PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY-READING | Metro Development Thread

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by iamrobk

Cherelle Parker will likely run and while I don't know if I'd say she's the favorite, I think she'll be one of the leading candidates (at least initially). I'm not sure Jeff Brown will actually run, unless I've missed something recently suggesting that he's seriously interested.

Obviously this is all just far out speculation, but if I had to guess right now, I think we'll see a very fractured primary like the 2017 DA primary.

Saudia Shuler is pushing him to run (CountryCookin1 on IG) and I'd bet 500 bucks if he gets in the race and she gets behind him, he will be hard to beat.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

I think more are on board than we realize. There's a really tough constituency in Philadelphia. The wealth and poverty extremes in this city are really pronounced. I mean, even Maria Quinones Sanchez is for business tax reform, but they really have to tow the line.

It feels like our next mayor will be either Rebecca Rhynehart, Alan Domb, or Jeff Brown, and tbh, I'd be happy with any of them. All strike me as competent. Jeff Brown might have the right constituency to break through and actually govern in a really cohesive way, though Rhynehart is my favorite.

The track record of businessmen that have zero public experience is spotty at best. Coming in with zero relationships, zero idea of what it takes to get bills passed or to run government and zero idea of how to relate to other levels of government is a tall order. People love the idea of self made men (and women) jumping into politics but it seems to rarely work out as well as hoped. But either way I see the next mayor as following Nutter's example and running against the guy he is replacing. I think whomever draws the biggest contrast with Kenney stands the best chance.

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by iamrobk

Cherelle Parker will likely run and while I don't know if I'd say she's the favorite, I think she'll be one of the leading candidates (at least initially). I'm not sure Jeff Brown will actually run, unless I've missed something recently suggesting that he's seriously interested.

Obviously this is all just far out speculation, but if I had to guess right now, I think we'll see a very fractured primary like the 2017 DA primary.

I def agree on Parker. All I can say about Brown or anyone else is that they better recognize that the public safety issue is likely to be #1. Anyone who is planning on replacing Kenney who plans to try and rile up voters by talking about taxes or cutting red tape as their top priority will lose. People can't focus on that while folks are getting shot left and right.

[3rd&Brown]

Cherelle Parker?

Can anyone name anything she's done?

[iamrobk]

Originally Posted by cardeza

I def agree on Parker. All I can say about Brown or anyone else is that they better recognize that the public safety issue is likely to be #1. Anyone who is planning on replacing Kenney who plans to try and rile up voters by talking about taxes or cutting red tape as their top priority will lose. People can't focus on that while folks are getting shot left and right.

I have no idea how the public safety issue will play out (it would be ironic if we elect a "tough on crime" Mayor after reelecting Krasner, though and I say that as someone who voted for him) but I do agree completely with the bolded part.

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Saudia Shuler is pushing him to run (CountryCookin1 on IG) and I'd bet 500 bucks if he gets in the race and she gets behind him, he will be hard to beat.

100% Saudia is very powerful in terms of a following and people will vote for him if she gets behind him.

-Source // I be out in these streets

[TonyTone]

My thing is this how did we go from a great Mayor like Nutter and then go to a crumb bum like Kenney???

I think Kenney has been paid to let shit fail so property prices can drop and more investors can swoop in & rebuild because this is insane.

Then we have outlaw who was already bad where she was perviously at & now is bad here.

At this point Rizzo is a better Mayor & Commissioner.

[Knight Hospitaller]

Originally Posted by TonyTone

My thing is this how did we go from a great Mayor like Nutter and then go to a crumb bum like Kenney???

I think Kenney has been paid to let shit fail so property prices can drop and more investors can swoop in & rebuild because this is insane.

Then we have outlaw who was already bad where she was perviously at & now is bad here.

At this point Rizzo is a better Mayor & Commissioner.

I guess there will never be statues of Kenney and Outlaw to tear down.

[EastSideHBG]

Learn why developers are seeking to build so many new apartments in Conshohocken and other suburbs

From an article on BisNow about the discussion on apartments in the suburbs:

A “perfect storm” of tenant demand and a favorable financing environment has created unprecedented conditions for developers to maximize the value of Class-A apartment buildings in the suburbs, especially ones that delivered during the coronavirus pandemic, BET Investments principal Michael Markman said at Bisnow’s Philadelphia Future of the Suburbs event Oct. 27.

BET Investments brought two apartment buildings online during the pandemic, one in Upper Dublin that opened in October and the second in Horsham that opened in January, Markman said. The 659 units between the two projects leased at a rate of roughly 60 units per month, far outstripping the pace of leasing at two other apartment complexes in Media that came online in the years leading up to the pandemic.

