205 Race May See The Light of Day

Brown Hill Development inches closer to constructing the 197' condo towers at 205 Race Street.  First District Councilman Mark Squilla introduced a bill in the City Council Thursday  that would amend the Center City Zoning overlay to allow larger construction projects in the area surrounding the Benjamin Franklin Bridge.  The bill adds a "Bridge Approach" area to the Old City subsection of the Center City Overlay.  The new area is bounded by Race Street, 4th Street, and Interstate 95.

Approval of the bill is expected to subsequently support development that will draw activity to the area surrounding the Race Street Connector to encourage its use so that residents and visitors may re-connect to the waterfront.

Developers at 205 Race say their project is intended to mirror the scale not of the other buildings in the neighborhood, but of the Ben Franklin Bridge.  The bridge provides development challenges in its very near vicinity due to its large size and the constraints it places on visibility in the immediate area.