Philadelphia 2035 (Norristown, King of Prussia, Hanover: crossroads, sales, apartments)

[Redddog]

Originally Posted by Duderino

I believe that most everyone can agree that this is long overdue. Here's to preventing more Sansom Street tragedies:

Racing the clock to save historic buildings, Philadelphia will hire two new preservationists



https://whyy.org/articles/racing-the...servationists/

Honestly. These people should have been brought on immediately after the Jewlers Row crime.

Kenney is dead to me. No more buying him drinks at Rotten Ralphs.

[cpomp]

The Town, The Suburb, And The Urban Spirit: A Detailed Look At 400 West Elm, 13-Story, 348-Unit High-Rise Underway At 400 West Elm Street In Conshohocken, PA

https://phillyyimby.com/2021/12/the-...hocken-pa.html

More big changes in Conshohocken. About time we see a high-rise residential building in the suburbs. Hopefully more to come! I would love to see this scale in KoP too.

And awesome news about the Preservationists in Philadelphia!

[cpomp]

Pennsylvania awards $159M in RACP grants to Philadelphia-area development projects

https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...-projects.html

Glad to see this moving along...

"A new museum set to join the Franklin Institute on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway will receive the same amount in RACP funding as it enters the second phase of its construction. The new building will display the works of sculptor Alexander Calder on a 1.8-acre plot of land just off the parkway. The museum will showcase Calder's works inside a proposed 15,000-square-foot building as well as on the grounds outside."

[bridge12]

The growth in Conshohocken is impressive! Not to give it a negadelphian spin, but I can't help but think that Conshohocken's success is by in large a result of the wage tax.

[ilovephilly79]

Originally Posted by cpomp

The Town, The Suburb, And The Urban Spirit: A Detailed Look At 400 West Elm, 13-Story, 348-Unit High-Rise Underway At 400 West Elm Street In Conshohocken, PA

https://phillyyimby.com/2021/12/the-...hocken-pa.html

More big changes in Conshohocken. About time we see a high-rise residential building in the suburbs. Hopefully more to come! I would love to see this scale in KoP too.

And awesome news about the Preservationists in Philadelphia!

It may seem great that a high-rise is being built, but what is typically lacking in these discussions is a conversation around impact to local schools and traffic. If you read the details about this, even the announcement indicates that this is going to include a massive amount of parking spaces, and the property is down a long road. So what kind of walkability would there be? Imagine if you lived here and you now have 250 more cars traversing the streets.

The impact on local schools is an entirely different conversation, so I will leave it where it is.

[bridge12]

Originally Posted by ilovephilly79

It may seem great that a high-rise is being built, but what is typically lacking in these discussions is a conversation around impact to local schools and traffic. If you read the details about this, even the announcement indicates that this is going to include a massive amount of parking spaces, and the property is down a long road. So what kind of walkability would there be? Imagine if you lived here and you now have 250 more cars traversing the streets.

The impact on local schools is an entirely different conversation, so I will leave it where it is.

Yeah, in the city I scoff at the traffic argument because there are so many other options but I kinda get where people are coming from out there. Of course, when you add tons of parking you just naturally get lots of additional car ownership. The big thing in my mind is there a grocery store within walking distance to all these new apartments?

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by ilovephilly79

It may seem great that a high-rise is being built, but what is typically lacking in these discussions is a conversation around impact to local schools and traffic. If you read the details about this, even the announcement indicates that this is going to include a massive amount of parking spaces, and the property is down a long road. So what kind of walkability would there be? Imagine if you lived here and you now have 250 more cars traversing the streets.

The impact on local schools is an entirely different conversation, so I will leave it where it is.

Parking I agree, and Conshohocken is still quite disjointed. It doesn't offer a cohesive live, work, play lifestyle (even though it technically offers it). I think the KoP town center does a better job since it is a true attempt.

Traffic concerns are largely exaggerated. A great book called Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time Book by Jeff Speck has a section devoted to the horrid "traffic study". Eye opening.