“In my entire career, I’ve never seen such an intense rental period,” Markman said.

Who is moving into these apartments? Two groups were highlighted during the forum. Empty nesters who are downsizing and younger couples moving out of Philadelphia who are unable to buy a home or have no desire to own one.

Apartment developers are also bullish on the future of apartments due to the number of young people living at home. This increased during the pandemic to 23%, up from 20% in 2010. The 3% represents a potential for 2.1 million new households.
https://morethanthecurve.com/learn-w...other-suburbs/


Zoning change sought to develop former Arbor Hill estate in Fort Washington
https://morethanthecurve.com/zoning-...rt-washington/

[Jawnadelphia]

The new Claymont SEPTA train station is well underway now, the $75 million project will be one of the largest SEPTA train stops outside Philly's central core (in fact maybe the largest?, when you add in size of the train center and parking garage, lot).

Perhaps more importantly, the station is the precursor to the larger "First State Crossing" development that will begin shortly after the completion of the station. Phase One of First State Crossing calls for 4 luxury apartment buildings (4-stories tall) with approximately 340 units which will begin next year, and should be completed in 2023.

Eventually over a decade, the developer plans to build around 1000 new housing units (apts and townhouses).

In addition, the University of Delaware has recently completed a waterfront park plan for the to-be built community that has won the praises of local and state officials, along with the Claymont Renaissance Development Corp. The park would have trails, a small marina, and an amphitheater--funding is not there yet for the park--but it definitely seems like a real possibility with all of the new housing planned.
https://www.facebook.com/claymontren...type=3&theater

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by Jawnadelphia

The new Claymont SEPTA train station is well underway now, the $75 million project will be one of the largest SEPTA train stops outside Philly's central core (in fact maybe the largest?, when you add in size of the train center and parking garage, lot).

Perhaps more importantly, the station is the precursor to the larger "First State Crossing" development that will begin shortly after the completion of the station. Phase One of First State Crossing calls for 4 luxury apartment buildings (4-stories tall) with approximately 340 units which will begin next year, and should be completed in 2023.

Eventually over a decade, the developer plans to build around 1000 new housing units (apts and townhouses).

In addition, the University of Delaware has recently completed a waterfront park plan for the to-be built community that has won the praises of local and state officials, along with the Claymont Renaissance Development Corp. The park would have trails, a small marina, and an amphitheater--funding is not there yet for the park--but it definitely seems like a real possibility with all of the new housing planned.
https://www.facebook.com/claymontren...type=3&theater

So what we are seeing before our eyes is a City being built from scratch it has all the elements

-Train service

-Riverfront

-Housing

-Offices

-Retail

It will be interesting to see how this area transforms in the next decade and if Wilmington will have the power to annex all the way to Claymont making the city stronger.

[summersm343]

Seems like it could be very interesting, and put Claymont on the map!

I wonder, is it really going to be walkable at all though? Is it going to be something akin to KOP Town Center, or is it going to be pretty suburban?

[cardeza]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Cherelle Parker?

Can anyone name anything she's done?

im sure it can be found with a quick search.

[TonyTone]

Originally Posted by summersm343

Seems like it could be very interesting, and put Claymont on the map!

I wonder, is it really going to be walkable at all though? Is it going to be something akin to KOP Town Center, or is it going to be pretty suburban?

Hopefully we get a riverfront type design at the least.

Building city blocks & Alleys seem to never happen for some reason, always curvy roads & big distances between blocks.

[PHLtoNYC]

Bala Cynwyd poised to follow lead of KoP, Conshohocken on development boom

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...la-cynwyd.html

"Tishman Speyer Properties is forging ahead with its plans to develop 2.1 million square feet of new space in Bala Cynwyd that would transform that section of Lower Merion over the next 25 to 30 years."

[summersm343]

DHL opens new Philly-area shipping facilities in Sharon Hill and South Jersey

DHL Express, one of the world’s largest shipping companies, has invested $20 million to more than double its footprint in the Philadelphia area as online shopping continues to drive demand for deliveries during the pandemic.

So far this year, DHL has experienced 25% growth in shipments in the Philadelphia market, said Reiner Wolfs, DHL’s vice president and general manager for the Northeast. The German-owned company specializes in international delivery and competes with FedEx and UPS.

“We’ve seen an incredible boom” in the consumer e-commerce business, Wolfs said.

In July, DHL said it’s investing $360 million to build and expand in the Americas between 2020 and 2022 so that it can meet demand for e-commerce and global trade.

