Renaissance Plaza

The new plan for Renaissance plaza on Delaware Avenue involves a residential and retail complex developed by Carl Marks Real Estate.  The project will take the place of the former World Trade Center site proposed years ago.  The new proposal calls for shorter towers, more retail, and more green public space.  The complex is half the height of the 430 foot-tall proposal presented last summer. Architect Bill Alesker of Alesker & Dundon said the height changes and dramatically altered plan was due in part to feedback from civic organizations and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. In my personal opinion, the design could be more innovative and blend more seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhoods.  The architects are extremely bland and lazy when it comes to design, evident of all their previous work.  Short buildings can still be beautiful..... Always a let down Philadelphia.

Old proposal

Continuing on....... under this years proposal, the tallest of five towers is 240 feet.  The 1,411 units are mostly two bedrooms with two equal-sized master suites and one-bedroom units.  Rents are estimated to be about $1,800 to $3,300 per month.

The project would seek LEED Gold status, and would be built in five phases.  The developer is committed to building the first two buildings along with parking and public green space, and the other phases would follow, depending on demand.  Construction should start in Spring 2014, with a following 16 month timeline for the first phase.

Designers added a swath of landscaped public space to run through the property with hopes that it will draw people from the neighborhoods through the property, and down to the river.  Some roofs would offer additional green space.  The developers also hope that the early phases of the development will not only create demand for later phases, but would also spur other development along the Central Delaware.

Brooklyn Flea Travel Downstream to Philly

The famous Brooklyn Flea, going into its 5th year in Brooklyn, has decided a few months ago to spread its wings to its southern brother Philadelphia.  Brooklyn Flea has become a staple in the city, making one of the coolest places to spend time on a weekend.  Heavily focused on curation, the market features everything from antiques, vintage clothing, handmade goods, jewelry, and food.  Co-Founders Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby plan to provide a broad representation of all those categories, but make it local and discover the many great vendors in the Philly area and pull them into that model.

On Sunday, June 2nd, the weekly Brooklyn Flea Philly will debut at the Piazza in Northern Liberties.  Jared tells Philly Post, he sees the Piazza as a center of cultural energy, and feels its the perfect place for the brand to try its first geographic expansion.  Check their site out Here

Delaware Riverfront Trail Updates

Owners of property along the Central Delaware waterfront would be encouraged, but not forced, to allow public access to the river if current language under consideration for a zoning overlay is adopted by city council.  The goal is to design the overlay so that, along with base zoning, it guides future development according to the principles of the Central Delaware Master Plan.  Key Master plan goals include: Mixed-use, mostly neighborhood-scale development with active ground-floor uses; public access to the waterfront and the creation of a multi-purpose trail, and extension of the street grid to the river.

The plan requires that developers and owners leave 50 feet between the river and any permanent structure.  Stream buffer legislation that would set a setback requirement on all rivers and streams is working its way through council.  if the final legislation doesn't change from current discussions, landowners could chose from a menu of ways to allow public access, including granting access while retaining control of the section of their property where the trail passes or selling that section of property to the city.

Current language now calls for a 100-foot cap on building height except where underlying zoning sets the height lower. The Philadelphia City planning Commission can grant exceptions allowing for additional height.  However, a bonus structure may be implemented , similarly to other parts of the zoning code, would include a chart establishing clear conditions that can be met to earn specific bonuses.  Give-back options could earn a developer more height.  This would allow the city to build the trail through a property would yield some increase.  Developers who paid for the construction of that trail or built it themselves according to the trail standards would get even more height.  The developers will know exactly what the bonus will be for granting height depending on how much open space his or her project has, affordable housing, apartment rentals, LEED certification, and infrastructure for transportation or art.

On another note, renderings for the Penn Street portion of the Central Delaware Waterfront were revealed DRWC planners at last Fridays meeting.  This section of the trail will connect a greenway on Spring Garden Street to the Central Delaware trail.  it will run north from Spring Garden on Delaware Avenue, turn onto Penn Street and into the SugarHouse Casino parking lot.  The Casino has agreed to to build the section of the trail through its parking lot, which will hook onto the existing trail the casino has built on the waterfront.

Key design elements include trail-side rain gardens, and a new kind of solar street lights where the wrapping of the pole is the solar collector.  The planning commission has approved materials for the trail, but must vote on other aspects, including curb relocations and traffic flow on Penn Street which is expected to take place in November.

