Urban planning analysis

3837-45 Wallace Street. Building section. Credit: Haverford Square Designs via the City of Philadelphia

Five Six-Unit Buildings Proposed at 3837-45 Wallace Street in Mantua, West Philadelphia

7:00 am on May 30, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A series of five adjacent three-story, six-unit apartment buildings have been proposed at 3837 through 3845 Wallace Street in Mantua, West Philadelphia, yielding a total of 30 apartments. Designed by Haverford Square Designs, each structure will span 4,500 square feet, lending an average of 750 square feet per unit, and will feature a basement, nine-foot-plus ceilings, and full sprinkling. Permits for each structure list Francesco Zampetti as the design professional, Eugene Naydovich of Fitler Development as the contractor, and a construction cost of $200,000.

1513 West Stiles Street prior to demolition. Looking northeast. Credit: Google Maps

Demolition Complete at 1513 West Stiles Street in Cecil B. Moore, Lower North Philadelphia

7:00 am on April 29, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

In November 2020, Philly YIMBY reported that demolition permits have been filed for a three-story prewar rowhouse at 1513 West Stiles Street in Cecil B. Moore, Lower North Philadelphia. The single-family dwelling was situated on the north side of the block between North 15th Street and North 16th Street, just to the southwest of Temple University. A year and a half later, our recent site visit has revealed that the structure has since been torn down.

Rendering of 1100 Wharton Street. Credit: JKRP Architects

Development Anticipated at 1100 Wharton Street in Passyunk Square, South Philadelphia

7:30 am on April 27, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Last July, Philly YIMBY shared the plans for a mixed-use development at 1100 Wharton Street in Passyunk Square, South Philadelphia. Designed by JKRP Architects and developed by the Alterra Property Group, the complex is anchored with a new six-story, 162,335-square-foot building with a 20,000-squarte-foot supermarket at the ground floor, 155 residential units, and a 4,000-square-foot roof deck. The development will also include a thorough rehabilitation of the block, which is also home to Wharton Lofts, a 71,360-square-foot mixed-use building with 45 residential units, a 51,010-square-foot office building, and 18,616-square-foot police station, and a fire station. The fire station, located at the northeast corner of South 12th Street and Reed Street, across from Columbus Square Park, will be demolished and relocated into a new building on the east side of the block at the intersection of South 11th and Reed streets; the six-story mixed-use building will rise in place of the fire station. In total, the block will hold 239 parking spaces, with 62 in the basement level of the mixed-use building, 94 surface spaces in the center of the block, and 83 off-site spaces. Recently YIMBY has visited the development site and extensively documented its existing conditions to share with our readers.

A Project HOPE development at 115 East Huntingdon Street. Credit: Cecil Baker + Partners Architects

A Detailed Look at Upcoming Project HOME Residence at 115 East Huntingdon Street in West Kensington

7:30 am on April 24, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Recently Philadelphia YIMBY visited the site of a new 56-unit Project HOME assisted residential facility under renovation at 115 East Huntingdon Street at the Temple University Campus Episcopal Campus in West Kensington. The development is part of Temple University Hospital’s ongoing effort to create over 1,000 affordable supported-living residences for persons that have experienced homelessness, mental illnesses, substance abuse, and other issues. The project team consists of Cecil Baker + Partners Architects as the designer, Temple University Hospital’s Project HOME as the owner/developer, and T. N. Ward Company as the contractor. Construction costs are specified at $14.9 million. In the previous article we focused on the project’s social mission and its financial backers, which include musician Jon Bon Jovi. Today we look at the architectural and technical aspects of the massive, five-story renovation project.

725-29 South Broad Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. March 2022

Construction Pending at 725-29 South Broad Street in Hawthorne, South Philadelphia

8:00 am on April 18, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Last year in May, permits had been issued for a commercial renovation and vertical expansion for a three-story prewar building at 725-29 South Broad Street in Hawthorne, South Philadelphia. Since that time, however, no construction progress has been made on the structure, as Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has shown. Designed by CANNOdesign, the structure, located on the east side of South Broad Street on the block between Bainbridge and Fitzwater streets, will rise five stories. Permits list Santech Construction Corp. as the contractor and a construction cost of $3.8 million.

