Procacci & PHL's Big Casino Plans

Joe Procacci has an enticing proposal for his Philadelphia Casino site, if he is granted the second gaming license.  Procacci's proposal includes a new entertainment district with restaurants, retail, sports facilities, zip-lines, a golf driving range, a dry ski/skateboarding park, water park, soccer fields, racquet sports facilities, an indoor swimming pool, rock climbing, and live music.

The Complex will be known as the LoSo Entertainment Center (short for Lower South).  it would sit adjacent to PHL Local Gaming's proposed Casino Revolution, on land that the Lower South District Comprehensive Plan identifies as the Food District area.  About 25 acres are currently owned by Procacci, with additional acreage now owned by the city.  The complex would be next to the casino, between the stadium Complex, public park land, and FDR Park Colf Club in the west, and the Delaware river in the east.

PHL Local spokesman Bruce Crawley, says there will be no loss of any existing jobs, at Procacci or other industrial tenants within the development footprint.  He says they will work with the city to have those jobs moved, businesses transferred, within the South Philadelphia community.  Developers believe the project would create a unique attraction that would appeal to local residents, as well as to visitors to the City of Philadelphia.  Visitors however would not have to actually enter the casino, itself, to participate in the Center's attractions.

The entertainment project is predicated on receiving the license because it would benefit from the casino and hotel, which Canfora said would "serve as a transformative catalyst for the overall Lower South District of the City of Philadelphia, enhancing economic impact and creating jobs and business opportunities.

Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk

The next leg of the Schuylkill Banks Trail is well on its way.  This portion is the critical 2,000 foot-long boardwalk that will link Locust Street to the South Street bridge.  At the South Street Bridge, a 460-foot, ADA-accessible ramp will bring pedestrians from the river up to the deck of the bridge.  The boardwalk itself will be 15-feet-wide and have four expanded lookout areas for people to pause or lounge mid crossing.

To avoid harming or disturbing trees, SRDC sent a crew out in kayaks to measure the distance between the shore and the reach of the tree canopy.  With that information the design firm for the project, URS Corporation, deigned the boardwalk 50-feet from the shore, out of reach of any overhanging limbs.

The biggest challenge to this project is the extreme high tide of the Schuylkill.  The river's five to six foot high tide impacts the pier caps immediately.  Therefore the contractor must adjust his work schedule to ensure that forming and concrete ours are done during low tide for pier caps.

Currently all the piers are in place for the boardwalk, and half of the pier caps are on.  the beams are in place on five of the total 21 boardwalk spans.  On the ramp portion of the project, all of the beams are in place and the bottom portion of the ramp, where the earthen support wall must be built, is under construction.  The bridge is scheduled to be complete sometime early Fall of 2014.

:Read More at Eyes On the Street:

Lower Schuylkill Master Plan

The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation released a plan weeks ago to revive 3,700 acres of Philadelphia's Lower Schuylkill River, and industrial area that has long been home to oil refineries and scrap metal yards.  On May 21, the Philadelphia Planning Commission adopted the Lower Schuylkill Master Plan, which seeks to turn the area into a thriving manufacturing hub.

The plan calls for the creation of three campuses along the river.  An Innovation District, a Logistics Hub, and an Energy Corridor.  In addition, the PIDC envisions 46- acres of green space, including 5 miles of trails extending Schuylkill Banks park and Bartrams Gardens.

The Innovation District located in the northwest portion, will be reserved for education and research related businesses along with artisanal manufacturers.  The University of Pennsylvania's new South Bank Campus, occupying 23-acres of the new district, is already in sync with PIDC's mission for the area and is geared towards academic research and commercial endeavors.  The Logistics Hub, located south of the Innovation District and mostly on the West Banks, will provide space for distribution, warehousing, and manufacturing.  To the east, the Energy Corridor will sustain and build upon its current use as a site for oil refining by attracting additional investment.

Although the plan will develop gradually over time, the PIDC anticipates an economic impact of 463 billion and yield $860 million in private investment.  The University of Pennsylvania has  enlisted the help of local planning firm Wallace Roberts and Todd (WRT) to sketch out long and short-term objectives for the campus.  Richard King, senior associate at WRT, said that immediate planning will entail improving the street-scape to provide better connectivity between the South Bank campus and the Main campus as well as improving existing structures.

Check Out the Full Master Plan Here!

Rucker Philly; Help rebuild Ralph Brooks Park

Urban Roots is a non profit organization that is dedicated to revitalizing Philadelphia's communities by enhancing specific urban redevelopment projects, through mentoring youth and fine art.  They have teamed up with the City of Philadelphia and a local Non-Profit (I.am.SP) to strengthen Philadelphia's Point Breeze neighborhood by rebuilding the local basketball court and playground to create a hub for community building and renewal.  Urban Roots has launched a crowd funding campaign with a goal to raise $315,000.