Spring Garden Connector Project

Last week an RFP went out seeking a designer for the Spring Garden Connector project improvements.  The project goal is to make walking or biking from Northern Liberties to the waterfront a more pleasant experience.  Link for RFP  The connector project is part of two larger projects, the redevelopment of the Festival pier and the Spring Garden Greenway project.

The RFP will remain open for bids for four weeks, after which candidates will be interviewed.  The work will stretch from Delaware Avenue/ Columbus Boulevard to 2nd Street, with much of the project focused on the area beneath the huge I-95 overpass.  The design will have to take into consideration that the overpass is going to be redone in about five years as part of the Revive 95 project.  DRWC is hopeful that many of the elements can be stored for inspection, and then put back once the highway work is completed.

Source: PlanPhilly

Former Ajax Metal Works

Fishtown residents and Philadelphia planning commissioners support Core Realty's plans for the former Ajax Metal Works and dry ice building, holding onto only a few parking and billboard concerns.  They appreciate the plans mission to bring new use to these old, vacant buildings.  Residents voted 86 to 25 in favor of the proposal earlier this month.

The plans for the Ajax building include a 3,000- person music venue, a bowling alley, a restaurant and a working distillery with tasting room. The dry ice building, located across Allen Street, would house a country-western bar and grill.  The project would include a 13,000 square foot public green space near the Ajax building and 337 parking spaces, located beneath highway overpasses.

The project is called Canal Street North at Penn Treaty Village.  Core owns blocks of properties along Delaware Avenue, and Canal Street North fits into a greater master plan for the area.  The multi-block, mixed-use development is called Penn Treaty Village.  The master plan suggest family friendly entertainment and a unique pedestrian experience along Canal Street.  A current ongoing phase of the project is called the Penthouses at Penn Treaty Village.  These are condo conversions of two former auto storage buildings at Brown Street, one has been completed and the other has begun construction.

Plan Philly reports that because the project sites under three Zoning Overlays, the parking situation has gotten rather sticky, with the total overlays requiring 675 spaces.  Core feel that 337 spaces are adequate, because a trolley runs on Frankford Avenue and the Girard Avenue El stop is also close by.  Finding the right amount of parking is a balancing act, between providing enough for the development without creating a "sea of parking" says Scott Page, and urban designer with Interface Studio who presented Core's plan.

Commissioner Nancy Rogo-Trainer said despite the nearby presence of public transportation, she believes most people will drive to events at the venue.  She suggested Core bring a detailed plan for overflow parking when they return seeking board approval, and suggested that maybe businesses could use a parking validation system where patrons could park for free with a stamped ticket.

Commissioner Greenberger noted his understanding that Core could not build out the development all at once, but advised the development team to show commissioners that there is commitment to the plan for the larger area, and to put this portion of the development in that context.

Source: PlanPhilly

Ajax Metal Co.– Mixed Use Development

Developer Michael Samschick, owner of the recently completed penthouses at Waterview Grande part of his emerging development call Penn Treaty Village, hopes to transform the former Ajax Metal Works, at Frankford and Delaware avenues in Fishtown, into a 3,000-person music venue, a bowling alley, two restaurants and a distillery.  He also plans to turn the nearby dry ice building at 44 Richmond Street into a country and western establishment with live music, shared by Fishtown Neighbors Association Zoning Committee Chair Matt Karp.

Waterview Grande

Canal Street

The main entrance to the Ajax building music venue would not be on Frankford Avenue, but on Canal Street.  Committee members see this as a good thing because there are residences on the north side of Frankford Avenue, and the more sheltered they can be from people going to the music venue, the better  off the community will be.

The 337 parking spaces for the proposed business would be located beneath I-95.  The proposal calls for surface lots at 25 Richmond St., 49-61 Richmond St., 1011-23 N. Front, 1025-31 N Front, and 35-51 Laurel St.

Samschick is working with Philadelphia's Interface Studio to create a master plan for his Delaware Avenue parcels, blueprint of which we hope to see partly revealed some time in September.  Until then he wont reveal much, saying he doesn't want to raise expectations for something specific, only to have plans change as negotiations with prospective partners progress.  The complex will be a mixed use of retail, residential and commercial spaces tying in all the elements.  Samschick began buying up property on or near Delaware Avenue about ten years ago, because due to research on large cities, waterfronts are the last to be developed, but make the greatest impact on the city.  He believes the Delaware Waterfront will have a huge impact on Philadelphia, with the potential to be one of the greatest waterfronts in the country.