2709-15 Cecil B. Moore Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. March 2022

Demolition Underway at Historic Columbia Theater in Cecil B. Moore, North Philadelphia

7:30 am on March 25, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has revealed that demolition has begun at the historic Columbia Theater at 2709 Cecil B. Moore Avenue in Cecil B. Moore, North Philadelphia. The 100-year-plus-old structure, situated at the north side of the block between North 27th and Marston streets, will be replaced by a four-story, 18-unit apartment building. Designed by Kore Design Architecture (KCA), the new development will span 21,030 square feet and feature elevator service, full sprinkling and a roof deck. Permits list Bloomtown Holdings LLC as the owner, GRIT Construction as the contractor, and a construction cost of $3.16 million. The Columbia Theatre, as it was originally known, was built in 1911 in a grand Beaux-Arts style. The massive, dramatic marquee and vertical sign that once adorned its front entrance are long gone. Still present, however, is the symmetrical facade with Palladian and oeil-de-boeuf windows, a garland-adorned crown, and a dentil course cornice. Even the elegant bishop’s crook light sconces continue to grace the structure at the second level. The roughly 30-foot-tall building is at once in scale with the avenue’s rowhouses and offers a distinct sense of urbane grandeur.

Development Anticipated at 1700 North Front Street in Fishtown

7:30 am on March 23, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Last August, YIMBY shared renderings for a five-story, 204-unit development proposed at 1700 North Front Street in Fishtown, Kensington. More than half a year later, no construction permits have yet been filed nor has any construction activity taken place, as confirmed by our recent site visit. Designed by NORR, the 172,844-square-foot building will offer 123,218 square feet of residential space, which will be split between 28 studios, 141 one-bedroom units, 35 two-bedroom apartments, and a 5,264-square-foot amenity suite. The project will also feature 16,429 square feet of retail and parking for 70 bicycles.

Rendering of 1120 Frankford Avenue. Credit: BLT Architects.

Philly YIMBY Considers an Alternate Layout for The Frankford at 1120 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown

7:30 am on March 13, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Earlier this month, Philadelphia YIMBY published a detailed overview of The Frankford, a six-story, 150-unit mixed-use residential and retail development planned at 1120 Frankford Avenue (alternately 1120-36 Frankford Avenue) in Fishtown, Kensington. Designed by BLT Architects and developed by US Construction, the attractive Neo-Idustrial structure will create 7,166 square feet of ground-level retail and 83,372 square feet of residential space, contributing a significant volume of housing stock and a vibrant retail-fronted streetscape to the neighborhood. However, despite the positive impact the proposal promises to deliver, it arguably suffers from a squat, sprawling massing, which was likely crafted as a response to the neighborhood’s unreasonably low height limit. In this publication, YIMBY shares an alternate project layout of our own, which shows how a less restrictive zoning envelope would allow for a more organic relationship to the street, improved unit layouts, creation of new public space, improved pedestrian circulation,and even preservation of a locally beloved mural.

Rendering of 701-19 East Girard Avenue. Credit: JKRP Architects.

A Detailed Look at the 53-Unit Building Planned at 701 East Girard Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington

8:00 am on March 10, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Earlier this month, Philadelphia YIMBY visited the site of a four-story, 53-unit apartment building proposed at 701 East Girard Avenue in Fishtown, Kensington. The building, also known under its full address of 701-19 East Girard Avenue, will replace a small strip mall at the northeast corner of East Girard Avenue and East Berks Street. Designed by JKRP Architects and developed by OCF Realty, with OCF Construction as the contractor, the structure will span 58,260 square feet and feature 7,817 square feet of ground-level commercial space, elevator service, a fitness center, bicycle storage, full sprinkling, a 10,999-square-foot green roof, and a 1,855-square-foot roof deck. Permits list the construction cost at $9.3 million. Today we take a closer look at the proposal and its positive impact on the neighborhood, and share schematics for the dome-topped, 17-story hotel proposed at the site in 2014.

Rendering of 922-38 North Broad Street. Credit: Coscia Moos Architecture.

A Detailed Overview of the 196-Unit Mixed-Use Building Proposed at 922 North Broad Street in Francisville, North Philadelphia

8:00 am on March 4, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Over the course of the past year, Philly YIMBY featured sustained coverage of the seven-story mixed-use building planned at 922 North Broad Street in Francisville, North Philadelphia, and with good reason. Also known under its full address of 922-38 North Broad Street, the structure will rise on the southwest corner of North Broad Street and West Girard Avenue, two of the most important thoroughfares in Lower North Philadelphia, bringing 19,954 square feet of retail and 196 residential units to a subway- and trolley-adjacent site formerly occupied by a suburban-styled pharmacy. Designed by Coscia Moos Architecture, the structure will span 176,679 square feet and sport a distinctive multi-colored facade and a green roof. Permits list Ferraro Construction Group as the contractor and a construction cost of $20 million. Today YIMBY takes a detailed look at this centrally-located, transit-adjacent development.

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