If you Love Philadelphia, show your support and Donate!! Donate Here

Will The Navy Yard Stand on Its Own As Innovation Hub?

The Navy Yard has now reached its 10,000 jobs mark with more people working there than ever before, and appears to be on track to influence more companies to relocate to the neighborhood.  Part of its success is due to a buoyant technology business community, with some of that growth occurring at the expense of Center City.  Now many are asking if the Navy Yard can stand on its own.  Many have faith, but the biggest commitment will need to come in the form of infrastructure, in order to really see its full potential.  Read more at Technically Philly 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.

Navy Yard Builds First Hotel

Photos courtesy of Erdy McHenry Architecture

The Courtyard by Marriott will be the first hotel to be constructed in Philadelphia's progressively emerging new business district, the Navy Yard.  Construction began earlier this week on the $34 million project set to be completed in late 2013.

The 99,000 square-foot five story hotel will offer 172 guest rooms, a restaurant, lounge, fitness center, and 2,000 square feet of meeting space.  The new hotel will dock itself at Rouse Boulevard and Intrepid Avenue, sporting an energy efficient design seeking LEED certification.  The hotel design by Erdy McHenry Architecture is being developed by Ensemble Hotel Partners LLC and Liberty Property Trust/ Synterra LP.

The exterior of the building at the guest rooms will be clad in a Composite Metal Panel rain-screen system, giving the building an ever changing skin that depends upon the time of day and amount of sunlight.  The exterior rain-screen creates a system to reduce the building's overall heat gain by using a series of sub-girts and custom aluminum clips to prevent transfer of heat to the building sub-framing.  The base of the building is comprised of a mix of aluminum storefront and porcelain wall tile that also extends up the vertical circulation towers.

Upcoming October Reveal of Navy Yard Master Plan Update

New GSK building

The Philadelphia Navy Yard will soon reach a 20 year goal to employ 10,000 workers in 2013.  with the help of GlaxoSmithKline, who will be finishing construction on its new Philadelphia facility at Five Crescent Drive, the companies 1,350 current Center City employees will begin moving there in 2013.

This 20 year milestone was the prediction made by the task force then-Mayor Ed Rendell put together in 1992 to forge a plan for the future of the 1,200 acres on the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers at the southern end of Broad Street.  The district is not even halfway to reaching its goal of 25,000 to 30,000 people working in The Navy Yard before the year 2030.  Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Alan Greenberger, said it's likely that in 10 years the Navy Yard will be the city's third-largest job hub, behind Center City and university City.

In October, the Navy Yard is expected to release a new planning document.  The update tmo the current 2004 master plan done by Robert A.M. Stern Architects  will reflect changes in the physical reality of the land available, since a portion of land has gone to port expansion.  It will also update goals related to housing, transit, employment and amenities, such as restaurants, retail and additional green space and trail connections.

Urban Outfitters expansion

The focus will still remain on job creation with emphasis in the worlds of high-tech manufacturing, natural gas and alternative energy, and energy efficient construction.  The new plan will look at ways to better connect the Navy Yard with the city and region.  An environmental impact statement is being worked on concerning extending the subway to the Navy Yard.  Residential development has also been   a topic of discussion.  Companies feel housing will look more attractive to their employees, SEPTA feels an extension of the Broad Street Line is only feasible if people live there, and small businesses need more than just 9-5 customers to survive.  Housing would create a true community that is open for business all day long, seven days a week.

Source: PlanPhilly

Navy Yard Master Plan Revision

Natalie Kostelni of the Philadelphia Business Journal reports that the Navy Yard master plan, the 8-year-old document which has guided the South Philadelphia Business park through $600 million in private investment, is being revised.

When the master plan was first unveiled in 2004 by the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., it had focused on 600 acres of the 1,200-acre site.  The plan built on the property's industrial history but also defined a mix of office, research, commercial and residential development that would eventually result in attracting as many as 30,000 jobs to South Philadelphia.  By the end of this year 10,000 people will report to work in the Navy Yard, a third of the plans goal.

The PIDC feel it is time to take a step back and look at the plan for the future and understand where the next phase of investment should occur.   PIDC wants to make sure that Naval Ships Systems, which has grown over the last decade to have more than 1,800 employees, has reserved space to expand in the future.  PIDC now owns less than half of the 600 acres it did when the master plan was first drawn up.  It conveyed a large swath of land to the state and regional port authority to accommodate port expansion.  As a result the new master plan will concentrate on about 350 acres.  The organization also plans to set aside some of the historic buildings to be converted into residential use rather than create free-standing residential communities.