PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

But when you look at these cities they have a lot in common as far as the new, "Hey let's not be tough on crime anymore," policies go which is partially to blame for the apathetic police forces. It's a complicated issue but we are going in the wrong direction and the good people are going to continue to be the ones that suffer for this.

In a strange twist of events I just saw that the shooting in LOVE Park last night was done by a security guard so this proves my earlier point in an even worse way re: the safety patrol

I hear ya. Initially, I was with the movement (went to protests etc) but then ditched the herd when I saw where things were heading. Real progressivism would involve a constructive approach in policing (more investment in R/D, non lethal weapons, adding an unarmed branch of law enforcement etc) - all of which require additional funding and planning. Unfortunately, there’s a large sentiment out there that wants an either/or approach and attacks any suggestions of moderation. Again, I just think it’s pointless to argue with these folks; they’ve made up their mind and I don’t think anything will shake that. It just gets me down every time I read another story like this; the numbers are what they are. Fortunately, the mainstream narrative finally seems to be coming to terms with reality.

[philly_account12]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

But when you look at these cities they have a lot in common as far as the new, "Hey let's not be tough on crime anymore," policies go which is partially to blame for the apathetic police forces.

Ah yes, all across the country the DAs offices are to blame for police officers not doing their jobs. Love this argument.

Maybe if we triple the PPD budget and promise to be extra nice to officers we can get our arrest numbers on shootings up into the 30s!

An Inquirer analysis of all shooting incidents between January 2015 and November 2020, including both fatal and nonfatal shootings, found that out of 8,500 incidents only 21% resulted in an arrest or charge and 9% led to a conviction.

Source from December of last year.

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

I hear ya. Initially, I was with the movement (went to protests etc) but then ditched the herd when I saw where things were heading. Real progressivism would involve a constructive approach in policing (more investment in R/D, non lethal weapons, adding an unarmed branch of law enforcement etc) - all of which require additional funding and planning. Unfortunately, there’s a large sentiment out there that wants an either/or approach and attacks any suggestions of moderation. Again, I just think it’s pointless to argue with these folks; they’ve made up their mind and I don’t think anything will shake that. It just gets me down every time I read another story like this; the numbers are what they are. Fortunately, the mainstream narrative finally seems to be coming to terms with reality.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by philly_account12

Ah yes, all across the country the DAs offices are to blame for police officers not doing their jobs. Love this argument.

Maybe if we triple the PPD budget and promise to be extra nice to officers we can get our arrest numbers on shootings up into the 30s!


Source from December of last year.

I am not saying that the DA's office is fully to blame but some of the current policies are not helping the situation and police work is like any job and if you are putting in the work and not seeing results, being told to hang back, being told to let things slide, that is demoralizing.

Again, complicated issue. But I have seen what happens when we throw too much funding and power at police (the 90s) and now I am seeing what happens on the other end of the spectrum and neither are pretty pictures.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by EastSideHBG

Agreed.

I am not saying that the DA's office is fully to blame but some of the current policies are not helping the situation and police work is like any job and if you are putting in the work and not seeing results, being told to hang back, being told to let things slide, that is demoralizing.

Yeah. It's super complicated. I'd argue police aren't just "hanging back" but also just opting to not proactively do anything in certain circumstances when in the past they would. Citizens don't help either. My investment property in Germantown has been burglarized a number of times and I have to tell you. I've gotten multiple calls from neighbors telling me someone was trying to break into my house and in each instance, when I've asked them to call police, they've said they didn't feel comfortable calling the police because they didn't want the cops to "over-react". In one case, I explicitly said then why are you calling me if you're unwilling to do anything about it. Like. SOMEONE WAS BREAKING INTO MY HOUSE and she was acting like this person was selling loose cigarettes on the street.

It's absurd. I would never not call the police if I saw someone breaking into a house.

Anyways. You can believe in tactics that are being pushed by both sides. Which I do. I want re-allocate funds from current policing issues (i.e. mental health calls, low level QOL issues) but also support stop and frisk in certain cases. Like, less response is required in some cases and more in others.

I'm gonna venture a guess and say that the typical person who opposes stop and frisk is a white liberal from Center City and similar environs. Literally no one who does not have alterior motives or mal-intent who lives at 33rd&Diamond opposes stop and frisk.

[mcgrath618]

“ The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

[mcgrath618]

FWIW, I agree with most of your points, and even though stop and frisk was certainly effective, it wasn’t constitutional.

