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Can somebody enlighten me why there are so much hurdles in the Gallery redevelopment?
Why can't it be as timely manner as East Market Development across the street?
I feel that PREIT is all talk. Gosh and that last sentence that Coradino said at the end of the article: "I remain optimistic," Coradino said. "Wouldn't it be a shame if we left here at the end of this process and ended up with a hole in Philadelphia?"
Not cool Coradino...not cool...
Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the first time that someone left a hole in Philadelphia.
Don't hold your breath. The last paragraph says the lot is owned by the Goldenberg Group. These are same bozos who own the "forever can't figure out what to do with it" parking lot at 8th and Market.
Can somebody enlighten me why there are so much hurdles in the Gallery redevelopment?
Why can't it be as timely manner as East Market Development across the street?
I feel that PREIT is all talk. Gosh and that last sentence that Coradino said at the end of the article: "I remain optimistic," Coradino said. "Wouldn't it be a shame if we left here at the end of this process and ended up with a hole in Philadelphia?"
Not cool Coradino...not cool...
I think it's because ownership of it is not straight forward. Some of it is still owned by the city.
Luckily there will be new leadership in City Hall coming next January. I think Nutter has done a good job but he's got to be a bit burned out by now.
Can somebody enlighten me why there are so much hurdles in the Gallery redevelopment?
Why can't it be as timely manner as East Market Development across the street?
I feel that PREIT is all talk. Gosh and that last sentence that Coradino said at the end of the article: "I remain optimistic," Coradino said. "Wouldn't it be a shame if we left here at the end of this process and ended up with a hole in Philadelphia?"
Not cool Coradino...not cool...
Okay, I read the article. Forget about Goode. He's gone in six months. He didn't win re-election. One of the persons who DID win was Allen Domb. The uber real estate guy. He certainly knows everyone at PREIT.
Why do the people on Philly.com complain so much about the PREIT Gallery redevelopment? Don't these people realize that, in order to raise more money for schools (or whatever the complaint may be about), we need to make our city more attractive and appealing to potential new residents? The developments going on within the Market East area are INVESTMENTS with the potential to transform an entire district! If more people find more parts of the city attractive, then the upward trend in population that we have been experiencing will continue. With new, richer residents comes more tax revenue to do the things that residents want done. Personally, I think that Philadelphia is on the right track with ALL developments going on right now. The only project that I would complain about is 1900 Chestnut, as I wish it would return to its original Art Deco iteration. Other than that, the City is moving in the right direction and will continue to do so as long as we have Penn, Drexel, Temple, Brandywine, PREIT, Carl Dranoff, and the multitude of other developers and gentrifiers. We also need another mayor like Michael Nutter. I may be conservative, but I hold Mayor Nutter in a very high regard. The City has undergone a HUGE transformation since I was growing up in West Philly from 2002-2007. Now, at 19, I get to experience Penn Park, the Schuylkill River Trail, the new Dilworth Plaza, my City's first supertall, the revitalization of Market East, a BRAND NEW University City, and the other great projects that are bringing us closer and closer to world-class status!
Why do the people on Philly.com complain so much about the PREIT Gallery redevelopment? Don't these people realize that, in order to raise more money for schools (or whatever the complaint may be about), we need to make our city more attractive and appealing to potential new residents? The developments going on within the Market East area are INVESTMENTS with the potential to transform an entire district! If more people find more parts of the city attractive, then the upward trend in population that we have been experiencing will continue. With new, richer residents comes more tax revenue to do the things that residents want done. Personally, I think that Philadelphia is on the right track with ALL developments going on right now. The only project that I would complain about is 1900 Chestnut, as I wish it would return to its original Art Deco iteration. Other than that, the City is moving in the right direction and will continue to do so as long as we have Penn, Drexel, Temple, Brandywine, PREIT, Carl Dranoff, and the multitude of other developers and gentrifiers. We also need another mayor like Michael Nutter. I may be conservative, but I hold Mayor Nutter in a very high regard. The City has undergone a HUGE transformation since I was growing up in West Philly from 2002-2007. Now, at 19, I get to experience Penn Park, the Schuylkill River Trail, the new Dilworth Plaza, my City's first supertall, the revitalization of Market East, a BRAND NEW University City, and the other great projects that are bringing us closer and closer to world-class status!
You infer, somewhat, in your post why a lot of people don't like what is being proposed for the new "Gallery"
especially people on this board: this new Gallery is not good enough. It doesn't match other projects. And will not convince anyone that Philadelphia has "arrived".
The city IS doing a lot terrific things and has a lot of energy. However the new Gallery is just another iteration of what has been there for nearly 40years. It's not up to par with other projects. It seems to reflect that developers have no interest in providing any degree of inventive architecture. It shows a lack of belief that city residents deserve a superb and outstanding retail center. Weirdly the retail development across from it, on Market, is going to be much better. And unless I have a compelling reason to shop in some, right now, pretty unknown outlet stores I will continue to treat it like I did the old Gallery: as a walk through to get to the regional rail station or the El.
