Articles by Vitali Ogorodnikov

1208 Chestnut Street. Credit: SgRA / Michael Alhadad

Demolition Pending at Site of Slender 11-Story High-Rise at 1208 Chestnut Street in Midtown Village, Center City

8:00 am on January 8, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A slender, 49-unit apartment building is set to rise at 1208 Chestnut Street in Midtown Village, Center City. However, although demolition permits have been issued for the dilapidated three-story structure currently occupying the property, YIMBY’s recent site visit revealed that no demo work has yet taken place. Designed by SgRA and developed by Michael Alhadad, the building will span a narrow, through-block lot on the block between South 12th and South 13th streets, stretching north-south from Chestnut Street to Sansom Street. The building will span 51,436 square feet and will feature a basement, ground-floor commercial space, full sprinkling, and a roof deck. Permits list Christian A. Sanchez as the contractor and a construction cost of $5.5 million.

2244 North 3rd Street. Zoning submission. Credit: David P. McArthur via the City of Philadelphia

Permits Issued for 2244 North 3rd Street in Norris Square

7:30 am on January 8, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, three-unit apartment building at 2244 North 3rd Street in Norris Square. Designed by David P. McArthur, the new rowhouse will replace a vacant lot on the west side of the block between West Susquehanna and West Dauphin streets and will span 3,356 square feet. Features will include a cellar and a roof deck. Permits list Miguel (aka Michael) Mota as the contractor and specify a construction cost of $250,000.

219 South 13th Street. Credit: Parkway Corporation

Parkway Corporation Seeks to Build Over 180,000 Square Feet at 219 South 13th Street in Midtown Village, Center City

7:30 am on January 8, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Parking operator and developer Parkway Corporation is looking for opportunities to redevelop a 9,020-square-foot parking lot at 219 South 13th Street in Midtown Village, Center City. The site spans nearly half of a small city block and is bound by South 13th Street to the west, Locust Street to the south, and narrow, cobblestone-paved St. James Street to the north. The site sits under CMX-5 zoning and, according to Parkway, can support up to 108,240 square feet under a floor-to-area ratio of 12 or up to 180,400 square feet at an FAR of 20:1, which may potentially yield a building rising around 25 to 30 or so stories. No development plans are currently known nor have any permits been filed, and it appears that Parkway Corporation is seeking development partners or an anchor tenant for the venture, as it does with a number of other parking lots situated throughout the city.

746 North 40th Street. Looking west. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for 12-Unit Building at 746 North 40th Street in Belmont, West Philadelphia

7:00 am on January 8, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, 12-unit residential building at 746 North 40th Street in Belmont, West Philadelphia. The structure will replace a vacant mid-block lot situated on the west side of the block between Aspen Street and Brown Street. The structure will span a 2,880-square-foot footprint and will contain 8,640 square feet of floor space, which translates to an average of just over 700 square feet per typical residence. The building will be fully sprinkled. Permits list Francesco Zampetti as the design professional and James Clancy as the contractor. Total cost of construction is specified at $500,000.

2222 Market Street in the skyline from Spring Garden Street Bridge. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Philadelphia On Track for Record Construction Activity in 2022

8:00 am on January 7, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

This year, Philadelphia is about to say “Yes In My Back Yard” to new development on an unprecedented scale. Over the course of last year, the Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a slew of permit approvals that may result in the construction of approximately 10,000 new rental units, roughly triple the number of the average total per typical year. Moreover, during the same period, a total of 90 proposed developments went before the Civic Design Review (CDR) board, which makes non-binding suggestions for projects that meet certain criteria depending on size and location. The number roughly doubles the average yearly volume and has set a record for CDR submission history.