[Daario]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

I hear ya. Initially, I was with the movement (went to protests etc) but then ditched the herd when I saw where things were heading. Real progressivism would involve a constructive approach in policing (more investment in R/D, non lethal weapons, adding an unarmed branch of law enforcement etc) - all of which require additional funding and planning. Unfortunately, there’s a large sentiment out there that wants an either/or approach and attacks any suggestions of moderation. Again, I just think it’s pointless to argue with these folks; they’ve made up their mind and I don’t think anything will shake that. It just gets me down every time I read another story like this; the numbers are what they are. Fortunately, the mainstream narrative finally seems to be coming to terms with reality.

I've been coming to this forum since I was a teenager and my politics were much more aligned with the general trend here then. My values have grown much more left wing since then, but I still come back to keep an eye on the new development in the city (I love dense cities, but not developers), and I really have to try hard to not get irritated at comments like these

[El Duderino]

to turn this back towards buildings, i was in the eraserhood/francisville area today and it is crazy how much is going on. having lived in the area in 2015, it is absolutely wild what is taking form there. i was at the rail park and the number of buildings you could see from there that didn’t exist then is pretty awesome.

somewhat related to this, it’s really cool seeing some of these natural chasms of disinvestment between neighborhoods get closed up. i try to get around on foot as much as possible and the number of dead zones between areas of activity are rapidly dwindling every single place i go across greater center city. it’s so awesome seeing things get tied together, especially from a pedestrian standpoint.

oh! and while i was over there, this is fully underway and about to really get above ground. also, it looks like there is construction about to start on the Philly Ballet lot on N Broad right near there.

[arkitect13]

A little off topic from the previous post, but does anyone feel that northern liberties will have towers on par with some of those in u-city and west center city? I know there's 1 proposed close to the intersection of i-95 and 676, but could there be/are there any further away?

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Originally Posted by arkitect13

A little off topic from the previous post, but does anyone feel that northern liberties will have towers on par with some of those in u-city and west center city? I know there's 1 proposed close to the intersection of i-95 and 676, but could there be/are there any further away?

Unfortunately, NoLibs would need to be upzoned. I think it could support it but while most of UCity is CMX-5 (skyscrapers), NoLlbs is CMX3 or lower primarily

[allovertown]

Originally Posted by philly_account12

Ah yes, all across the country the DAs offices are to blame for police officers not doing their jobs. Love this argument.

Maybe if we triple the PPD budget and promise to be extra nice to officers we can get our arrest numbers on shootings up into the 30s!


Source from December of last year.

Those numbers are even more generous than they deserve. Think about all of the crimes where absolutely no steps are taken to conceal their crimes at all. This love Park shooting is the perfect example. He didn't even try to conceal what he was doing at all. The only crimes the police solve are ones that a not particularly inquisitive toddler could solve.

From top to bottom, they're doing just a spectacularly terrible job.

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Redddog

Actual cops being there when it happened wouldn't have mattered either.

https://6abc.com/shots-fired-philly-...sion/11222232/

Cops weren't only "there," they were the victims.

And these absolute thugs are free to go.

Philly cops are useless.

[Justin7]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Yeah. It's super complicated. I'd argue police aren't just "hanging back" but also just opting to not proactively do anything in certain circumstances when in the past they would. Citizens don't help either. My investment property in Germantown has been burglarized a number of times and I have to tell you. I've gotten multiple calls from neighbors telling me someone was trying to break into my house and in each instance, when I've asked them to call police, they've said they didn't feel comfortable calling the police because they didn't want the cops to "over-react". In one case, I explicitly said then why are you calling me if you're unwilling to do anything about it. Like. SOMEONE WAS BREAKING INTO MY HOUSE and she was acting like this person was selling loose cigarettes on the street.

It's absurd. I would never not call the police if I saw someone breaking into a house.

Anyways. You can believe in tactics that are being pushed by both sides. Which I do. I want re-allocate funds from current policing issues (i.e. mental health calls, low level QOL issues) but also support stop and frisk in certain cases. Like, less response is required in some cases and more in others.

I'm gonna venture a guess and say that the typical person who opposes stop and frisk is a white liberal from Center City and similar environs. Literally no one who does not have alterior motives or mal-intent who lives at 33rd&Diamond opposes stop and frisk.

So, hold on... Your investment property has been burglarized "a number of times" and "multiple times" a person or persons have called you, the landlord of a neighboring property, whose phone number they had, to inform you that your property was being broken into? And in one case, you actually asked the woman why she was calling you if she was unwilling to do something about, even though she was currently in fact in the act of doing something about it -- calling the property owner, who then could have called the cops if so inclined?

