PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[iheartphilly]

^
I am not sure who's voting but I would put them in two camps of voters-highly educated to educated and less to no education. So these camps really have different analysis of people that are voted into office. But the bottom line should be, whatever the issues that the person was elected to address, did they adequately address them? If they did, vote to keep them in office, and if not, vote for the opponent for a change. Should be that simple, but I guess lots of people in a third camp (indifferent, apathetic) think politics as a whole suck because of the divisions and rifts it causes to society.

[PHLtoNYC]

I'm surprised there isn't more chatter about the Spark building in U City.
I knew it wouldn't be tall, but it's a sleek design and will help elevate Philadelphia's Life Sciences sector to a global scale.

My critique... It's need retail space: coffee, restaurant, deli, something!

[Justin7]

Just want to point out that voting for someone doesn't mean you agree with everything (or even the majority of what) he says or does. This election was a choice between two flawed individuals. If the election were held again today with the same options I think it's likely you would see the same result, but that doesn't mean Krasner voters are happy with Krasner. I personally am onboard with a lot of what he's trying to do, but would like to see a hard line drawn on violent crime and illegal gun ownership.

[skyhigh07]

Heard there’s a few more closings on Walnut - Taft, Untuckit and Lush. Apparently, with Lush the company forgot to renew their lease and it was bought out by another prospective tenant lol.

Goes to show there’s a lot of unknown business factors behind some of these closings. Although, the market appears to remain competitive.

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by cardeza

You cannot ignore turnout. A majority of votes in a pathetic, low turnout election means what exactly? I think it's funny that other people are going around telling folks that there is high support for Krasner in violent neighborhoods. Are we actually hearing that from the residents? Do you see any notable, vocal support for him in those areas? The fact that elected officials are becoming more critical of his office is a sign that their constituents are NOT happy. There is a disconnect between the national dem party and whats going on at the ground level in these cities and it will cost them Nov 8th. People who are blindly loyal to the ideology of folks like Krasner will get a wakeup call soon enough. Everyone has to decide are they more committed to a person or to results. What I'm seeing here (and elsewhere) is a cultlike obsession with defending Krasner with NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the actual results. I will say this- Krasner was transparent- he has never said his goal was to make Philadelphia safer or a better place to live nor has he ever indicated he has much concern for the victims of crime. He is here to single handedly undo and reverse decades of poor policy at any cost and that is what he is attempting to do.....

Oh and some people need to be in jail- this is something that is known and increasingly being said in the crime ridden communities. It's funny, so many claim to be speaking for these communities and aligned with them- as long as they are saying whatever aligns with what that person already believes. If they are saying the DA is being soft on crime suddenly there is little interest in the voices from those communities.

+100 Right on the money, Thank you come again.

[TempleGuy1000]

Originally Posted by PurpleWhiteOut

Have we seen a render for that? It doesn't sound familiar but >50 units triggers a trip to CDR, right? Can they just pull permits for tax abatement reasons prior to CDR?

Permits Issued for 63-Unit Development at 813 North Broad Street in Poplar, North Philadelphia

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

Heard there’s a few more closings on Walnut - Taft, Untuckit and Lush. Apparently, with Lush the company forgot to renew their lease and it was bought out by another prospective tenant lol.

Goes to show there’s a lot of unknown business factors behind some of these closings. Although, the market appears to remain competitive.

Disappointing... For opening there are several closures.
Not surprised about Taft. But I don't understand why a store like UnTuckit can't make it on Walnut Street.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Disappointing... For opening there are several closures.

Hard to say. There’s just a considerable amount of reshuffling going on. Curious as to what will replace Lush. Whomever bought them out seemed to really want that space for whatever reason lol.

I’m starting to have a theory that Walnut St landlords are playing a game in terms of cycling out older leases and raising prices. I mean you’d think someone would have reminded Lush to renew before someone else swooped in. Apparently, they’re looking for another space nearby.

Then again, there are larger spaces that have been vacant for awhile. So who knows? Walnut has always been an enigma.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

Hard to say. There’s just a considerable amount of reshuffling going on. Curious as to what will replace Lush. Whomever bought them out seemed to really want that space for whatever reason lol.

I’m starting to have a theory that Walnut St landlords are playing a game in terms of cycling out older leases and raising prices. I mean you’d think someone would have reminded Lush to renew before someone else swooped in. Apparently, they’re looking for another space nearby.

Then again, there are larger spaces that have been vacant for awhile. So who knows? Walnut has always been an enigma.

Commercial lease pricing is a major issue in retail corridors all over the US. You don't see 1/3+ of storefronts vacant on high streets in European cities, part of that is due to rent control/regulations.

I also think the retail market in Philadelphia is generally weak, so brands don't bother staying open when rent is raised, whereas they may last longer in NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc.

[700 Level]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

I'm surprised there isn't more chatter about the Spark building in U City.
I knew it wouldn't be tall, but it's a sleek design and will help elevate Philadelphia's Life Sciences sector to a global scale.

My critique... It's need retail space: coffee, restaurant, deli, something!

On balance, I am okay with it.

