PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[kool-ski]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

It's worth noting that McDonald's has been spending billions of dollars over the last couple of years to redevelop their old and tired, classic red-yellow stores such as this one. I'm not saying that's what this is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is... I'd love to see a mixed-use tower, but I'm afraid it'll just be a nicer McDonald's...

That's right. It totally slipped my mind the higher-ups were doing that.

However, a win-win, of sorts, would be if they had in mind, a project that incorporated a brand-new McDonald's in the ground floor commercial space (similar to the proposal at 40th & Walnut) but, like you said, in a mixed-use tower!!

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

^
I've seen a few McDonald's get remodeled inside and out, but to totally demolish and rebuild might not be in the cards. Not sure how these franchises work but seems a remodel with even an addition to expand its footprint makes makes more sense from a cost-savings perspective. Also, to sit adjacent to a transit node might make it really attractive to build a new apartment low to mid rise project with ground retail. Guess we will find out at some point after its demolition.

They just demolished and re-built a McDonald's super quickly on Grays Ferry Ave. https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phil...in-grays-ferry

I'm hoping that's not what it will be of course.

[mcgrath618]

On the flipside, the McDonald's at 40th and Walnut is getting completely redeveloped with ground floor retail (the McDonalds).

[Jayfar]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

On the flipside, the McDonald's at 40th and Walnut is getting completely redeveloped with ground floor retail (the McDonalds).

It’s surprising though, that there is now not a single McDonalds remaining anywhere within Center City proper, where not so many years ago there were 4 (and probably twice that many in the previous millennium).

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

On the flipside, the McDonald's at 40th and Walnut is getting completely redeveloped with ground floor retail (the McDonalds).

Love that development.

It's also not just McDonald's vacating Center City. It's all fast food. I have to wonder how city council's "required scheduling law" has effected the ability to properly run a store in the city.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

Love that development.

It's also not just McDonald's vacating Center City. It's all fast food. I have to wonder how city council's "required scheduling law" has effected the ability to properly run a store in the city.

I seriously doubt that is the issue. The real estate is pricey and Center city isnt exactly prime territory for the demographics most likely to eat a lot of fast food. You also dont find tons of of fast food on the main line or similar areas.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

It's worth noting that McDonald's has been spending billions of dollars over the last couple of years to redevelop their old and tired, classic red-yellow stores such as this one. I'm not saying that's what this is, but I wouldn't be surprised if it is... I'd love to see a mixed-use tower, but I'm afraid it'll just be a nicer McDonald's... Hope I'm proven wrong!

Per the real estate records its owned by some sort of subsidiary of Mcdonalds with a chicago address. So either the property record isn't updated yet or its likely to be some form of a new mcdonalds.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by cardeza

I seriously doubt that is the issue. The real estate is pricey and Center city isnt exactly prime territory for the demographics most likely to eat a lot of fast food. You also dont find tons of of fast food on the main line or similar areas.

Good points. To add to that, a lot of the newer fast food places in CC are trending higher end and tend to be more costly relatively speaking (Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Dig, La Colombe etc). Not entirely sure how the new scheduling law would impact operations and the bottom line, but I suppose it could have some negative effects on chains that have tighter business models or don’t charge $20 for a salad. Center City needs fast food restaurants that cater to people of all income levels. It’s troublesome to see how some policies that are supposedly meant to help disenfranchised people seem to be driving these places out of the city as of late (Wawa, Starbucks etc).

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

Good points. To add to that, a lot of the newer fast food places in CC are trending higher end and tend to be more costly relatively speaking (Shake Shack, Sweetgreen, Dig, La Colombe etc). Not entirely sure how the new scheduling law would impact operations and the bottom line, but I suppose it could have some negative effects on chains that have tighter business models or don’t charge $20 for a salad. Center City needs fast food restaurants that cater to people of all income levels. It’s troublesome to see how some policies that are supposedly meant to help disenfranchised people seem to be driving these places out of the city as of late (Wawa, Starbucks etc).

I just wish there was one person in Philadelphia that was willing to do some actual research to find out why all of them are closing.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

I just wish there was one person in Philadelphia that was willing to do some actual research to find out why all of them are closing.

I suspect it’s due to a variety of factors that are somewhat interrelated. All of these chains have business analysts that weigh the pros and cons which all factor into their bottom line. It’s never really one overarching thing. That’s why when they release vague statements like “we are closing due to reassessment of our operations and business model”, they’re probably being pretty honest. But yes, it would be nice if someone really took a deep dive into what’s going on and laid it all out.

[Broadcastthatboom]

Originally Posted by cardeza

I seriously doubt that is the issue. The real estate is pricey and Center city isnt exactly prime territory for the demographics most likely to eat a lot of fast food. You also dont find tons of of fast food on the main line or similar areas.

With all the bars in Center City though you would think they could thrive...I go out often and its always wild how there is basically no late-night 'drunk' food anywhere...we have Crown Chicken in a couple spots and that's it. Esp with basically no late night Wawa's either. When it's 1-2am I would love for just some cheap food spots (unless anyone can give me some rec's on where I might not be missing or some secret food truck somewhere!!)

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Broadcastthatboom

With all the bars in Center City though you would think they could thrive...I go out often and its always wild how there is basically no late-night 'drunk' food anywhere...we have Crown Chicken in a couple spots and that's it. Esp with basically no late night Wawa's either. When it's 1-2am I would love for just some cheap food spots (unless anyone can give me some rec's on where I might not be missing or some secret food truck somewhere!!)

It's too dangerous at that time in this town. Would you want your sister working at Wawa at 2 am in Center City?

I wouldn't.