And you cannot understand why people would be concerned about police overreacting? And that maybe someone would hesitate to involve police in a situation and put someone's life in danger? Does someone live at this property or is it vacant?

And you think black people typically support stop and frisk and having their civil rights violated? By police?

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Justin7

So, hold on... Your investment property has been burglarized "a number of times" and "multiple times" a person or persons have called you, the landlord of a neighboring property, whose phone number they had, to inform you that your property was being broken into? And in one case, you actually asked the woman why she was calling you if she was unwilling to do something about, even though she was currently in fact in the act of doing something about it -- calling the property owner, who then could have called the cops if so inclined?

And you cannot understand why people would be concerned about police overreacting? And that maybe someone would hesitate to involve police in a situation and put someone's life in danger? Does someone live at this property or is it vacant?

And you think black people typically support stop and frisk and having their civil rights violated? By police?

LOL. Yes. I'd expect someone seeing a property being broken into to be willing to call the police.

And yes, I'd argue lots of people who live in the most violent Philly zipcodes support stop and frisk in a limited way. There's lot of research that it is highly effectively when employed in micro-zones experiencing upticks in crime. It should have never been a universal policy. Malcolm Gladwell devotes an entire chapter to the topic in his most recent book. It's quite compelling.

Do you live in a zipcode where kids are being gunned down near schools and women are being shot at rates never witnessed before in this city's history?

Do you ever read the comments on Citizen from locals after one of these incidents takes place? It's mostly along the lines of I hate it here, Krasner and Kenney aren't doing shit, what can we do to change this. Kenney refused to declare a state of emergency, LOL, which would have garnered additional resources to combat crime in these areas.

But anyways. Yeah. Let's keep on doing what we're doing. Which is nothing.

[TonyTone]

I didn't want to get into this but I must put my 2 cents in.

As a Person of color who has experienced both ends of bullshit from the streets and the police I can say this.

Currently the policy on dealing with crime especially in cities across the USA is going easier on punishment because years of "stats" show harsher punishment only makes things worse for the person and causes them to go deeper into bad things thus we have reversed the hard on crime mentality to stop ruining some people lives for the sake of a dime bag of weed making someone a criminal however on the opposite end of that we are treating the gun crimes soft as well which in theory is supposed to work like reverse psychology.

However decades of that harsh mentality & racism mixed with drugs and further locking people up especially people of color has broken up households, futures and etc.

Now you flash forward to the present & you have the result of this, and people in minority communities will not listen to anything "the man" has to say because the trust has been broken from the decades before.

Now we are currently in a time where the policies have changed a little to late and it will take even longer to get people to trust the police or even the government again thus why we have the explosion of crime & "police not doing their jobs".

Now im saying this in my Opinion I support stop and frisk and the only reason for that is because it gets the guns off the streets.

It's a complete violation of rights however our community is to shattered at this point 12 year olds with guns? 2 year olds getting shot? Mothers and Fathers being taken out of homes?

At a point intervention has to happen because the community cannot police itself.

This is also not to say that some members of the police department have ego issues and get drunk on power forgetting they are human interacting with humans we are still people at the end of the day and common sense and compassion should be shown on both sides.

[summersm343]

MaKen Studios Continues the Workshop of the World Tradition in Harrowgate

While South Kensington and the adjacent Norris Square have seen huge and growing waves of construction over the last several years, Harrowgate has only seen more sporadic development activity. This is surely due in part to geography, as it’s the next neighborhood pushing north from Norris Square, and the viaduct next to Lehigh Avenue presents a significant natural boundary. Also limiting development in Harrowgate is the fact that this neighborhood is essentially the epicenter of the opioid crisis in Philadelphia, a situation that doesn’t appear likely to change any time soon.

We found ourselves in Harrowgate the other day though, and discovered a couple buildings we didn’t know about previously which were renovated about half a decade ago by Shift Capital. The buildings in question are collectively known as MaKen Studios (get it?), and include 260K sqft of industrial, creative, business, and community space. Both buildings are examples of industrial adaptive reuse, and represent dramatic steps up, aesthetically, from the previous state of affairs.

3525 I Street in the past:


3525 I Street today:

MaKen Studios North is located at 1000 E. Venango St., in a building that was originally constructed in the 1910’s for the Richardson Mint Company. Discount textile reseller JoMar operated out of the building more recently, and as you can see the building looked pretty rough after a century of various industrial uses. The conversion popped windows into all the old openings and the building now hosts “various art-based entrepreneurs and small, creative businesses” in its studio spaces. On the top floor is an event space called FAME, which opened in 2017.

