PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Wow, this came at a good time (I just posted the struggling retail along Market / JFK article).

Comcast workers told to come back to office in-person 3 days a week

https://www.inquirer.com/business/co...-20220804.html

Starting Sept. 12, U.S.-based Comcast cable and corporate workers will need to work three days a week in the office, according to a company memo and spokespeople. That includes the 8,000 employees who will work in the two downtown Philadelphia towers.

Comcast is designating “common” days — Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — for in-office work, while on Mondays and Fridays, employees can work remotely.

Thanks for posting this! This is really big news and shouldn’t be underestimated. Momentum will come back in time. During the 08’ crash, I remember reading articles doubting the future of NoLibs. The Piazza at Schmidt’s had recently opened and they were struggling to secure tenants. A lot of people felt like there was nothing else up there and it was too far from Center City. It really was an island unto itself at the time. Now obviously NoLibs, Fishtown and E Kensington are among the most desirable neighborhoods in the city.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by Redddog

Yeah, my experience has been that hotter = more ATV/dirtbikes. I know that PA has this new law on those things but I'm not sure if Philly is enforcing that. I believe the PA law does not compel Philly to enforce.

No if its a state law in means all police depts have the authority to confiscate. I think that was the entire point of passing it- the city cant override or degrade the impact of the law.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Wow, this came at a good time (I just posted the struggling retail along Market / JFK article).

Comcast workers told to come back to office in-person 3 days a week

https://www.inquirer.com/business/co...-20220804.html

Starting Sept. 12, U.S.-based Comcast cable and corporate workers will need to work three days a week in the office, according to a company memo and spokespeople. That includes the 8,000 employees who will work in the two downtown Philadelphia towers.

Comcast is designating “common” days — Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — for in-office work, while on Mondays and Fridays, employees can work remotely.

That is going to do wonders for Regional Rail ridership, which has been doing surprisingly well! On one hand, I'll be happy to see ridership increase further. On the other, finding a seat on my morning and afternoon trains is about to get a lot harder, as they've both been at least 60% full by the time we leave East Falls/Jefferson haha

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan

That is going to do wonders for Regional Rail ridership, which has been doing surprisingly well! On one hand, I'll be happy to see ridership increase further. On the other, finding a seat on my morning and afternoon trains is about to get a lot harder, as they've both been at least 60% full by the time we leave East Falls/Jefferson haha

RR is doing the worse out of the modes in terms of % of riders vs 2019 last I heard. But this should help- what would be better is if this triggers similar moves from other employers. One would be City government which is largely not back in the office 3+ days a week from what I've heard.

[cardeza]

Two philly area PennDOT Projects of note are scheduled to bid soon (although one has been pushed back at least twice already)- the MLK bridge rebuild is on the schedule for late September and the Penns Landing project is now showing up for early november. But we will see if that sticks because it keeps sliding. Also of interest to some, a I-76 repave project is on the slate to bid next month- the Philly section from US-1 to 676.

[Urbanthusiat]

From State Rep. Mary Isaacson on Twitter:

It is with great excitement that we announced $31 million in funding that is now available to move the long-awaited Spring Garden Street Connector forward - a 2.1-mile walking, biking and commuting corridor between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers.

Let’s go, can’t wait to see what this looks like.

[iamrobk]

Originally Posted by Redddog

Yeah, my experience has been that hotter = more ATV/dirtbikes. I know that PA has this new law on those things but I'm not sure if Philly is enforcing that. I believe the PA law does not compel Philly to enforce.

Also just wanted to chime in and say that I've definitely noticed a big decrease in dirt bikes and ATV's over the last month or two. Absolutely no idea why, though. Genuinely wouldn't surprise me if, as someone else suggested, it's just been too damn hot for people to want to be out riding, even at night.

[skyhigh07]

Paul Levy real hit the nail on the head in the Comcast article…

“The more business leaders who recognize the positive economic impact that their in-office presence has on diverse small businesses downtown and all those workers who don’t have the option of working remotely, the faster we can achieve the full restoration of jobs of all kinds across the city,” said Paul Levy, director of the Center City District, a business leadership organization.”