Renaissance Plaza; Delaware Waterfront

The old World Trade Square Proposal site may finally see life in what seems to be the start of a new era in the development of Philadelphia's Delaware Waterfront.  Since the adoption of the Delaware master plan overlay, and just recently the installment of the new city wide zoning code, we have seen an increase in proposed development projects along the river, many are revised versions of projects we've seen in the early years of the last decade.

Todays featured project is located at 400 N. Columbus blvd.  Developer Waterfront Renaissance Associates plans to build a 1,458-unit, four-tower residential and retail complex at the corner of Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street, at the same location WRA had planned to construct World Trade Square.

Old World Trade Square

The tallest two of the four towers of Renaissance Plaza would rise 426 feet, the other two 227 feet.  The shorter towers would be more than double the 100-foot height limit established in the Central delaware Waterfront Master Plan.  This has raised red flags for a few concerned board members of DRWC.  The shorter towers would be more than double the 100-foot height limit established in the  Master Plan.  However, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, which must approve plans of development for projects within the Central Delaware, has the power to grant exceptions to the height limits.

The proposal for the 5.29 acres site includes more than 90,000 square feet of retail space.  The developments also plans for public open space and green areas that all Philadelphians- complex residents or not- can use.  The project would be built to the highest LEED standard attainable, and include a green roof with swimming pools.



"The owner and architect (Bill Alesker of Alesker & Dundon) sought a design they say will be a signature project for the waterfront.  They feel the project will be a catalyst for future development along Columbus Boulevard and help connect the adjacent neighborhood with the waterfront.  Indeed no final decisions have been made, and I personally hope the planning commission sends the designers back to the drawing board to rethinking the design and building material selection.  The current renderings look very dated and lack vision.  I see it as an insult to the incredible potential this waterfront has at its infant stage.  The bar should not only be set high with building standards but also in aesthetics, because aesthetics is the mental imprint visitors and residents will leave with. Beautiful design is what gets the buzz going, not LEED standards, although important, but not good enough.

Waterview Grande Approaches Opening Day

The Waterview Grande apartments, part of Penn Treaty Village, reported on earlier last year is nearing the completion of its first phase of construction with a full conversion of a former auto storage building.  the new luxury property by Core Realty located at Front and Brown Streets is the latest addition to the Northern Liberties housing Market.  Developers at Core Realty intend to redevelop as many as ten city blocks, with residential and commercial uses, effectively linking Northern Liberties to Fishtown.

G8 Update; 2200 Amber

G8's 2200 Amber is inching closer and closer to its Kensington debut.  Framing is up, electrical and plumbing are in, windows and doors a sealed, walls are sheet rocked and sanded, and the exterior cement board is pretty much complete.  Give her just a few more months and she'll be ready for move in.  This is exciting news for us at G8, a small development firm making a big statement and hopefully positively impacting the development of its community.  Further good news is the sale of its neighbor 2061 E. Susquehanna.  Another G8 gem, not even a day on the shelf, the home was snatched up straight off the delivery truck. This amazing rehab has taken Philadelphia row-homes to another level.  Open and unorthodox floor plans are in and G8 is the Way-To-Go!

The Future of the Festival Pier

The Festival Pier, located at the foot of Spring Garden Street on the water front, is one of the major focal points for the revitalization of the Central Delaware waterfront.  The pier currently host a long list of public events throughout the year, mostly during the spring and summer months.  But all of this is soon to change, with plans of establishing Spring Garden as a greenway from the Delaware to the Schuylkill, and increasing density around and on the pier, which will drastically change the programming and use of the site.  Increased density will certainly make this site a 365 destination anchored by residences, live work units, and entertainment.

In recent discussions, the DRWC is considering a planned linear park extending Spring Garden Street from Delaware Ave. to the River, creating a major public greenway space.  The Spring Garden park extension would encourage people to walk to the riverfront, and limit vehicular access on most of the site to emergency use only.  The public space along the water itself would not only be broad enough to keep bikers and joggers on the multi-purpose river trail separate from those enjoying the river more passively, it would allow for outdoor cafe seating.

The master plan's goals call for a mixed-use development and public open space at the Festival Pier.  The idea is that if the city creates green space and residential, retail and recreational development on the land it controls, the increased use of the waterfront will attract private land owners and developers to revitalize the rest of the Central Delaware.