3401 I Street in the past:


3401 I Street today:

MaKen Studios South is two blocks to the south (naturally) at 1001 E. Ontario St., in a building that was constructed around the same time as the northern building, but as a textile mill. Various industrial concerns occupied the building since, but since its renovation, the building hosts small-batch manufacturers, large-scale visual artists, and businesses looking to expand to spaces of at least 1,500 sqft. At this building, there’s an active demolition permit for a small, one-story building plus smokestack located in the parking lot. We wonder whether there will be some kind of addition constructed in its place or just more parking.

Read/view more here:
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phil...-in-harrowgate

[PHLtoNYC]

Q&A: CEO Stephen Hurly explains why Lava Therapeutics chose Philadelphia over Boston

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...Pos=5#cxrecs_s

Not a huge company, but multiply this by 100 and that looks great for our fair city. I like reading Q&A articles, and I hope one day soon there won't be any needed convincing when choosing Philadelphia over Boston. Tidbit below...

Why did the company establish its U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia?
I'm a native Philadelphian – well, I'm from Downingtown. I spent time in California, Chicago, Boston, New York, but then I came home. Trying to get Eagles green out of your blood is hard. When I was actually offered the CEO job at Lava, it was going to mean moving to the Netherlands. After my wife and kids [balked at moving], I went back to the company and said Philadelphia is a great place to have a life sciences company. I had to educate them a bit, to be sure. They thought we should be in Boston. I said the cost is twice as high. The ability to keep quality people in Boston is impossible because they're constantly walking across the hallway to the next company. And the level of talent here on the clinical side and the regulatory side is second to none. They agreed to put [the U.S. headquarters] here and it has really worked out great for us.

We just signed a lease for space at the Penn Mutual Building in Washington Square, and over the coming weeks we will start going into the office on a gradual basis.
The company was at around 35 employees at the time of the IPO, and now we're at about 55 employees with about a dozen or so in the Philadelphia area. Ultimately, we will be at about 75 employees, with probably 75% in The Netherlands.

[summersm343]

Philly chooses firm Design Workshop, to ‘reimagine’ Ben Franklin Parkway

The City of Philadelphia has chosen a landscape architecture and urban planning firm to lead the redesign of the iconic Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The firm, Design Workshop, is expected to move forward with the long-awaited redesign in early 2022.

City officials said Wednesday as they announced the selection that their goal is to make the century-old parkway stretching from Logan Circle to the Philadelphia Museum of Art safer and more attractive to people on foot or bikes. Design Workshop rose to the top because of its emphasis on inclusivity and equity, its plan to create “meaningful connections” to help Philadelphians re-engage with the Parkway, and its framework for making iterative improvements to the Parkway over time, city officials said.

Design Workshop will run a process of public engagement, then produce a schematic design, a recommended project schedule, and cost estimates. The project will be the culmination of a planning process and incremental improvements to the Parkway, including pavement markings, traffic-calming tools, and pop-up attractions, stemming from a 2013 plan called “More Park, Less Way,” created by the Parks Department and PennPraxis researchers.

The City’s request for proposals called for a total redo of Eakins Oval –– including the removal of a surface parking lot –– and better infrastructure for public gatherings.

Design Workshop, too, pitched a series of traffic changes to pedestrianize the road. The firm imagined disconnecting the scenic road from nearby interstates, capping I-676, removing nearby onramps and widening the existing tunnel under Eakins Oval. Design Workshop’s proposal also included converting Logan Circle from a roundabout back into a public square and building more connectivity with the nearby Schuylkill riverfront.

“We want to transform the Parkway from a major roadway back to Philadelphia’s garden,” Design Workshop CEO Kurt Culbertson said at the time.

Read/view more here:
https://whyy.org/articles/philly-cho...G2b-BwHJlSq9p8

[mcgrath618]

Yay! This was one of the better proposals.

I would rather see the RDG City Branch used as transit but I can live with this.

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Yay! This was one of the better proposals.

I would rather see the RDG City Branch used as transit but I can live with this.

After someone in P.I.C.H. carelessly and erroneously posted that the undersized graphic in the PlanPhilly piece depicted the skate park going away (IT DOES NOT), I wrote to Maita Soukup, Communications Director at Parks & Recreation and she responded:
--quote--
The Parkway design project is just commencing. No designs have been created, and community engagement will begin in early 2022.
The image in the PlanPhilly article is a creative concept shared as a focal point to start discussion during an Ideas Workshop RFP finalists were invited to take part in this summer.


Also, here is the City's press release from which the PlanPhilly article is derived: https://www.phila.gov/2021-11-10-cit...nklin-parkway/