Getting employees back into the office is also about ensuring an inclusive and equitable workforce.

[Gatorade_Jim]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

Yeah, I’ve gone cold turkey for the last few weeks and it’s really helped. Frankly, the general public doesn’t need to know every little thing that’s happening in the city. Bad things have always happened; it just gets amplified on social media. It’s probably better to find one or two news sources that you trust and let them filter out all of the noise.

Obviously, the crime situation is horrible and needs to be fixed, but it’s been horrible for awhile now. It’s a disappointing situation, but it’s no use running in circles pulling our hair out at this point. Contrary to what some people would like you to believe, every corner of the city is not akin to Kensington’s open air drug market.

In terms of good news, the ATV/dirt bike situation seems to have gotten better even with the warmer weather. I’m sure they’re still around but I haven’t heard/seen them for at least a month now. It’s a small win but hopefully it should be a step in making office commuters feel safer coming into the city.

This is what I did too. Unsubbed from PHL subreddit and deleted citizen. My life is so much less stressful now. Sure, crime happens. People also die in car accidents. If I was hyper focused on any time someone was seriously injured or died in a car accident in Philly I would never drive again.

Social media, and Philly social media specifically, loves to huff it’s own self loathing. Everything is the end of the world. If you believe the Philly subreddit, the city is imploding and a lawless wasteland, the entire police force is on strike, leaving your house after 7pm is gambling with your life, etc. etc. It’s insane.

Edit: sorry I see we’re moving on from this. Just wanted to mention the unplugging bit. It’s really been helpful for my mental health.

[PhilliesPhan]

Originally Posted by cardeza

RR is doing the worse out of the modes in terms of % of riders vs 2019 last I heard. But this should help- what would be better is if this triggers similar moves from other employers. One would be City government which is largely not back in the office 3+ days a week from what I've heard.

Back in June, I saw that only Bus and Trackless Trolley had better numbers in terms of percentage of pre-Covid ridership. Also, RR was the only mode of transportation to show year-over-year growth at that point. I haven't seen July's numbers yet though, so I'm not sure what they have been recently.

I completely agree though: we need to focus on bringing City workers back. Having everyone from Comcast, the City, Penn, the hospital systems, and area schools back would do wonders for ridership alone. The Reimagining Regional Rail plan also has huge potential, especially if coupled with more TOD.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by skyhigh07

Paul Levy real hit the nail on the head in the Comcast article…

“The more business leaders who recognize the positive economic impact that their in-office presence has on diverse small businesses downtown and all those workers who don’t have the option of working remotely, the faster we can achieve the full restoration of jobs of all kinds across the city,” said Paul Levy, director of the Center City District, a business leadership organization.”

Getting employees back into the office is also about ensuring an inclusive and equitable workforce.

I think that is a valid point, but I dont know how much private sector sr managers will care about that if A)they are saving money with remote work and B)they are concerned about losing talent. But it would be nice if the City made an effort to encourage large employers to get people back in 3-4 days a week. As I said, City government isn't even doing that- they are leaving up to each dept to do their own policy and some are in 2 days a week and some don't even have to do that. Others are 3 days a week- its all over the place. Kenney should have an across the board policy for office bound city workers and mandate 3 days in office. That would send a message and help SEPTA and local businesses.

[mcgrath618]

Last I heard, subway ridership was about 90% of what it was pre-covid, and RR was about 55%. I'd say it's probably gotten a bit more crowded lately as most rush hour trains are indeed filling, but it's still lagging behind the other modes.

[skyhigh07]

Originally Posted by cardeza

I think that is a valid point, but I dont know how much private sector sr managers will care about that if A)they are saving money with remote work and B)they are concerned about losing talent. But it would be nice if the City made an effort to encourage large employers to get people back in 3-4 days a week. As I said, City government isn't even doing that- they are leaving up to each dept to do their own policy and some are in 2 days a week and some don't even have to do that. Others are 3 days a week- its all over the place. Kenney should have an across the board policy for office bound city workers and mandate 3 days in office. That would send a message and help SEPTA and local businesses.

