Philadelphia 2035 (Railroad, East Side: pollution, agreements, physician)

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I think Brandywine would need an adjacent lot to do a decent tall building on the site. Maybe it's already acquired the lot to that one's east?



I agree with your last sentence. But you know me, I gotta pick nits:

--East of Front and north of Vine is not North Philly. Those are the River Wards, a different region of the city; they're neither North nor Northeast Philly but connected to both. Fishtown is the southernmost of the River Wards neighborhoods.

--If you are north of Baltimore Avenue, you are in West, not Southwest, Philly. Spruce Hill lies north of Baltimore Avenue. The street splits Cedar Park in two. The area around the firehouse at 50th and Baltimore looks quite good IMO, and I figure it's only a matter of time before the wave finally crosses 52d, both in West Philly and along Baltimore. However, 52d Street needs a good Main Street management program (I've met the guy who I think is supposed to be putting one in place; he's taking Torresdale Avenue in Tacony as his model).

--Your analysis of Northwest Philly completely omits the part on the other side of the Wissahickon. Both Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill are stable and doing well, and there's even ferment in Germantown. I'm now in my third year in that last neighborhood, and agree with so many who live here that it has huge potential, so far untapped. Socioeconomically speaking, I think there's no more diverse neighborhood in the city.

Wait - what dense area around Stenton Avenue?

--I take issue with the people who paint such a dire picture of Oxford Circle and Mayfair. The former is part of that area of the Northeast where Philly's other future is now being written, as the Lower Northeast has become the city's biggest immigrant magnet. If they stay, and if their trajectory follows that of the other immigrant groups, we will see stabilization and renewal around Oxford Circle again. (Though I should note that the African-American woman who I lived next door to for a while on Alma Street just above the circle complained about all the newcomers who were dragging the neighborhood down.)

Mayfair's not getting the immigrants, and its business strip along Frankford Avenue faces challenges, but as long as we have Scoats and Chickie and Pete, I don't think we can write the place off.



Haddonfield hasn't lost one iota of its beauty and charm, and Collingswood's positively blossomed over the last decade or so. Both are in Camden County, as are Cherry Hill and Voorhees.

Then there's Lawnside, which is a very special case.

People in Camden County don't have a problem with Lawnside.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by phillies2011

I've done a 5k through Camden the past two years, thinking about investing in some real estate there. I'd be willing to bet I've spent a lot more time there than you have.

Camden has plenty of redeeming qualities. Your negative and racist tinged attitude is certainly helping nothing.

ROFLMAO. White people who could afford to leave Camden did so. Black people who could afford to leave did so. Puerto Ricans who could afford to leave did so. People are still leaving when they can afford to leave. if you think that that's racist, I don't care. I did notice that you chose to ignore my comment about their crooked former mayors who are doing time.

I've been in & out of Camden since the county buildings were on Federal St.

Yeah, sure. . .you know more than me.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan2013

I find it so coincidental that I mentioned Camden earlier in my post. My mom wanted to go to KOP after we spent the day at Penn's Landing and Dave and Buster's. She got onto the Ben Franklin Bridge by accident. She decided to go to Cherry Hill instead of go around on I-676 and back onto the Walt Whitman Bridge. Instead of getting on U.S. 30 or even U.S. 130, she took the exit for Kaighn Avenue. She made a left instead of a right onto Kaighn. At this moment, I realized that I would truly be experiencing the REAL part of Camden (I have only ever been to the Aquarium). She ended up going through this ghetto side street to get to Kaighn. I have NEVER in my 19 years of life seen such abject poverty! I thought Chester was bad; Camden makes Chester look like Wayne or Chadds Ford! I might just take my words back from earlier until and if Camden shows viable signs of life. Even in my earlier post, I meant that a development in that area would be good for someone looking for essentially a place to rest and head to Philly.



