Philly YMBY’s recent site visit found a parking lot still in full operation at the future site of the seven-story, 196-unit multi-family development proposed at 933 North Penn Street in Northern Liberties, North Philadelphia. Designed by HDO Architecture, the project will rise directly on the Delaware River waterfront and will include a pedestrian promenade at the ground level. The structure will span 187,636 square feet of gross floor area and will offer parking for 57 cars and 66 bicycles.
Aerial view of 933 North Penn Street. Credit: Google.
The development will consist of a single building with a roughly square footprint measuring 192 by 168 feet. Aside from a lobby and amenity space at the northwest corner, the ground floor will consist chiefly of parking space. The residential portion will rise above as a u-shaped mass that opens toward the river with a courtyard housing a landscaped deck. The exterior, comprised of a crisp white grid, black paneling, and floor-to-ceiling windows will create an understated yet sophisticated effect.
Rendering of 933 North Penn Street. Credit: HDO Architecture.
Rendering of 933 North Penn Street. Credit: HDO Architecture.
Rendering of 933 North Penn Street. Credit: HDO Architecture.
Although the planned structure will be reasonably large, it will be significantly underbuilt given what the zoning at the CMX-3 site allows for. In its current form, the proposal will yield a floor-to-area ratio of only 1.36:1, well below the 5:1 ratio that would be possible under current zoning. One of the apparent reasons for this underbuilt configuration is that the development does not seem to take advantage of various bonuses that would allow for a height increase, which, in turn, would allow for more interior space. The current height limit at the site, likely not accounting for bulkheads, appears to be capped at 84 feet. Although no specific building height has been specified, project documentation explicitly states that the structure will stand below the above-mentioned height mark.
A conditional zoning approval permit has been issued earlier this month. Given the project’s apparent early stage within the development process, it is understandable that our recent site visit found no signs of impending construction, with cars still parked at the site. Perhaps this is for the better, as it still gives us hope that developers would reconsider their plans for this prime location and would extend the program and scale to create additional residences, ground-level programming, and height. The latter would be especially appropriate for this particular site, which sits directly north of the multi-tower Waterfront Square development.
933 North Penn Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
933 North Penn Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
933 North Penn Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
933 North Penn Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
933 North Penn Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
933 North Penn Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
Rendering of 933 North Penn Street. Credit: HDO Architecture.
Rendering of 933 North Penn Street. Credit: HDO Architecture.
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