Am I the only person on here who is totally disgusted by this kind of cynical profiteering development?

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by DudeGuy

I don't think this would be good for N. Broad at all. Police headquarters are notoriously auto-centric. Use of this building would most certainly require a nearby parking lot, unless the building has a built-in parking garage (which to my knowledge it does not).

edit

[1487]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

Well, I didn't take it (came from NakedPhilly), but this is an example of what I'm talking about, at 46th and Walnut:



There's tons more stuff like this going up west and northwest of Penn and Drexel. It's really very sad. The worst kind of street-killing non-architecture. It borders on criminal, in my opinion.

An empty lot would actually be better than this.

It really is surprising and disappointing in this day and age that this can be built anywhere near Center City or University City.
I'm surprised Penn has not tried to prevent this kind of development because it reverses much of what Penn is trying to do in terms of livening and reducing crime in the streets in the area.

The only redeeming attribute of these shed structures is that they are so cheap that they will likely need to be torn down in a very short period of time.
Or they will just fall down or burn down.

That this now exists is also a testament to the the quality of person and politician Jannie Blackwell is.
She has not lifted a finger to make quality development easier in West Philly (look at the costly, possibly deal-killing multi-year struggle U3 Ventures had to go through at Clark Park).
Given the outdated zoning that Blackwell refuses to update in her district, it would appear that the easiest kind of stuff to slap up by right is this pre-slum housing.

Am I the only person on here who is totally disgusted by this kind of cynical profiteering development?

What would make you think Penn cares about what is built off campus? They can barely get their own buildings right. And if they did care what business would it be of theirs to dictate what private developers build on land they purchased? Yeah, I agree Blackwell is responsible for the design of this building. I bet she blessed it personally.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by 1487

What would make you think Penn cares about what is built off campus? They can barely get their own buildings right. And if they did care what business would it be of theirs to dictate what private developers build on land they purchased? Yeah, I agree Blackwell is responsible for the design of this building. I bet she blessed it personally.

edit

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

I find it hard to believe that you are as stupid as your posts would have us think. But I'm coming round. I'm coming round.

You're looking at it the wrong way Cro. You just need to be elected to city council yourself, then 1487 will agree with everything you say because clearly every elected member of our city government is beyond reproach.

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by allovertown

You're looking at it the wrong way Cro. . . . .

edit

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

You are totally correct in my opinion. One more piece in the mounting stinky heap of evidence that Jim Kenney is a real backward idiot, and, I'm assuming, one that is likely getting suckered into making some loser deal with Blatstein to bail his ass out of a development he has neither the interest nor the capacity to undertake.

I probably agree with you, but I got thinking-----isn't there underground parking that goes along with this building? Even if there was it would be too much to ask that the cops actually use it. Maybe there could be a donut give away for all cops who don't illegally park.

[McBane]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

Well, I didn't take it (came from NakedPhilly), but this is an example of what I'm talking about, at 46th and Walnut:


http://www.ocfrealty.com/sites/www.o...s/IMG_6649.JPG
http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phill...at-46th-walnut

There's tons more stuff like this going up west and northwest of Penn and Drexel. It's really very sad. The worst kind of street-killing non-architecture. It borders on criminal, in my opinion.

An empty lot would actually be better than this.

It really is surprising and disappointing in this day and age that this can be built anywhere near Center City or University City.
I'm surprised Penn has not tried to prevent this kind of development because it reverses much of what Penn is trying to do in terms of livening and reducing crime in the streets in the area.

The only redeeming attribute of these shed structures is that they are so cheap that they will likely need to be torn down in a very short period of time.
Or they will just fall down or burn down.

That this now exists is also a testament to the the quality of person and politician Jannie Blackwell is.
She has not lifted a finger to make quality development easier in West Philly (look at the costly, possibly deal-killing multi-year struggle U3 Ventures had to go through at Clark Park).
Given the outdated zoning that Blackwell refuses to update in her district, it would appear that the easiest kind of stuff to slap up by right is this pre-slum housing.

Am I the only person on here who is totally disgusted by this kind of cynical profiteering development?

That IS hideous. When I first saw that picture, I was really like WTF. But then I clicked on the article link which shows what the site looked like before. After seeing that, I have to admit, that new building doesn't look so bad! Yea, it's still pretty awful, but I personally think it's better than what was there.

[Larry King]

To be fair, it's not done yet

Looks like some Hardi board still needs to be painted and some more siding installed. I woudlve liked a darker red brick... and some variation on the windows..

[Cro Burnham]

Originally Posted by Larry King

To be fair, it's not done yet

Looks like some Hardi board still needs to be painted and some more siding installed. I woudlve liked a darker red brick...

But to be fair, there is no need to be fair here. Forget the Hardiboard, you could sheathe this thing in gold leaf and Carrera marble, it'd still be dog sh-t. How about not having an endless blank wall at street level?

I know you are trying to be sympathetic to the builder, since you are a builder. But this is unbridled profiteering by a builder who, unlike you, evidently could care less about what happens in this city.

There is no defending this kind of building beyond "well, it's his property, he can do with it what he likes". That is a valid attitude for anyone who rejects the fundamental notion of urban planning. That's the attitude that generated Houston. But most of us up here reject the cowboy laissez faire approach to development, and any city worth its salt should have basic design and material guidelines, at least in key neighborhoods, that prevent this type of development. There is a middle ground between unconstrained freedom to do what you like and rigid Soviet control. Some cities seem to have figured this out, but not Philadelphia apparently.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by Cro Burnham

But to be fair, there is no need to be fair here. Forget the Hardiboard, you could sheathe this thing in gold leaf and Carrera marble, it'd still be dog sh-t. How about not having an endless blank wall at street level?

I know you are trying to be sympathetic to the builder, since you are a builder. But this is unbridled profiteering by a builder who, unlike you, evidently could care less about what happens in this city.

There is no defending this kind of building beyond "well, it's his property, he can do with it what he likes". That is a valid attitude for anyone who rejects the fundamental notion of urban planning. That's the attitude that generated Houston. But most of us up here reject the cowboy laissez faire approach to development, and any city worth its salt should have basic design and material guidelines, at least in key neighborhoods, that prevent this type of development. There is a middle ground between unconstrained freedom to do what you like and rigid Soviet control. Some cities seem to have figured this out, but not Philadelphia apparently.

While I heartily disagree with your analysis of emergence and planning (to begin with, understanding the city as an emergent entity does not obviate the need to plan), I do agree that this building could've come out better. The major problem is the lack of street-level interaction...on Walnut Street. A simple fix, like ground-floor storefronts (common enough in new construction in other parts of the city) would have fixed much of what went wrong with this project.

[City Wide]

Originally Posted by Larry King

To be fair, it's not done yet

Looks like some Hardi board still needs to be painted and some more siding installed. I woudlve liked a darker red brick... and some variation on the windows..

This and all the other crap that's been thrown up (double meaning) around UC should all be named 'Blackwell'. This is just one of maybe 6 or 8 similar projects of equal beauty. Even some of the rehabs have lowered themselves to this level----take out the pressed metal cladding on the bays, put in smaller shitty windows and then cover with stucco. Its very sad, in the last couple years UC is losing more then its gaining.

[Larry King]

Originally Posted by City Wide

This and all the other crap that's been thrown up (double meaning) around UC should all be named 'Blackwell'. This is just one of maybe 6 or 8 similar projects of equal beauty. Even some of the rehabs have lowered themselves to this level----take out the pressed metal cladding on the bays, put in smaller shitty windows and then cover with stucco. Its very sad, in the last couple years UC is losing more then its gaining.

Pretty typical for student neighborhoods, not a high brow clientele