PHILADELPHIA | 1300 Fairmount | 185 FT | 14 FLOORS
 

Title: 1300 Fairmount
Project: Residential/commercial/retail
Architect: Cope Linder
Developer: RAL Development
Location: 1300 Fairmount Ave. Philadelphia, PA
Neighborhood: Spring Arts
District: North Philadelphia
Floors: 14 floors
Height: 185 feet

http://cdn.phillymag.com/wp-content/...3.57.32-PM.png

http://cdn.phillymag.com/wp-content/...1287936281.png

PDF here:
http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/pr...DR_ForWEB2.pdf

- $15 million to Broad Street Holdings LP to build a supermarket, two parking levels, "two residential towers, and 27 residential rowhomes" at 1300 Fairmount Ave., which the state calls a "pivotal knuckle" of North Broad St., and New York developer RAL Companies says is "at the tipping point" for the 860,000 sf development.
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/i...uRSEXYLM1PY.99

http://www.ralcompanies.com/project-list.php

From the site:
...and this is the sum total of the known information on the project.

I like how the setback respects views of the Divine Lorraine on all noteworthy sides. This would be a crazy awesome development for that neighborhood and North Broad in general.

If this ever gets built this truly would be the game changer for that area. Could spur along the divine Lorraine/Met into getting fixed too. Wow just imagining those 3 things done could change the dynamic of that part of the city. Blumenfeld seems to really just be full of hot air though so Idk.

would be nice to see this happen, but this seems like a longshot. Maybe if the DL happens it will make this more likely.

They're doing work on the Divine Lorraine now guys. Have you been by?

Looks like Blumenfeld is also starting work on the "Mural Lofts" at Broad and Spring Garden.

I noticed in the last week or two that someone finally started tearing down the decrepit brick buildings at the triangle where Mt Vernon, Ridge, and 13th meet. I don't see anything there in the renderings, but I do wonder if that's related.

I like the mini mansion row homes

I can see it from the train, but I havent been past the the front in weeks. I'm glad something is happeneing. I know they tweeted some pic of preliminary work last week but I thought in his last public comments EB said they hoped to start work in June. The area east of broad and Fairmount needs a lot of work so the more that can be filled in the better. Lots has been built in that vicinity but there are still a lot of empty lots and vacant buildings. Im definitely skeptical of mega plans by out of town developers with no local track record- few such projects seem to come to fruition.

1. this looks like a typical pie in the sky proposal put together by a lender and developer friend to flip the land. 2. is gov wolf really cutting checks for development projects? I know rendell used to.. corbett ended it, where does wolf stand?

I don't think Corbett ended it, he just reduced it. One of the articles said that of $1B requested in 2014, $200M got funded.

Doesn't seem to be a good use of taxpayer funds to create more multifamily / retail projects when these are getting done without anyway. I believe the program was originally intended for projects w/ significant job creation (e.g., Augusta helicopter plant).

I agree typically, that these tax dollars shouldn't be handed out to developers of multifamily projects in areas that are already booming. HOWEVER, this area is definitely struggling. This development, with a nice added fund of taxpayer dollars, could kick-start redevelopment of the entire area.

I dont think they really explain the criteria in detail but I think they evaluate the amount of locked in private financing, job creation, the market limitations and the overall need to kick start an area when they choose the winners. I think we can all safely assume the gallery will get its money. Not so sure about this one.

Article from Hidden City on the project. Not really any new info:
http://hiddencityphila.org/2015/04/m...rmount-avenue/

Another article on this on Plan Philly
 

If this is a real project, i'll eat my hat

well one issue is that they are clearly saying without a substantial subsidy the project wont happen.

Renderings and information from the article

http://planphilly.com/uploads/media_....752.360.c.png

http://planphilly.com/uploads/media_....752.495.s.png

This week, the lights should come on, when developers with RAL Companies of New York present their proposals to the Planning Commission, and two City Council committees consider bills that would grant the project various exemptions related to loading and curb cuts.

Those discussions have led, so far, to plans for two apartment towers and a supermarket on Ridge Avenue. Preliminary site plans—the Levines stressed that the proposal is in flux—also show a small group of townhomes at the corner of 13th and Wallace streets, to be built in a future phase of construction.