You infer, somewhat, in your post why a lot of people don't like what is being proposed for the new "Gallery"
especially people on this board: this new Gallery is not good enough. It doesn't match other projects. And will not convince anyone that Philadelphia has "arrived".
The city IS doing a lot terrific things and has a lot of energy. However the new Gallery is just another iteration of what has been there for nearly 40years. It's not up to par with other projects. It seems to reflect that developers have no interest in providing any degree of inventive architecture. It shows a lack of belief that city residents deserve a superb and outstanding retail center. Weirdly the retail development across from it, on Market, is going to be much better. And unless I have a compelling reason to shop in some, right now, pretty unknown outlet stores I will continue to treat it like I did the old Gallery: as a walk through to get to the regional rail station or the El.
In that case, I see where you and a lot of posters are coming from. I was excited over the possibility of new retail coming to Market East, but you're right: the architecture isn't daring enough for what has been rising in that district. I don't want the new Gallery to be just a walk through. I hope something architecturally interesting is done. One thing I will say, however, is that the proposed facade is MUCH better than the old one.
In that case, I see where you and a lot of posters are coming from. I was excited over the possibility of new retail coming to Market East, but you're right: the architecture isn't daring enough for what has been rising in that district. I don't want the new Gallery to be just a walk through. I hope something architecturally interesting is done. One thing I will say, however, is that the proposed facade is MUCH better than the old one.
The architecture isn't daring enough, and that's because they're keeping the mall pretty much intact; that limits PREIT's freedom of action.
But it seems to me that the architecture is a lesser problem for the critics.
What people on this board (and similarly-minded critics elsewhere) seem to me to be most exercised about with the Gallery redo is that it will be an off-price outlet mall.
Most of these critics are jonesin' for honest-to-God high-end retail: Nordstrom, not Nordstrom Rack; Bloomingdale's rather than Burlington.
Working against them are some demographic facts.
One is that while the median household income has risen in much of "Greater Center City," some of those "better off" households consist of two or more individuals pooling their more modest resources in order to afford homes or apartments in hot neighborhoods. That doesn't leave as much money for fashion and baubles as many might guess. These people, like me, want to wear those designer threads (and for purposes of this argument, we will lump Brooks Brothers in with the "designers," for it too represents a distinctive approach to style and fashion) but can't afford to pay designer prices for them. It's this market that the upscale retailers seek to capture with their off-price clearance stores (Off 5th, Nordstrom Rack) and factory outlet stores (Brooks Brothers, Polo Ralph Lauren, Gap, Banana Republic).
Another is that the locus of wealth in Greater Philadelphia remains on the Main Line. There's not a single neighborhood in the city whose median household income tops $90,000 a year; for most of those along the R5 Paoli/Thorndale line, that figure's on the low end for MHI. If you're a maker or retailer of luxury goods, most of your customers are out in the 'burbs still, and if - as is the case for most of these in most US cities - the local market will support only one store, then that store goes where the money is. That's King of Prussia.
I was up in Cambridge for my 35th college reunion this past week. There's a new mixed-use development rising on the eastern edge of Somerville, a blue-collar redoubt just north of Cambridge that's experiencing some upscaling at its ends (more details on this for those interested in the subject upon request). That development already has a big-box strip mall (feh), and that's been joined now by a street-oriented residential/office/retail project whose retail component consists of outlet stores. The developer insisted the MBTA build a new station on the nearby Orange Line for the development to proceed, and the mall's advertising places heavy emphasis on its accessibility via the "T". I'd love to hit the Brooks Brothers outlet so I can get their stuff at a price I can afford. I was able to do this at Assembly Row while in Boston with a quick train ride. To do so here now requires a drive to Limerick. The Gallery redo holds out the promise that I could do this just by getting on the Ridge Spur. Is this really a bad thing?
Location: NYC based - Used to Live in Philly - Transplant from Miami
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kyb01
You infer, somewhat, in your post why a lot of people don't like what is being proposed for the new "Gallery"
especially people on this board: this new Gallery is not good enough. It doesn't match other projects. And will not convince anyone that Philadelphia has "arrived".
The city IS doing a lot terrific things and has a lot of energy. However the new Gallery is just another iteration of what has been there for nearly 40years. It's not up to par with other projects. It seems to reflect that developers have no interest in providing any degree of inventive architecture. It shows a lack of belief that city residents deserve a superb and outstanding retail center. Weirdly the retail development across from it, on Market, is going to be much better. And unless I have a compelling reason to shop in some, right now, pretty unknown outlet stores I will continue to treat it like I did the old Gallery: as a walk through to get to the regional rail station or the El.
I agree with everything you said.
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