Philadelphia 2035 (York, Clark, Penn: mcmansions, prevent, canyon)

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by kyb01

I don't like the rendering at all. I especially don't like the roof add-on, and the infill, proposed for that odd parking lot, is unremarkable.

You don't like the infill? Am I reading that wrong?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

You don't like the infill? Am I reading that wrong?

No. It's a rectangle with windows. Boring, imo.

However I re-looked at the rear of it with the different levels; I do like that. But I still don't quite care for the roof "carbunkle" added to the original building. It will probably look better to me when it's finished.

[Clark Park]

I'm curious ...

I see some construction going up on the lot at 22nd Street and Walnut (SE corner). What are they going to put there?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

I'm curious ...

I see some construction going up on the lot at 22nd Street and Walnut (SE corner). What are they going to put there?

I think it's slated to be townhouses.

[Clark Park]

Originally Posted by kyb01

I think it's slated to be townhouses.

The amount of major new construction happening around the city takes my breath away.

A couple of weeks ago Officer Clark found himself on the roof of the Biddle Law Library of the University of Pennsylvania's Law School near 36th and Sansom Streets. From there, looking towards Center City was a vista of cranes and construction including, but not limited to, the CITC tower. the FMC tower, Riverview, CHOP, etc.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

The amount of major new construction happening around the city takes my breath away.

A couple of weeks ago Officer Clark found himself on the roof of the Biddle Law Library of the University of Pennsylvania's Law School near 36th and Sansom Streets. From there, looking towards Center City was a vista of cranes and construction including, but not limited to, the CITC tower. the FMC tower, Riverview, CHOP, etc.

It is very exciting! But 22nd and Walnut should be 6 story minimum building, not 3 story rowhomes, sometimes the provincial attitude and fear of heights in this city gets on my nerves, if you don't like density and height move to the burbs.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by cpomp

It is very exciting! But 22nd and Walnut should be 6 story minimum building, not 3 story rowhomes, sometimes the provincial attitude and fear of heights in this city gets on my nerves, if you don't like density and height move to the burbs.

The building fronting Walnut will at least be a 5 story condo building with ground floor retail.



Otherwise I agree...

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by RightonWalnut

The building fronting Walnut will at least be a 5 story condo building with ground floor retail.



Otherwise I agree...

Not terribly impressive. You've got the 20 story or so co-op across he street, so I have trouble thinking neighbors have "fear of heights" with this project, unless it's the co-op residents.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Clark Park

The amount of major new construction happening around the city takes my breath away.

A couple of weeks ago Officer Clark found himself on the roof of the Biddle Law Library of the University of Pennsylvania's Law School near 36th and Sansom Streets. From there, looking towards Center City was a vista of cranes and construction including, but not limited to, the CITC tower. the FMC tower, Riverview, CHOP, etc.

A friend of mine who hails from Mumbai put this in perspective for me when he told me last night that when he goes back, there are construction cranes everywhere, and comparatively few here.

Relative to what we had seen in the previous decade, there's a boom in construction, but this is a slow-growth region. (The upside of this: when things go sour, our busts are more modest too.)

WRT SEC 22d and Walnut: I know the developer who is building and selling the units; he's the broker I used to blog for before taking over "Property" at Phillymag. I think what's happening here is not some sort of worry that he might offend the neighbors if he built up to the lot's potential (RMX-3 zoning has an FAR of 5 to 6 - IOW, the building can be five to six times as tall as its floor area in square feet; as the plot being developed is a single lot, the building here could be a lot taller) but rather what he is comfortable with building; all of the new construction projects he has built so far have consisted mainly of attached 4-story townhouses aimed at the upper end of the market, with interior space of 2,500 square feet or higher and luxury amenities (including elevators in the larger homes). The five-story condo with street retail is a nod to Walnut Street's character. The project has the modest virtue of remaining in scale with everything else on its block, which may also have been a consideration that factored into his choice for this plot.

I don't know the ins and outs of financing development, but I do know that he would have had to take out much bigger loans to build a building like, say, the one across Walnut from this development. The resulting condo might have required a larger HOA (home owners association) with higher maintenance fees for each buyer. And it might have limited his ability to finance other developments on other sites (he has several projects under way at any given time right now). All of these factors probably came into play as he asked himself what kind of project he would undertake here. But there's also that comfort factor. Dranoff builds apartment towers. Ostroff doesn't. Ostroff bought this lot. Dranoff didn't.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

It is very exciting! But 22nd and Walnut should be 6 story minimum building, not 3 story rowhomes, sometimes the provincial attitude and fear of heights in this city gets on my nerves, if you don't like density and height move to the burbs.

Phila. is the row/attached house king of the country. All of the new infill is, mostly, more row houses. This is something that defines us. I like tall buildings too but I like balance. There is a Victorian mansion across 22nd(west side) from this project. The new houses will compliment it not overwhelm it.