At this point, the plans include approximately 480 apartments with 580 parking spaces, shared between the residents and the supermarket customers. The project would reach a maximum height of 221 feet on the western tower, and contain 83,000 square feet of retail space. The apartments would be placed above the parking structure on the fifth floor, and the developers plan to claim a floor-area bonus for open space on the site. The complex will have 168 bicycle parking spaces.

Last week, the state granted Eric Blumenfeld a $3.5 million grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP). For the 1300 Fairmount project, RAL is shooting a bit higher: they’ve applied for a RACP grant worth $15 million. Robert Levine said they’d also consider seeking federal New Market Tax Credits.

http://planphilly.com/articles/2015/...ine-s-backyard

I thought the state just realeased its list of projects that were getting grants. Not sure when this project team would find out if they are getting anything- I thought the grants were distributed once a year.

Supermarket, apartments to go up next to the Divine Lorraine
From the Philadelphia Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelp...fairmount.html

CDR Submission

Looks like 21 floors, 238 feet, all in one building. This project looks really great! Will be a huge transformation for the area for this to happen and the Divine Lorraine redevelopment.

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...03&oe=563F28F5

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...ec&oe=567C9B8C

https://scontent-lga1-1.xx.fbcdn.net...a9&oe=567AF9B4

PDF here:
http://www.phila.gov/CityPlanning/pr...DR_ForWEB2.pdf

Like! Fingers crossed.

If this and the Divine Lorraine happen, it will be a real game changer.

There are a lot of game changers going on in the city right now.

Sure hope so- Bad Omar needs a friend.


[IMG]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5783/...32f9fe69_c.jpgUntitled by screennameLLC, on Flickr[/IMG]

This is impressive- lets hope this developer is the real deal. They may break ground before the DL gets started- but I guarantee you they will never get as much press as EB gets for a project that still hasnt begun. He can't be beat when it comes to getting media coverage of future plans.

I really like the new development. :tup:

But if you ask me, and I don't care how much sandblasting they do, The Divine Lorraine has always reminded me of this:

( I know I'm gonna be slapped across the board):runaway:


http://i.imgur.com/QaQASdi.jpg[/IMG]

I think 1300 fairmount is a situation where an institutional owner is using a developer friend to push through new zoning so they can flip the property with approvals. Similar to how garrison and NP rezoned the riverwalk property to later sell at a high price to PMC. I could be wrong, not close to the deal, but thats how it smells to me

Zoning Board to consider project at 1300 Fairmount

http://planphilly.com/articles/2015/...1300-fairmount

really hope the store keeps the name "Vittles"
I love that

Good news here.

Approved by the Planning Commission/Zoning Board

http://planphilly.com/articles/2015/...ivine-lorraine

1300 Fairmount Project Moves a Step Forward

http://www.phillymag.com/property/20...-philadelphia/

This project really is awesome. The Divine Lorraine has one of the L&I work in progress signs on the front now, I don't think I noticed that before this week. Also next week one of my favorite pizza places in Philly is opening on the next block down a couple storefronts from Jimmy G's.

https://www.facebook.com/santuccispizzanorthbroad

If this gets built it is a huge milestone for this area. That vacant lot is horrible and honestly the DL being redone without that lot being addressed isn't good enough.

This is a nice architectural example that I wish some of the local clowns, err architects, would take note of at the lower construction price points. "But it doesn't have crazy random window patterns!!??"

Set-backs, interesting angles and unexpected lines - a building that you have to fully walk around to appreciate. The integrated greenery in the setbacks. There's an elegant statement to it. Good stuff, hope it gets built.

This is true, unfortunately this area's ability to really transform into a special urban area went out the window when the fucking asshats at the PHA decided to plop this down - 1 mile from City Hall:

http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/...00.38%20PM.png

Levittown South.

Agreed. Such an atrocity. Some of the blocks are fine, but the Levittown like suburban homes are a nightmare. What needs to be done - and this may be controversial - is move some of these residents to their new Sharswood development (which I pray to god will be urban). They can keep some of these residents in the area, but knock down blocks and rebuild urban. Mix in low income/subsidized housing and market rate housing, and then sell some blocks to developers as well. Until this is done, these projects will be a huge hole in the doughnut of development.

Turning huge inner-city acreage into cheap suburban tracts simply sends a message of no confidence in the city's future.

