Size Does Matter…In Old City, University City and on Broad Street

At this week’s Planning Commission meeting three proposed development projects encountered some opposition, largely due to height issues.

 

Philadelphia Real Estate Blog – Dranoff Development Co.

Old City Neighborhood

Jeff Brown, of Brown-Hill Development, is proposing a large mixed-use building at the corner of Second and Race streets – 205 Race Street in Old City.   The project will include 150,000 square feet of retail space at ground level, 12,500 square feet of commercial space below ground, 122 apartments (studios, 1beds and 2beds) and offsite parking.  The controversy involves the building heights which will range from 52 feet tall to 178 feet along the Ben Franklin Bridge.  This proposal would result in the highest building in Old City and neighbors are concerned 1) that the height would result in the area being overbuilt and 2) the project would compromise the historic nature of the area and it’s row homes.

Broad Street

Last year, the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. last year to develop a vacant parcel of land at Broad and South streets, 521-31 S. Broad St.  The omnipresent Carl Dranoff and Dranoff Development Co. won the right to submit a proposal for a mixed use building.  The proposed building will have 98,000 square feet of retail space with 30 underground parking spaces accessible from South Street.  The latest proposal, which was necessary because a higher building was already rejected,  is a four story building on South Street with a section that goes up to 7 stories on South Street.  Owners on Rodman Street are not in favor as they feel the project would ruin the residential nature of their street.

 University City Neighborhood

The University City Science Center located at 3400 Market Street presented a conceptual plan to place 17 floor research and office building on a parking lot that it has owned for over 30 years.  The property will also contain a “mechanical penthouse that rises 282 feet” – I have no idea what that means.  The building will have retail on the ground level, the lower floors will house classrooms and office space while the upper floors would have laboratories and office space.  The project as currently envisioned would require a variance and there is some controversy over the window size and quantity and whether the end result will actually be as nice as the developers suggest.

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Blog post compliments of CenterCityTeam’s Philadelphia Real Estate Blog

Frank L. DeFazio, Esquire
Prudential Fox & Roach Realtors – Society Hill
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