The 28th place on Philadelphia YIMBY’s December 2021 Development Countdown goes to 20th + Arch, a 260-foot-tall, 15-story office tower planned at 2000-24 Arch Street (also known as 2020-2024 Arch Street) in Center City West. Designed by L2P and developed by the Parkway Corporation (alternately Parkway Commercial Properties), the building would replace a parking lot that spans the eastern part of the block between North 20th and North 21st streets. And though we have first reported on the tower over a year ago, no permits have yet been filed for the development and our recent site visit revealed no demolition nor construction activity at the still-operational parking lot.
20th + Arch at 2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
The development’s location may also be accurately described as Logan Square, although YIMBY delineates the forlorn yet rapidly developing Center City district spanning roughly west of 20th Street, north of Chestnut Street, and south of Arch Street as Center City West. The building is another of the developer’s properties that would replace one of their owned and operated parking lots with a high-rise commercial building, similar to 2222 Market Street, another of the company’s office projects that already stands topped out several blocks to the southwest. Perhaps development at 20th+Arch will resume once the developer completes work at 2222 Market.
At the time, the developer website list the lot under its “opportunities” page, which mostly consists of other development-ready parking lots located primarily in Center City. A brief description states: “This site is available for development. Currently being used for parking.” The following stats are also listed, describing development options for the site: “Zoning: CMX 4 – 33,292 SF; FAR 5 = 166,460 SF; FAR 12 = 399,504 SF”
2000-24 Arch Street. Credit: Parkway Corporation
2000-24 Arch Street. Credit: Parkway Corporation
2000-24 Arch Street. Credit: Parkway Corporation
Below is a more detailed overview of current site conditions as captured by our staff photographer.
20th + Arch at 2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
20th + Arch at 2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
20th + Arch at 2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
20th + Arch at 2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
20th + Arch at 2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie Meller
2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie M20th + Arch at 2000-24 Arch Street. Photo by Jamie Mellereller
Notably, the development would involve the relocation of a historic gas station house, which currently takes up a small portion of the site.
The proposed building would rise just a block to the west of Comcast Technology Center, the city’s tallest building, and would effectively expand the core business district westward, at least at the street level if much less so at the skyline. If anything, the building’s height and scale is surprisingly low for such a centrally located site. Hopefully the delay will allow developers to revise the building program to allow for a much larger scale, perhaps by introducing a hotel or residential component, similar to Two Cathedral Square planned to the northeast, and by including community amenities.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Could it involve nitpicking delays in moving the historic gas station house to a location not too far away? Or could it be zero tenants signed to qualify for bank loans released and subsequent action to seek zoning/demolition permits and ZBA action?
If it is nitpicking details over a historic gas station, Saturday morning demo would take care of this by incentiviziting interested parties to agree fast
Parkway plans to protect and move the early 20th century historically protected gas station. Working with Philadelphia Historical Commission, in April 2021 Parkway announced “we have a host to relocate the former Gulf gas station at 20th and Arch! It’s moving up the street Logan Square’s Aviator Park in front of the Franklin Institute. Thanks to @PhilaParkandRec for accepting the offer.” A site plan indicates that the 1930 gas station will relocate to the NW corner of 20th and Race Streets in Aviator Park.
Given lack of construction progress, it’s likely that Parkway has not yet signed a major tenant.
time for our city to shine and leave parking lots and flibbity-gibbits in the trash can