Philadelphia 2035 (York, Bath, Riverside: promotion, policies, tourism)

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Yes, I've been following it as closely as I can from up here. The simple point of my argument.. none of those buildings are that architecturally significant, they are not historically certified, Toll owns the lots, they are proposing (hopefully) a game changing building for that dead block, and an infusion of a few hundred wealthy residents who will shop, dine, etc.




Of course Jewelers Row will lose some of its charm, and maintaining the original facades would be great, but I think some of the protestors are nuts. They want to kill a huge project that will reap so many positive impacts because why?? They want to keep Jewelers Row in tact (a street none of them frequent or cared about until they found out that Toll Brothers wants to tear part of it down). Its silly and provincial and a bandwagon argument. Lets progress into 2017.

Huh? It's not a dead block. There are jewelry oriented businesses there. A bunch of them. Many of them, I believe are not retailers. They attracts a different kind of person to the area. So, no, those businesses do not generate the kind foot traffic you want to see.

Are sure some of the protests aren't coming from residents who live near it, around Washington Sq. ? If so they're just going to be vocal. It's their neighborhood. The same thing always happens with anything new that happens near Rittenhouse Sq. too. People screamed about building 10 Rittenhouse and demolishing buildings at 18th and Sansom. It went on for ages. Today? Probably few remember anything about resisting the project. Jewelers' Row is different though. Even if none of the buildings are especially historic, in the preservationist sense, they are still a symbol of 19th century Philadelphia. We've already destroyed so much of it already...the very thing that makes this city interesting.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

A letter from John Dougherty in today's Inky:

Dranoff Properties Inc. continues to reshape Philadelphia’s impressive skyline

Developer Carl Dranoff’s latest stunning project, SLS Lux Philadelphia Hotel & Residences, at South Broad and Spruce Streets, is a 47-story glass tower that will feature 152 high-end hotel rooms and condos.

The $362 million project, which will employ 2,724 construction workers, also will include 4,600 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Dranoff is partnering with Los Angeles-based SBE Entertainment, a hotelier known for creating iconic properties in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, and Miami Beach.

The SLS Lux will partially fill our city’s crying need for high-end hotel rooms, which remains the single biggest obstacle to securing bigger and better conventions, a mainstay of our local economy. Dranoff Properties is awaiting a state grant to secure full and final funding for this game-changing project.

I and others lobbied the state for more than 10 years to build the Convention Center. I hope we don’t have to wait that long for the SLS Lux. The Philadelphia Buildingand Construction Trades Council is ready to turn Dranoff’s grand vision into a towering reality.

Dranoff got $1M of the $10M in state grants it requested from this year's budget a few months back. As stated in the above letter, the projected construction costs are $362M. I'm sure that Dranoff will milk impressive profiit from sales of these lux condos paied with rent from the retail space directly across the street from the Kimmel. Then add all that to the money the hotel will generate for its parent, SLS.

If the funding for a project of this magnitude is really that shaky, then I think we'll be staring at that hole in the heart of the "Avenue of the Arts" for years to come.

How can a $362M project be halted over $9M???

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

This would be a good model for re-imagining the concourse.

The concourse under Broad and Market?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by cpomp

How can a $362M project be halted over $9M???

Republicans in Harrisburg who hate blue Philly. If someone else has another answer, bring it.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by cpomp

How can a $362M project be halted over $9M???

My exact point. Either the backing for this has softened, of this has always been a fishing expedition for investors. Or, has the market softened for luxury condos and/or hotel rooms? Either way, Dranoff - the number 1 self-promoter as the king of Broad Street - has left an open wound in the middle of his baby.

I hope I am wrong.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by kyb01

The concourse under Broad and Market?

Yes - the "Lowline" is essentially an underground park if I'm viewing the renderings correctly.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by cpomp

Yes, I've been following it as closely as I can from up here. The simple point of my argument.. none of those buildings are that architecturally significant, they are not historically certified, Toll owns the lots, they are proposing (hopefully) a game changing building for that dead block, and an infusion of a few hundred wealthy residents who will shop, dine, etc.




Of course Jewelers Row will lose some of its charm, and maintaining the original facades would be great, but I think some of the protestors are nuts. They want to kill a huge project that will reap so many positive impacts because why?? They want to keep Jewelers Row in tact (a street none of them frequent or cared about until they found out that Toll Brothers wants to tear part of it down). Its silly and provincial and a bandwagon argument. Lets progress into 2017.

I'm with you, but will simply note that the preservationists point out that a significantly smaller percentage of Philadelphia's built heritage enjoys historic protection than in our East Coast peer cities. If anything, they want the pace of protection stepped up, and I've read news recently that the Kenney Administration is boosting the Historical Commission's budget to help that happen.

I'm of two minds on this. It's because we allow the process of "creative destruction" to proceed with fewer hindrances placed in its path than in other large cities that this city remains one of the more affordable large cities in the country despite high construction costs. Yet this city's urban fabric is distinctive, and we ought not just shred it willy-nilly either. Can a balance be struck? If so, where and how?

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

My exact point. Either the backing for this has softened, of this has always been a fishing expedition for investors. Or, has the market softened for luxury condos and/or hotel rooms? Either way, Dranoff - the number 1 self-promoter as the king of Broad Street - has left an open wound in the middle of his baby.

I hope I am wrong.

If this fails it will be a major blunder for him. He was a pioneer wrt rehabbing and re-purposing old buildings as residences going back to the 80s. He was a gentrifyer before "gentrification" existed.

[Pine to Vine]

Originally Posted by kyb01

If this fails it will be a major blunder for him. He was a pioneer wrt rehabbing and re-purposing old buildings as residences going back to the 80s. He was a gentrifyer before "gentrification" existed.

And his blunder will be our eyesore.

[rotodome]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Huh? It's not a dead block. There are jewelry oriented businesses there. A bunch of them. Many of them, I believe are not retailers. They attracts a different kind of person to the area. So, no, those businesses do not generate the kind foot traffic you want to see.

Are sure some of the protests aren't coming from residents who live near it, around Washington Sq. ? If so they're just going to be vocal. It's their neighborhood. The same thing always happens with anything new that happens near Rittenhouse Sq. too. People screamed about building 10 Rittenhouse and demolishing buildings at 18th and Sansom. It went on for ages. Today? Probably few remember anything about resisting the project. Jewelers' Row is different though. Even if none of the buildings are especially historic, in the preservationist sense, they are still a symbol of 19th century Philadelphia. We've already destroyed so much of it already...the very thing that makes this city interesting.

Agreed.
What was the point of that UNESCO designation again? Can they revoke it if the city can't tell a developer to get lost?