The company added nearly 145,000 square feet of workspace by giving up its previous Philly address — 7600 Holstein Ave. — and splitting its operations between two new facilities: one at 550 Elmwood Ave. in Sharon Hill, and one at 1240 Forest Parkway in West Deptford, N.J., for a combined 238,872 square feet.

DHL signed 10-year leases at both locations. Plans for the move were in the works before the coronavirus hit in early 2020, Wolfs said.

Since then, the market for warehouse space has gotten tighter. Amazon has leased dozens of properties around the region and paid $26.5 million in June for a King of Prussia property that could be slated for warehouse development. Real estate giant Prologis paid $45 million in a bidding war for a site near Philadelphia International Airport over the summer.

Developer HRP is also planning to build a commercial hub and put up warehouses on the 1,300-acre site of the shuttered South Philadelphia refinery, now known as the Bellwether District. HRP, formerly called Hilco Redevelopment Partners, bought the property out of bankruptcy in June 2020.

DHL’s real estate timing was “a little bit fortunate,” Wolfs said. “Obviously since the pandemic, warehouse space has become scarce and rather pricey as well.”

DHL flies six days a week from its Cincinnati hub into Philadelphia International Airport. Operating out of the two facilities puts the delivery service closer to customers in Greater Philadelphia, South Jersey, and northern Delaware. The new spaces also provide a better work environment for employees, Wolfs said.

Read/view more here:
https://www.inquirer.com/business/dh...-20211101.html

[summersm343]

Bala Cynwyd poised to follow lead of KoP, Conshohocken on development boom

Tishman Speyer Properties is forging ahead with its plans to develop 2.1 million square feet of new space in Bala Cynwyd that would transform that section of Lower Merion over the next 25 to 30 years.

The New York real estate company envisions building 757 new apartments, 720,000 square feet of additional office space, a 168-room hotel, retail space along with a 12-acre park and amphitheater on 61 acres its owns at Bala Plaza office complex. The existing office buildings would remain and the development would occur around them.

Tishman has been working on these plans for the last several years. It received tentative sketch approval in 2019 and is now going through the preliminary plan development approval phase.

The Tishman plan is not the only one under consideration that has potential to dramatically change Bala Cynwyd and lead to the infusion of what could end up being hundreds of million of dollars in investment. It would join other Montgomery County communities, such as King of Prussia and Conshohocken, which experienced unprecedented development over the last decade, completely transforming them.

Other real estate companies looking to do additional development in Bala Cynwyd includes Federal Realty Investment Trust, which is before the township with plans to reimagine the 294,000-square-foot Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center into a mixed-use development.

The center sits on a total of 24 acres and the township has approved the company's plans for road and an infrastructure network to support additional commercial mixed use development. It has also designated which sites it will develop. Federal envisions initially developing a 230-unit apartment complex where a shuttered 120,000-square-foot Lord & Taylor now stands. The project would also include 10,000 square feet of retail space and structured parking.

Keystone Property Group is evaluating infill development at One Belmont and potentially at One Presidential but has not made any formal plans, according to the township. Susquehanna International Group has a site adjacent to 555 City Ave., which it owns, where it had considered new construction. The owners of Bala Pointe Office Center at 111 Presidential Blvd. is considering razing a 172,710-square-foot office building on the property and developing an apartment complex.

Trails, new roads and connections, whether pedestrian, bike or vehicular, to those new access points are part of the process to integrate these proposed developments as well as link them to adjacent neighborhoods and City Avenue.

The development would occur over four phases with the first involving a residential and retail project on the parking area in front of One Bala. Subsequent phases would involve more residential and retail along with the addition of office buildings and hotel. The plan is scheduled to go before the planning commission in December.

Article behind paywall below. Can also see a rendering in the link:
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...la-cynwyd.html

[summersm343]

^^This is huge honestly. I've long thought of City Avenue as being able to accommodate much denser and more urban development from Presidential Blvd to St. Joe's University. It could be similar to Wilshire Blvd in LA.

[Urbanthusiat]

Chesco's Ideas x Innovation Network Raised $250 Million

EXTON, PA — Client companies of the Chester County Economic Development Council's Ideas x Innovation Network have raised $253 million in Delco, Chesco, and southeastern Pennsylvania for work that services life sciences and advanced technology companies.

Vice President of Innovation and Marketing at the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) Patrick Hayakawa explained, "This translates to more than 1,000 jobs created, hundreds of patents filed and tremendous downstream economic impact for the region."

[Urbanthusiat]

WORK IN PROGRESS: Keystone Boulevard projects move forward in Pottstown