Companies don't want the liability if one of their employees gets shot. If there was more police/foot-traffic/activity (other than people spilling out of bars and dispersing), maybe. But largely, it's desolate and dangerous even in parts of CC. We have to get that under control if we ever want to be a "24 hour city" like they said recently in a puff piece about the "Night Mayor." I keep going back to that scene in Jaws when Hooper says "you're the mayor of Shark City! The night mayor guy is the mayor of Gun City.

I'd take that job. You can just sleep through your shift just like everybody else.

[summersm343]

Broad Street Diner Getting Pancaked, 31-Unit Mixed-Use Project on the Menu

After that bit of digging, we now have a better idea of what’s to come. Look for a five-story, mixed-use building coming to us from Plato Studio. The design calls for 4,300 sqft of ground floor commercial space wrapping from Ellsworth around to Broad Street, with lobby access along Broad. Both the low income and green roof bonuses are being utilized to bump the by-right unit count from 18 up to 31 for this CMX-2 zoned lot. Another fun zoning-related aspect is the fact that there is zero car parking for this project which will sit directly in front of the Ellsworth-Federal stop on the Broad Street Line.

Read/view more here:
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phil...ct-on-the-menu

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by TempleGuy1000

I just wish there was one person in Philadelphia that was willing to do some actual research to find out why all of them are closing.

What research do you need? Most of the companies told you why they were closing stores and specifically the ones in Philly. Business is simple: make money, stay open. Don't make money and/or have issues that cause you to lose money, close down. There is no secret formula here on the steps that can be taken to reverse this trend.

[summersm343]

A Melange of Updates Along Grays Ferry Avenue in Grays Ferry

First, let’s look at a pair of apartment buildings which have moved well since our last visit, in the summer of 2021. At 2731 Federal St., developers are making good progress on a six-unit triangular building with a retail space on the first floor. Across the street, we see another project, this time with 24 units and no commercial, perhaps a few months behind its neighbor. The former replaces a vacant lot and a billboard, and the latter replaces a one-story industrial building, so both represent huge upgrades.

Both of the aforementioned projects are indeed terrific news, adding 30 new units to an area that has so much room to grow. Looking at the other side of the ledger, we can turn our attention to 3114 Grays Ferry Ave., where another one-story industrial building was demoed earlier this year. Sadly, its replacement is probably a step backward compared to what was demoed, as a storage facility will soon rise here.

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

[summersm343]

Modern Mixed-Use Making Major Progress in Point Breeze

You may recall, 1701 Federal St. was once home to a convenience store, which made its home in a two-story red-brick building. The store closed its doors years ago and the building sat vacant until its demolition in early 2020. At the time, we noted that the same developers that had demoed the building had plans to demolish the laundromat immediately to the north, and we speculated that they would pursue a zoning variance to build six or seven townhomes on the combined parcel, similar to a project across the street on the 1700 block of Annin. In early 2021, after the laundromat was torn down, we were surprised to learn that the developers were instead planning a four-story 42-unit building at the site. We suggested that there might be a tough zoning fight for such a plan, so we weren’t so shocked to hear about a pivot to a by-right approach, to a 30-unit mixed-use building.

Read/view more here:
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phil...n-point-breeze

[summersm343]

Schuylkill Yards to Welcome Huge Food Hall Near Drexel Square

Urbanspace, a New York-based food hall concept, is planning to open a 13K sqft space on the ground floor of the Bulletin Building, with an additional patio space fronting the square. There will be 16 yet-to-be-named vendors who will take spots here, creating a needed destination for the travelers, students, and employees who make up the majority of the foot traffic in the area. While we don’t know exactly what to expect, we anticipate something resembling Franklin’s Table on Penn’s campus, hopefully with a similar focus on locally owned establishments.

Read/view more here:
https://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-phil...-drexel-square

[summersm343]

Renovation Work Begins At Engine 29 Firehouse At 1221-25 North 4th Street In Olde Kensington

After permits had been issued over a year ago in November 2021, renovation work appears to finally have started at Engine 29 Firehouse, an adaptive reuse development at 1221-25 North 4th Street in Olde Kensington, as noted in a recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY. The development will involve a rear five-story addition to the existing three-story firehouse. The ground floor of the existing structure will be renovated into commercial space, while the upper floors will be converted into nine residential units. Designed by Continuum Architecture, the new addition will allow the development to include an additional 20 residential units, as well as parking for 14 cars and 15 bicycles.

Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2022/12/reno...ensington.html

[summersm343]

Foundation Work Underway At 1350 North Front Street In Olde Kensington

A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has discovered that foundation work appears complete at a five-story, 14-unit mixed-use development at 1350 North Front Street in Fishtown. The project, which is situated on the west side of the block between West Thompson and Master streets, will span 19,830 square feet and feature ground level retail and a roof deck, which, given the structure’s future prominence, will likely offer dramatic views of the Northern Liberties and Center City skylines. Permits issued in June of last year list Gnome Architects as the designer, although the previous design (featured as the cover image of the article) came from Bright Common. Permits specify GRIT Construction as the contractor and call for a construction cost of $2.3 million.

Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2022/12/foun...-fishtown.html

[summersm343]

Facade Work Underway At 1408-18 East Oxford Street In Fishtown

A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has noted considerable construction progress at a four-story, 42-unit residential project at 1408-18 East Oxford Street in Fishtown. The new development rises on the northwest corner of Oxford and Belgrade streets. Designed by Ambit Architecture, the building will span 41,211 square feet and feature 32 parking spaces and full sprinkling. Renderings indicate that the project will be called the National Metal Crafters Building, as seen from a large marquee at the parapet and a smaller sign at the street level. Permits list Level Up Development as the contractor and a construction cost of $5.25 million.

Read/view more here:
https://phillyyimby.com/2022/12/faca...-fishtown.html