There are several random blocks that have been suburbanized further to the north and west, but none of them have been de-urbanized as completely as the Allen Hole.

There are actually two components to the Hole: the section west of 12th Street, which was called Poplar Homes or something like that, is a HOPE IV program under subsidized ownership. The Allen Homes proper remain PHA's purview. Those buildings are now ~20 years old, which means they're approaching their design life.

And with changes to the south and west, I hope they start MLK-izing.

(Incidentally, something that I think is coming...two of those Poplar homes will get purchased and demolished, the lot lines returned to a three-rowhome configuration, and the property redeveloped more densely.)

What an astoundingly stupid waste of land and value. I wonder why exactly it is that public housing bureaucrats are perpetually about exactly 36 years behind in adopting the best ideas of the times.

The low-density inner city thing was the latest amazing novel advance in public housing right about the time suburban people and developers began to embrace density and transit oriented design. Now we just have to wait another 15 years for PHA to catch on. How sad and foolish.

Though this is so obviously a very smart logical approach, isn't it interesting how most of us realize, in the pits of out stomachs, that PHA will ever be so forward thinking as to sell off its most valuable underutilized land like this to to subsidize the expansion of denser, more efficient affordable housing opportunity elsewhere.

Even if you have detached housing there is nothing suburban about the transit connections and distance from center city. The bus runs right through that area. North philly has lot of open space. The idea that a few low density housing developments in that area will have any substantial impact on the urban character of north philly is a joke. Unlike some other east coast cities Philadelphia has a host of semi-detached and detached housing in the middle of what are essentially urban neighborhoods that are completely walkable and served by public transit.

I assume you mean the vacant parcels that used to be filled with row houses.

To clarify, you are suggesting that these PHA tract-style projects are not uncharacteristic (note the double negative) of inner city neighborhoods in Philadelphia?

Just seeking clarification on your comment so I can better understand your point.

I'm pretty sure 1487 is just trolling the site now?

Otherwise, he's just a terribly informed iconoclast, which is far less interesting.

Umm if you recall a post a couple of weeks ago showed that Philly has the least detached housing of major American cities. More than 50% of our housing stock is rowhomes.

Also technically speaking the Allen Hole is semi-attached.

That said, the redevelopment was done in the early '90s and is very much a product of the urban thinking of its time. Unlike Clarke and PHA's Sharswood plan, which is clearly a generation out of date.

They are different from the types of homes generally found in north philadelphia. There are homes in other parts of philadelphia that are similar in density and those areas are still "urban" in the sense that they are completely walkable and connected to transit. When you consider what was there before and NP's prospects at the time when these projects were conceived its not hard to see why some though lower density housing would be a positive change.

yeah, no need for the lessons on Philly housing stock- I'm fully aware that this city is mostly rowhomes. But its also has a higher % of demi detached and (intentionally) detached single family homes than some other large east coast cities (and probably some others) so this is not unprecedented in Philly, even if it is a little out of place in lower north philly. Then again, if you go to other parts of the city you will find similar mixes of housing styles in a very small geographic area. In areas like Germantown, Mt. Airy and Wynnefield/Overbrook there are blocks of large single family homes adjacent to rowhouse blocks.

I think what makes this not just an issue of walkability and transit access is, as you say, the "out of place" location. It's very low density for its proximity to the city's core. Other than detached single family homes, I can't imagine anything lower density for this area than returning the Northern Liberties to grazing livestock. At least the cows could walk to the bus!

I smell a rat but I'm too lazy to check the housing stats...

The problem with the Allen Hole is that a hundred years ago it was rowhomes. Then they were razed and replaced with first-generation (1930s) public housing, which actually lasted a generation until nationwide changes in public housing policy in the 1960s pretty much made the whole place go to shit.

Then they were flattened (except for one block) and rebuilt in their current condition around the city's early 90s' nadir. There's a whole chapter about it in Fixing Broken Cities.

It would be nice if, in the next replacement cycle, the PHA elected to reproduce and MLK-style redevelopment on this site. But that would probably require recreating the circumstance that led to the MLK projects being replaced with rowhomes (i.e. everything around the project was gentrifying) in the first place. In any event, the Allen Hole can't be that high on the PHA's replacement list.

The Poplar homes, by contrast, can be reurbanized by market processes.