Philadelphia 2035 (Houston: skylines, restrictions, venues)

[rotodome]

Yeah, there actually is a point to height controls. Planning and Zoning are good things for cities.

[kidphilly]

Not sure if this is a best fit here in this thread but thought this was interesting.

The Philadelphia Stock Exchange and the City It Made | Vitiello, Domenic. With George E. Thomas

Some commentary from another site

Originally Posted by Jelly Roll

Has anyone else on here read The Philadelphia Stock Exchange and the City It Made[/url]? I just finished the book and it is a fascinating read. It really outlines what happened to the city and why Philadelphia diminished from a global trade and world finance center into the regional city that it is today.
One thing that I found interesting is the book seems to imply that by the early 1920s the city was already in a state of decline and that if not for World War 2 the Philadelphia economy would have experienced decline 20-30 years earlier.
Another interesting thing that I learned from the book was that Philadelphia and Pennsylvania seemed to pioneer suburbs due to the Pennsylvania Rail Road Company and the massive investments that were made into state infrastructure which lead to many of the wealthy decamping for estates in Montgomery County and other suburban areas. The book also noted that around the same time Philadelphia lagged other major cities in attracting immigrants.
So has anybody else read it? If so what did you find interesting about it?

found here
SkyscraperPage Forum - View Single Post - PHILADELPHIA | The Development Thread VIII

[asiandudeyo]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

Wax Museum Coming to South Philly? | NakedPhilly

OK...about this article that reads kinda bogus.
Read this:

Bernard Hopkins Celebrates His 47th Birthday With His Doppelganger « CBS Philly

Philadelphia Wax Museum on Broad Street?
Hmmm?

I might start to believe on something...

[RightonWalnut]

Some interesting developments today... first off

Looks like a few Law Firms are interested in the Liberty Property Tower at 19th and Arch. Also, some news on the possibility of office towers being viable in 2013 in Philadelphia

Major space users in Center City are itching for more SF but being met by low vacancy. That’s a formula for new office development, a real possibility in 2013, according to Newmark Grubb Knight Frank executive managing director Wayne Fisher.

Wayne says Center City’s trophy office buildings, mostly towers over 40 stories, benefited the most from last year’s uptick in leasing. The trophies didn’t have high vacancies going into the downturn, and aggressive rents attracted tenants who might have otherwise stuck with their previous digs. Deals could be had for around $30/SF, down from 2000s highs around $35 to $40/SF. Now trophy space is extremely tight, and rents will go up this year.

There are only eight full floors of available space among trophy assets, Wayne adds—about 160k SF all together. Liberty Property Trust has plans for a roughly 400k SF office building, and a few law firms are kicking that tire, Wayne says. In Philly, new construction comes in at roughly a $45 to $50/SF proposition, but the higher cost would be partly offset by operating and layout efficiencies, LEED status, and other new-building advantages.

Newmark Grubb Knight Frank says office leasing volume in Center City totaled about 2.8M SF in 2012, a 40% increase over 2011, driven by a handful of large renewals and new leases. The company predicts net absorption of 150k SF by the end of 2013. Vacancy, which ended 2012 at about 14.1% overall, is projected to drop to 13.7% by the end of 2013. Despite this modest improvement, rental rates will remain flat, with the exception of trophy assets, where direct vacancy was a healthy 5.1% at the end of 2012.

New Center City Offices - Real Estate Bisnow (Philadelphia)

CIRA SOUTH

"Cira South" ... but they actually have a Foundation permit. Filed Jan 14 by Brandywine Cira South LP at 2930 Chestnut. And a Shell permit!! Filed 1/22!!! I just found that as I was writing about the foundation permit! So much excellent!

FOR THE ERECTION OF CORE & SHELL OF A (36) STORY HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL BUILDING OF PROTECTED NONCOMBUSTIBLE CONCRETE/STEEL CONSTRUCTION WITH EXTERIOR GLAZED CURTAIN WALL SYSTEM; BUILDING IS TO BE FULLY SPRINKLERED. ALL WORK PERMITTED HEREIN LIMITED TO ERECTION OF BUILDING ENVELOPE & SUPERSTRUCTURE ONLY; SEPARATE FIT-OUT & CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY PERMITS REQUIRED PRIOR TO OCCUPANCY.

LOOKS LIKE THE RESIDENTIAL TOWER FOR CIRA SOUTH MAY BE 36 FLOORS!!!! FOR REFERENCE. CIRA CENTER IS 29 FLOORS AND 437 FEET. THIS IS A RESIDENTIAL TOWER THOUGH. SO IT MAY BE SLIGHTLY SHORTER.

[BTA88]

Originally Posted by Summersm343

[/b]"Cira South" ... but they actually have a Foundation permit. Filed Jan 14 by Brandywine Cira South LP at 2930 Chestnut. And a Shell permit!! Filed 1/22!!! I just found that as I was writing about the foundation permit! So much excellent!

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by bta88

haha

[kidphilly]

Coming Along: $60 Million Home2 Suites at 12th and Arch - Checking In - Curbed Philly

[Cnote11]

Originally Posted by Summersm343

Exactly. Height is overrated.

I agree and I think the building looks like it will be a nice addition. We do not need massive height when there really isn't that much to begin with. It will look a bit awkward.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by Cnote11

I agree and I think the building looks like it will be a nice addition. We do not need massive height when there really isn't that much to begin with. It will look a bit awkward.

To maintain an aesthetic skyline, we really can't have ginormous buildings outside the center of the urban core.

[BTA88]

Originally Posted by Cnote11

I agree and I think the building looks like it will be a nice addition. We do not need massive height when there really isn't that much to begin with. It will look a bit awkward.

Who said anything about "massive height"? It should be 400-500ft tall to match St. James. You people and your assumptions...

Anyway, there should be no "height limit" in any of the CC neighborhoods.