Regarding schools, I doubt all these apartments will have a large impact (if any). Most apartment dwellers are singles, young couples with maybe 1 kid, or empty nesters. There was an article released not too long ago that debunked the school impact argument. It highlighted the apartment boom in KoP, and research showed impacts on Upper Merion School District were negligible. I will try and find it.

[Tweb66]

Someone is going to have to describe to me the appeal of the KoP town center. I think it has been 2 years since I went there, maybe things have changed, IDK but it seemly overly contrived, because it is. It was all chain stores (albeit some high end ones) but was still very car oriented and lacked any charm. That and it is surrounded by soul sucking highways and office parks. Its perfectly pleasant but totally unremarkable. It is fine for what it is but it creeps into conversations in this board, comparing it to things it has no business being compared to.

[PHL10]

Originally Posted by Tweb66

Someone is going to have to describe to me the appeal of the KoP town center. I think it has been 2 years since I went there, maybe things have changed, IDK but it seemly overly contrived, because it is. It was all chain stores (albeit some high end ones) but was still very car oriented and lacked any charm. That and it is surrounded by soul sucking highways and office parks. Its perfectly pleasant but totally unremarkable. It is fine for what it is but it creeps into conversations in this board, comparing it to things it has no business being compared to.

I've never been so I just looked at it on Google Maps just now. Yeah, looks pretty bad to me....a strip of stores with sidewalks on literally "Main Street", surrounded by a sea parking, ringed by roads that can't be navigated on foot. It looks very similar to Garden State Park in Cherry Hill which I have been to.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Tweb66

Someone is going to have to describe to me the appeal of the KoP town center. I think it has been 2 years since I went there, maybe things have changed, IDK but it seemly overly contrived, because it is. It was all chain stores (albeit some high end ones) but was still very car oriented and lacked any charm. That and it is surrounded by soul sucking highways and office parks. Its perfectly pleasant but totally unremarkable. It is fine for what it is but it creeps into conversations in this board, comparing it to things it has no business being compared to.

What has it been unfairly compared to?
I applaud the development on here, but I ALWAYS include the disclaimer that it is not Media or Ardmore. But comparing the KoP center to Conshohocken is fair (IMO), Conshohocken is a major employment hub but isn't remarkable in terms of setup and offerings. The only positive over KoP is more small/local eateries.

Originally Posted by PHL10

I've never been so I just looked at it on Google Maps just now. Yeah, looks pretty bad to me....a strip of stores with sidewalks on literally "Main Street", surrounded by a sea parking, ringed by roads that can't be navigated on foot. It looks very similar to Garden State Park in Cherry Hill which I have been to.

I am not trying to over boost the KoP Town Center, but it is a solid attempt at creating a walk-able live/play district in a car-centric suburb. The biggest letdown (IMO) is that it cannot expand outside of it's confines due to highways (as you said), and the planned Septa Norristown extension bypasses the site entirely (stupid). I also wish more apartments were placed on top of the stores along Main Street.

And the KoP Town Center is worlds better than the Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, which is a poorly planned strip with some afterthought apartments. The KoP center includes massive apartment buildings with over 2000+ residential units (more coming), a full outpost of ChoP, stacked townhomes, and dozens of stores / eateries. Yes, they are mostly chains, but that is the world we live in.

I spent time in KoP a few months back working with The Hartford Insurance Company on an unrelated project, and I made a point to walk around the entire complex more than once. It is not Media or Ardmore, but the harsh critiques confuse me. The developer could have thrown up a Wegmans and a few townhouses and walked away, but it's clear major planning went into this, and it has improved since the first phase of stores. There is also a planned office building and hotel on the remaining plots.

Google recently updated the streetview, and there are sidewalks.

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0836...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0862...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0835...7i16384!8i8192

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0856...7i16384!8i8192

I am still a city person, but I can understand the appeal. In the end, I guess people like what they like, and to some this is an awful monstrosity, and others its a perfect mix of urban/suburban.