Massive Redevelopment Plan for University City Takes Shape

It’s going to take 35 years and $6.5 billion dollars, but you’re going to see a whole new face on Philadelphia’s University City. The central Philadelphia neighborhood, located on the Schuylkill River and east of Drexel University between Walnut and Spring Garden Streets, is facing major changes. It’s thanks to a cooperative effort between Amtrak and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), BrandywineRealty Trust, and Drexel University. The Amtrak 30th Street Station will be the focal point of the redevelopment, which as Architects Newspaper put it, will encompass “a dense urban neighborhood over a rail yard along the river.”

University City is getting a very long, very expensive facelift, as shown in this rendering by Philadelphia 30th Street Station District Plan.

The project spans 175 acres in current University City. Of those, 88 are occupied by the rail yard. The current Amtrak rail yard will be capped off, accommodating 10 million square feet of development. University City will gain 18 million square feet of new development, including housing for 10,000 residents. There will also be 1.2 million square feet of commercial space for “an individual corporate or institutional tenant.”

Right now, the Amtrak station building is not only a main hub for Amtrak trains on the East Coast, but it is also a stop on SEPTA’s regional rail line. It was last renovated in 1991. The station saw 11 million passengers last year, and it’s expected by Amtrak that number will double by 2040, thanks to improvements to the station and surrounding areas.

Improvements to University City infrastructure, which will encompass $2 billion of the project costs, include the “possible” relocation of a Schuylkill Expressway ramp for a bus terminal. Around the current train station a pedestrian plaza will be built. This plaza could become a “central civic space,” comparable to the one surrounding City Hall. The first renderings of the project place an emphasis on building out parks and public spaces. High rise commercial and residential buildings are part of the plan too.

All in all, big changes are coming to University City.