On one hand, we are not getting the height that we had hoped for with Schuylkill Yards and surrounding projects (so far). If you were to identify one area of the city to target some height, this would be it. Hopefully it will come.

On the other hand, it's what is happening at street level that really matters. And if we are honest, the blocks south of 30th Street Station are not terribly inviting today. (Have you ever walked past the screeching alarm warning of cars exiting the Cira Green garage?) This project is attractive, meets the sidewalk nicely, and will bring more activity to the area - nice improvements. But I also echo your critique: please put some commercial activity on the immediate corner at the very least!

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by Justin7

Just want to point out that voting for someone doesn't mean you agree with everything (or even the majority of what) he says or does. This election was a choice between two flawed individuals. If the election were held again today with the same options I think it's likely you would see the same result, but that doesn't mean Krasner voters are happy with Krasner. I personally am onboard with a lot of what he's trying to do, but would like to see a hard line drawn on violent crime and illegal gun ownership.

This. But if the (primary) election were held today, I would vote for any other Dem against Krasner. He's shown that he's focused on righting wrongs from the past at the expense of everything else.

Most of the social justice speech coming from the left among affluent whites comes from a place of priviledge. Most of these people would never step foot in a dangerous neighborhood. They also speak about these places in coded derogatory ways that always blows my mind. You saw this in the NYC democratic primary for mayor. Nearly all of the liberal white (affluent) neighborhoods in Brooklyn voted for Maya Wylie (idealistic liberals). Nearly all of the middle class black neighborhoods voted for Adams (live in places actually affected by these policies). Manhattan voted for Garcia (technocrat).

Most of those white liberals screaming about social justice and voting for Maya Wylie wouldn't step foot in East New York if you paid them to.

It should make progressives think in a more nuanced way about their beliefs. It has certainly affected mine.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by 700 Level

On balance, I am okay with it.

On one hand, we are not getting the height that we had hoped for with Schuylkill Yards and surrounding projects (so far). If you were to identify one area of the city to target some height, this would be it. Hopefully it will come.

On the other hand, it's what is happening at street level that really matters. And if we are honest, the blocks south of 30th Street Station are not terribly inviting today. (Have you ever walked past the screeching alarm warning of cars exiting the Cira Green garage?) This project is attractive, meets the sidewalk nicely, and will bring more activity to the area - nice improvements. But I also echo your critique: please put some commercial activity on the immediate corner at the very least!

It's a manufacturing plant. It was never going to have height. Either way, I'm happy its here. It will hopefully provide a blue print and set the bar for what gets built in the future at Pennovation and in the Bellweather district, not to mention further afield in West Philly, Mantua, etc.

[iheartphilly]

^
Sparks could turn into a powerhouse one day with more therapies and more revenues which could equate to a larger workforce to necessitate more space. A supertall would not be out of the question. It could be filled with other companies too. Could be something similar to The Spiral in NYC-Hudson Yards project.

[3rd&Brown]

Sounds like an upgrade to me:

https://www.inquirer.com/politics/el...-20221027.html

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Commercial lease pricing is a major issue in retail corridors all over the US. You don't see 1/3+ of storefronts vacant on high streets in European cities, part of that is due to rent control/regulations.

I also think the retail market in Philadelphia is generally weak, so brands don't bother staying open when rent is raised, whereas they may last longer in NYC, Chicago, Boston, etc.

While Philly’s retail market isn’t likely as strong as the other cities you mentioned, I suspect it’s relatively fair. The article below highlights what was happening before the pandemic and that likely is continuing now. It kind of seems like landlords, tenants and brokers are all playing bumper cars with one another. Sounds like if landlords stopped playing chicken with rent, tenants might stick around longer.


https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...tenhouses.html

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by iheartphilly

^
Could be something similar to The Spiral in NYC-Hudson Yards project.

Cool. We could use an art installation that doubles as a suicide apparatus.

[iheartphilly]

^
Hey, if you are referring to the Vessel, we don't need anything that fancy. Plenty of people have done that in open air garages.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by thoughtcriminal

Cool. We could use an art installation that doubles as a suicide apparatus.

The Spiral is an office building. Actually pretty cool looking. https://www.google.com/search?q=The+...ih=881&dpr=1.1

[PurpleWhiteOut]

Originally Posted by 700 Level

On balance, I am okay with it.

On one hand, we are not getting the height that we had hoped for with Schuylkill Yards and surrounding projects (so far). If you were to identify one area of the city to target some height, this would be it. Hopefully it will come.

On the other hand, it's what is happening at street level that really matters. And if we are honest, the blocks south of 30th Street Station are not terribly inviting today. (Have you ever walked past the screeching alarm warning of cars exiting the Cira Green garage?) This project is attractive, meets the sidewalk nicely, and will bring more activity to the area - nice improvements. But I also echo your critique: please put some commercial activity on the immediate corner at the very least!

As far as I can tell, a lack of commercial is a consequence of industrial zoning.

[Urbanthusiat]

Really wish they would do something to activate the space along 30th for the Sparks building. It's already an institutional deadzone with the IRS building across the street. Otherwise I like it.