PHILADELPHIA | Highrise Development Thread X - Page 10

ePlanningPhila · #**181** Posted **Jun 20, 2019, 10:11 PM**

Looking closer at the CDR submission for 500 N. Broad. The facade design just looks awful. Precast concrete? It looks like Society Hill towers and a glass box had a baby and I cannot say it looks good on any level. I am excited for this project, but make the tower portion all glass.

mcgrath618 · #**182** Posted **Jun 20, 2019, 10:20 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ePlanningPhila

Looking closer at the CDR submission for 500 N. Broad. The facade design just looks awful. Precast concrete? It looks like Society Hill towers and a glass box had a baby and I cannot say it looks good on any level. I am excited for this project, but make the tower portion all glass.

I actually quite like the way it looks. I'm getting tired of glass towers.

jsbrook · #**183** Posted **Jun 20, 2019, 11:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

I actually quite like the way it looks. I'm getting tired of glass towers.

+1. I think it looks really interesting, and I like the nod to the Society Hill Towers. And anything but another all glass tower (absent something really interesting and sculptural) is a win.

ePlanningPhila · #**184** Posted **Jun 20, 2019, 11:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsbrook

+1. I think it looks really interesting, and I like the nod to the Society Hill Towers. And anything but another all glass tower (absent something really interesting and sculptural) is a win.

The design is truly awful. It is a mash of 70s brutalist and 2010 "modern".

Nothing interesting or worthy.

I am shocked at the complacency of Philadelphia design standards on this thread.

jsbrook · #**185** Posted **Jun 20, 2019, 11:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ePlanningPhila

The design is truly awful. It is a mash of 70s brutalist and 2010 "modern".

Nothing interesting or worthy.

I am shocked at the complacency of Philadelphia design standards on this thread.

It is not a superstar building, but I find it reasonably attractive, particularly considering its location. I wonder what you would call good design...the right glass tower can be stunning, but the type of generic glass that would rise in lieu of what's rendered would not constitute "good design" either, IMO.

Nova08 · #**186** Posted **Jun 21, 2019, 12:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by summersm343

Thank you Mcgrath!

Now if we could just start getting some more 400+ footers, that would be swell.

We will soon have 2 500+ footers under construction not named "comcast." I haven't been around here long, but when was the last time that happened?

chris08876 · #**187** Posted **Jun 21, 2019, 1:45 PM**

A fire at a Philadelphia oil refinery sparked an explosion felt for miles

summersm343 · #**188** Posted **Jun 21, 2019, 2:27 PM**

^^Yeah, that's crazy. Hope everyone is OK

City Wide · #**189** Posted **Jun 21, 2019, 5:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ePlanningPhila

The design is truly awful. It is a mash of 70s brutalist and 2010 "modern".

Nothing interesting or worthy.

I am shocked at the complacency of Philadelphia design standards on this thread.

While I'll be the first to wish builders/developers in the Philly area had much higher design interests, I also admit that there isn't a design standard that everyone/any three people can agree on. In this City the W hotel is about as good as its going get----in my opinion. But there certainly are many people who don't like it. Sure, I'll try to talk to those people why I think its a good building, but at the end of the day, their opinion is their opinion.

Nova08 · #**190** Posted **Jun 21, 2019, 5:44 PM**

It will be interesting to see the severity of the refinery damage. It's been on borrowed time recently and I imagine it will sit as a complete dead zone for at least 25 years once it closes.

mcgrath618 · #**191** Posted **Jun 21, 2019, 5:48 PM**

(Not mine)

Milksteak · #**192** Posted **Jun 21, 2019, 7:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

(Not mine)

I approve.

iheartphilly · #**193** Posted **Jun 24, 2019, 3:05 PM**

July's Civic Design Review is up.

allovertown · #**194** Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 2:27 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nova08

It will be interesting to see the severity of the refinery damage. It's been on borrowed time recently and I imagine it will sit as a complete dead zone for at least 25 years once it closes.

Recent article suggests the fire could be the final nail in the coffin for the refinery. https://www.inquirer.com/business/ph...-20190624.html

Honestly I would say 25 years is optimistic. It's entirely cut off from the city by 76 and rail tracks. There actually has been a lot of development in the immediate vacinity in recent years with all those apartment buildings and car centric town house developments they've been building in the area. Have no idea who wants to live there, especially considering they don't seem very cheap, but they must have a market considering they keep building them. But I have to imagine that cheap land factored into their business model. Mitigating the land that has been a refinery for about a century will be anything but cheap.

I would imagine developers will start nibbling at the edges and developing parts of it that aren't as contaminated as others within short order of the refinery closing. But for all of the land that the refinery currently occupies to be developed? I think we're probably looking more toward 50 years than 25 for that. Honestly, a century doesn't sound far fetched.

Not sure if it is cheaper to remediate land for a nature preserve as opposed to development, but if it is, it might be nice to allow some of it to return to wetlands.

summersm343 · #**195** Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 1:47 PM**

Philadelphia Skyline by Dominic Perilli, on Flickr

jsbrook · #**196** Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 2:27 PM**

^ Nice shot! Where do we think this is this taken from? Great vantage point.

Londonee · #**197** Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 2:34 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsbrook

^ Nice shot! Where do we think this is this taken from? Great vantage point.

Some place in Queen Village - or from that perspective anyways.

japmes · #**198** Posted **Jun 25, 2019, 2:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by allovertown

Not sure if it is cheaper to remediate land for a nature preserve as opposed to development, but if it is, it might be nice to allow some of it to return to wetlands.

I agree with this. Given the land area, location and industrial history, returning the area to nature or parkland is probably the best option if the facility closes permanently. It could be a nice nature reserve. Or maybe a golf course?

PurpleWhiteOut · #**199** Posted **Jun 26, 2019, 6:41 AM**

Looks like PES may actually finally close. This would be huge news for the city's air quality.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-r...-idUSKCN1TR09E

eixample · #**200** Posted **Jun 26, 2019, 10:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by japmes

I agree with this. Given the land area, location and industrial history, returning the area to nature or parkland is probably the best option if the facility closes permanently. It could be a nice nature reserve. Or maybe a golf course?

A golf course is one of the worst possible redevelopment alternatives. Especially considering the city is already planning to get rid of the golf course at FDR park a short distance from here.

Slowly developing it for housing with some parkland retained along the river makes the most sense to me. That's a lot of row homes you could add to a city that at some point is going to become unaffordable.

My big question is what would happen to the freight rail lines (both the high line that runs on the west side of the Schuylkill and the one that runs along the east side by the river trail - I think these merge farther south but not too sure). There are still freight rail uses but would they so drastically reduce that you could also use these as a transit line?