See my post above. I wholeheartedly agree with you after my experience today. And I do know of Dranoff. I hold him with extremely high regard because his stuff is of high quality (yes, I do like Symphony House), which can especially be seen with One Riverside. He is helping to change Philadelphia for the better. I forgot exactly what he named his place in Camden, but I have heard of it. Didn't it start off as a condo conversion and then ultimately became rental units?

Kaighn Ave. isn't the worst that Camden has to offer. It's one of several main drags. It & streets near it are not the worst of Camden.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

People in Camden County don't have a problem with Lawnside.

I apologize if I left you with the impression that I thought they did.

The "special case" has to do with its historical role as a stop on the Underground Railroad and its being the only historically black community in "suburban" Camden County.

I had the distinct pleasure of attending a family reunion of the descendants of William Still, conductor and historian of the Underground Railroad, at the family's home in Lawnside a few years back.

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan2013

See my post above. I wholeheartedly agree with you after my experience today. And I do know of Dranoff. I hold him with extremely high regard because his stuff is of high quality (yes, I do like Symphony House), which can especially be seen with One Riverside. He is helping to change Philadelphia for the better. I forgot exactly what he named his place in Camden, but I have heard of it. Didn't it start off as a condo conversion and then ultimately became rental units?

His conversion of the old Victor Talking Machine factory is called the Victor Lofts. He was going to do something similar with a factory building across the street but has never followed through on that, perhaps because of how well the Victor Lofts have (not) done.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

His conversion of the old Victor Talking Machine factory is called the Victor Lofts. He was going to do something similar with a factory building across the street but has never followed through on that, perhaps because of how well the Victor Lofts have (not) done.

"Perhaps". LOL

Look, he was smart enough to get out and stop developing there because he realized that Camden is a money losing hell-hole. He's not dumb. The "view of Philadelphia" simply didn't work as a selling point.

[rotodome]

In the 80's & 90's it was cheap as hell to live right in Center City. Not so much anymore.
Perhaps Camden, being one stop away on a 24hr subway line, has a powerful selling point now that it didn't back then...

[PhilliesPhan2013]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

His conversion of the old Victor Talking Machine factory is called the Victor Lofts. He was going to do something similar with a factory building across the street but has never followed through on that, perhaps because of how well the Victor Lofts have (not) done.

Thank you for helping me to remember the name of Dranoff's work across the river. It had slipped my mind for the longest time. I definitely see the idea behind developing in Camden (views of CC, 24/7 access to Philly via PATCO, etc.), but Camden would have to clean up its act before something like The Victor could be successful. The premise of developing in Camden is there, but Camden has to fix itself first.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by PhilliesPhan2013

Thank you for helping me to remember the name of Dranoff's work across the river. It had slipped my mind for the longest time. I definitely see the idea behind developing in Camden (views of CC, 24/7 access to Philly via PATCO, etc.), but Camden would have to clean up its act before something like The Victor could be successful. The premise of developing in Camden is there, but Camden has to fix itself first.

Therein lies the problem. Camden had a string of crooked mayors. One after another went to prison until recently. The state poured money in & the city became more & more of a hell-hole. Back when RCA still had facilities there & Campbell's soup plant was there it wasn't good but hadn't turned into a hell-hole.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by kyb01

"Perhaps". LOL

Look, he was smart enough to get out and stop developing there because he realized that Camden is a money losing hell-hole. He's not dumb. The "view of Philadelphia" simply didn't work as a selling point.

Exactly.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

I apologize if I left you with the impression that I thought they did.

The "special case" has to do with its historical role as a stop on the Underground Railroad and its being the only historically black community in "suburban" Camden County.

I had the distinct pleasure of attending a family reunion of the descendants of William Still, conductor and historian of the Underground Railroad, at the family's home in Lawnside a few years back.



His conversion of the old Victor Talking Machine factory is called the Victor Lofts. He was going to do something similar with a factory building across the street but has never followed through on that, perhaps because of how well the Victor Lofts have (not) done.

https://archive.org/details/truestoryoflawns00smil

Welcome to the Borough of Lawnside!

People go to Lawnside to shop. It's thought of as just another town.