The Blue Ivy Hotel at 122 South 11th Street. Rendering credit: DAS Architects

Demolition Pending at Site of Blue Ivy Hotel at 122 South 11th Street in Midtown Village, Center City

7:30 am on January 7, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A few years ago, circa 2019, plans were announced for a 14-story, 86-room hotel to rise at 122 South 11th Street in Midtown Village, Center City. Since that time, progress on the project has been moving at a snail’s pace, which may be explained by economic uncertainty and a hospitality industry crisis that rolled in the following year. Still, development appears to be ongoing, both in terms of filing activity and on-site action, minimal as it may be. Our recent site visit revealed that the joined pair of low-rise buildings that stands at the site has not yet been demolished, though both appear shuttered, stripped down, and likely gutted.

633 North 5th Street. Looking southeast. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for 16-Unit Building at 633 North 5th Street in Northern Liberties, Lower North Philadelphia

7:00 am on January 7, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a four-story, 16-unit mixed-use building at 633 North 5th Street in Northern Liberties, Lower North Philadelphia. The development will apparently replace a pair of three-story prewar rowhouses situated at the southeast corner of North 5th Street and Fairmount Avenue. The new structure will span a footprint of 6,000 square feet and will hold 13,972 square feet of floor area, of which 423 square feet will be allocated for ground-floor commercial space and around 3,000 square feet for storage. The remaining square footage, totaling just over 10,000 square feet, will be residential, which translates to an average of just over 600 square feet per unit. The development will feature full sprinkling, a solar energy roof array, and indoor parking for five cars (including one accessible) and six bicycles. Permits list Volunteer for Internation. [sic] as the owner, Howard Steinberg as the design professional, and TBC LLC as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $2.8 million.

Arthaus and Center City towers from the I-95. Photo by Thomas Koloski

Toward the Blue Yonder: Comparing Views from the Tallest Skyscrapers on the Philadelphia Skyline

8:00 am on January 6, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

High-rise development offer numerous advantages, including efficient use of valuable urban real estate, environmental benefits through resource use economies of scale and conservation of land, and dense, transit-friendly and pedestrian-favorable environments that create thriving cities. Then, of course, there are the lofty views that are available to dwellers of sky-high aeries. Using the formula of D = 1.22459 x Sqrt (H + 5.58), where D equals distance and H stands for the height of the building’s highest floor and 5.58 represents 5′-7″, the height of the average US adult in feet, we can calculate the longest unobstructed view distances on a clear day from any building level. Today YIMBY offers a comparison of views and view distances from the highest floors of some of the tallest buildings on the Philadelphia skyline.

3424 North 17th Street. Looking northwest. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for 23-Unit Building at 3424 North 17th Street in Nicetown-Tioga, North Philadelphia

7:30 am on January 6, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a five-story, 23-unit mixed-use building at 3424 North 17th Street in Nicetown-Tioga, North Philadelphia. The development will rise on the west side of the block between Ontario and West Tioga streets. The structure will span a 7,798-square-foot footprint and will hold 23,964 square feet of floor space, which will include ground-floor commercial space. Residences will be located on floors two through five. The project will offer parking for six cars and seven bicycles. Permits list Scott Woodruff of Designblendz as the design professional and Backcourt Builders LLC as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $3 million.

4140 West Girard Avenue. Looking south. Credit: Google

Permits Issued for 12-Unit Building at 4140 West Girard Avenue in East Parkside, West Philadelphia

7:00 am on January 6, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Permits have been issued for the construction of a four-story, 12-unit mixed-use building at 4140 West Girard Avenue in East Parkside, West Philadelphia. The structure will be located on the south side of the block between North 41st and North 42nd streets and will span a 2,600-square-foot footprint. The proposed 9,800 square feet of floor space translate into n average of just over 800 square feet per typical unit. The development will feature full sprinkling and a roof deck, which, due to the building’s future prominence, promises to offer sweeping skyline views. Permits list Francesco Zampetti as the design professional and Eugene Naydovich of Fitler Development as the contractor. The total construction cost is specified at $200,000, an oddly low figure for this relatively sizable development.

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Articles by Vitali Ogorodnikov

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