Yeah, you’re probably right. I don’t think theres gonna be a full return to the office realistically, but it could be an effective campaign that may partially appeal to corporations that are concerned with internal culture and community values.

[PHLJD13]

Originally Posted by bonfire

Anyone else think it is kind of odd how radio silent the Rail Park is on their future plans/timeline? They opened a quarter mile park in 2018 and have heard nothing about it since. I believe it would be such a vital project for the future Callowhill, Poplar, Brewerytown etc..

I wouldn't hold your breath on future phases of the Rail Park. My understanding is the remainder of the proposed stretch is much more difficult/expensive to secure the development rights for - I think held by successor corporations of Reading RR?

Also, the Rail Park doesn't seem to have much direction. They've gone through a least one Director per year since the first stretch opened. They haven't even managed to install the promised stairs at the 13th St overpass. They also seem to have difficulty maintaining the quarter-mile they have to work with - it is very overgrown.

The current small stretch is *vital* greenspace for Callowhill and Chinatown, but I have low expectations of proposed phases moving forward in the near future.

[New2Fishtown]

Originally Posted by mcgrath618

Last I heard, subway ridership was about 90% of what it was pre-covid, and RR was about 55%. I'd say it's probably gotten a bit more crowded lately as most rush hour trains are indeed filling, but it's still lagging behind the other modes.

Are these ridership numbers relative to pre-pandemic just raw counts of people, or do they factor in reduced service? because it's easy for service to feel crowded and well-used when it's running far less frequently as most modes still seem to be doing. RR is especially noticeable given how relatively infrequent headways already were on most lines, but even on the MFL, the fact that we're still maxing out at every 6 min is quite a difference from the every 4 minutes pre-covid (that's 10 trains per hour down from 15 per hour, so essentially a 33% reduction in service during rush hour).

[iheartphilly]

Originally Posted by PHLJD13

I wouldn't hold your breath on future phases of the Rail Park. My understanding is the remainder of the proposed stretch is much more difficult/expensive to secure the development rights for - I think held by successor corporations of Reading RR?

Also, the Rail Park doesn't seem to have much direction. They've gone through a least one Director per year since the first stretch opened. They haven't even managed to install the promised stairs at the 13th St overpass. They also seem to have difficulty maintaining the quarter-mile they have to work with - it is very overgrown.

The current small stretch is *vital* greenspace for Callowhill and Chinatown, but I have low expectations of proposed phases moving forward in the near future.

I wondered about this too. I heard a feasibility study was completed for Phase 2 in the process, but there's no movement in any work from what I can tell. Did they need funding for Phase 2 and did the City chip in any or will it all be privately funded.

[Urbanthusiat]

The problem with the second phase rail park is the RR successor company is basically unwilling to engage with any of the interested parties. They seem perfectly content to sit on it. Also, it would be very expensive. The difficulty lies in that it’s tough to get funding when you have an uninterested owner and it’s hard to get the owner interested unless you have some money to show them. I’d love to see it someday but I wouldn’t bet on it happening in the next 5-7 years. I spoke with the new director of the rail park lately and she seems quite engaged, it’s a very well kept space. But as far as getting Phase 2 built it’s going to be a long process.

[iheartphilly]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

The problem with the second phase rail park is the RR successor company is basically unwilling to engage with any of the interested parties. They seem perfectly content to sit on it. Also, it would be very expensive. The difficulty lies in that it’s tough to get funding when you have an uninterested owner and it’s hard to get the owner interested unless you have some money to show them. I’d love to see it someday but I wouldn’t bet on it happening in the next 5-7 years. I spoke with the new director of the rail park lately and she seems quite engaged, it’s a very well kept space. But as far as getting Phase 2 built it’s going to be a long process.

That's a catch-22...oh well...but this makes sense...thanks.

[TonyTone]

Italian Market



Restoration Work





















Lot of Future Project at Broad/Washington



Project on Washington Ave

[Urbanthusiat]

^^Awesome photos dude. University City/30th Street Station is such an amazing asset to our city.