Society Hill

Details from Society Hill Foxwoods forum

mgolas — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:59:13 -0400

Bio

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Oct. 29
By Kellie Patrick Gates
For PlanPhilly

More details about Foxwoods Casino's proposal to move to The Gallery at Market East and the process through which City Council and officials will consider that proposal emerged at a panel discussion held in Society Hill Tuesday night.

--The Gallery contains about 1.3 million square feet of floor space. Foxwoods is interested in operating within 300,000 square feet on the third floor.

--The casino and the Pennsylvania Real Estate Trust, owners of the Gallery, are still working on their plans for that space.

--It will be at least six months before City Council votes on a Foxwoods plan, Councilman Frank DiCicco told the roughly 70 people who braved the weather to gather at Old Pine Church.

The panel discussion was sponsored by the Society Hill Civic Association. There have been other community meetings during the past few weeks, in Chinatown and Washington Square West. Last night, some familiar faces were present - DiCicco and Deputy Mayor for Commerce and Planning, Andy Altman. But they shared the head table with community activist Helen Gym, a board member of Asian-Americans United, Robert Goodman, economics professor at Hampshire College in Massachusetts, and Les Bernal, executive director of Stop Predatory Gambling and former chief of staff to Massachusetts State Senator Sue Tucker. There was no Foxwoods representative on the panel.

Each panelist was given seven minutes to speak, and then another two minutes to address what other panelists had said. Then the moderator, Rev. Dick Ullman, read questions that had been submitted in writing by the audience, which, judging by applause, was solidly against having a casino at The Gallery.

There were two obvious points of contention during the discussion: Whether or not DiCicco's introduction of the zoning legislation that would allow Foxwoods to operate at The Gallery was rushing the process, and whether or not it was time to give up on the idea of having no casinos near Philadelphia neighborhoods.

DiCicco and Altman both said they were not there to discuss the pitfalls or merits of gambling, because, like it or not, the state has determined that there will be two casinos in Philadelphia. It was not a matter of if the casinos were coming, only where they would be, and what could be done to make the most of that reality.

"This is the chance to be at the table and figure out if we can negotiate the best deal for Philadelphians," Altman said.

But Bernal, Goodman, Gym and the audience took issue with this assertion.

Bernal said that around the country, wherever gambling is proposed, "the message is that it's inevitable." He asserted that the reason leaders stress this message is that the more that people learn about casinos, the more it becomes obvious that there "is very little merit."

The gambling industry targets problem gamblers, from whom it makes most of its money, he said. That, and the bigger financial losses of the losers, are what separate casino gambling from more "casual" gambling, such as at-home poker games or church bingo, he said.

Goodman said that state government leaders who approve legalized gambling often say that people are going to gamble no matter what, and they are now losing money to neighboring states that have gambling. But, he said, having gambling in a state creates proximity that leads to more problem gamblers in that state.

Bernal got a resounding round of applause when he suggested that the American way is to challenge leaders to change things that are considered foregone conclusions, such as the former facts that women cannot vote and slavery is legal.

DiCicco pointed out some facts of his own: Governor Ed Rendell, who was re-elected by a landslide, has wanted to bring gambling to Philadelphia since he was mayor. The legislature voted the casinos in four years ago, and the gaming board approved their locations. The State Supreme Court has sided with the casinos and against the city and state leaders who resisted their proposed locations 14 times - despite the fact the city spent "hundreds of thousands of tax dollars" on attorneys. Most recently, the Court ordered the city to give Foxwoods almost all the permits it needs to operate at its originally proposed riverfront location, he said, and he had no doubt that if the city resisted granting the last one, the building permit, either the court appointed Special Master or the justices would order it given.

"We're going to have two casinos," he said. "That train left the station."

Gym, of Asian Americans United, said that DiCicco's introduction of legislation that would create a zoning classification that would allow gaming along the Market East corridor and place that classification on The Gallery site was a mistake, especially because Foxwoods has yet to submit a detailed proposal.

Asian Americans United members are worried that a casino at The Gallery would increase gambling addiction among residents, take customers from local businesses and cause a quality-of-life decline.

"Why give up zoning rights at this time for something we don't understand?" she said.

DiCicco said he shares neighborhood residents' concerns about the possible traffic, parking, societal and economic impact the casino would bring, and that is why he decided to submit the legislation. The Supreme Court gave CED zoning to Foxwoods at its originally proposed site, saying that the city had been intentionally dragging his feet. That decision robbed the city and its citizens of the chance to negotiate with Foxwoods, he said. The legislation requires a detailed and public review process in which all potential problems and ways in which they could be mitigated would be discussed before a final decision is made, DiCicco said.

All of those issues and others must be addressed by Foxwoods as part of its plan of development, Altman said, and the zoning does not go into effect until the plan of development is approved by Council.

"If City Council determines this will not work, then we'll pull the plug," DiCicco said.

Gym said the process so far has been frustrating because it feels like Foxwoods has been in the driver’s seat, rather than the city. The Gallery location was proposed by the casino, and she said it would be better if the city appointed a committee to find casino sites that would have the least impact on neighborhoods.

DiCicco said that committees have suggested alternate sites, and that he personally suggested the airport because it was away from neighborhoods - but that proposal went nowhere.

While agreeing with residents that studies are needed to show any potential negative impacts a casino at The Gallery might have, DiCicco and Altman also said there are a host of potential positive impacts for the neighborhood and the city, including the creation of jobs and the potential to bring economic vitality to a corridor that has resisted it for decades - even while the neighborhoods around it flourished. It would be irresponsible, Altman said, not to consider those potential benefits.

The on-going discussion resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday in Council Chambers, when Council's Committee on the Rules will hold a public hearing on the CED legislation.

Contact the reporter at kelliespatrick@gmail.com

Home Page Summary

Casino will be 300,000 square feet; no plans yet for Gallery redo; council vote will take 6 months.

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Written By

KellieP

Publish Date

October 29, 2008

Abstract

Philly wins two "great places" awards

mgolas — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:07:20 -0400

Bio

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Credit for all photos:
Dick Gouldey, City of Philadelphia Department of Records

Oct. 8

By Thomas J. Walsh
For PlanPhilly

The American Planning Association has awarded the city of Philadelphia two honorary designations in its 2008 “Great Places in America” program.

Gary Jastrzab, acting executive director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, announced the awards at the commencement of the monthly meeting of the city’s Zoning Code Commission early Wednesday morning.

Three Bears Park

In the “Great Neighborhoods” category, Society Hill was a winner, and South Broad Street’s Avenue of the Arts took a “Great Streets” award. Both were among 10 national recipients in each category, but Philadelphia was the only city to garner more than one prize, Jastrzab said.

“APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planners and planning play in creating communities of lasting value,” the organization said in a statement. The program recognizes unique characteristics in cities’ streets, neighborhoods and public spaces.

Headhouse Square Shambles

The 325-year-old Society Hill neighborhood, named in honor of the Free Society of Traders, chartered in 1682 by William Penn, “provides a stimulating confluence of varying architectural styles, mixed uses, and social diversity in a downtown urban setting.”

Bingham Court and Towers

“The award was a general recognition of both the historical character and planning and redevelopment history of this area,” Jastrzab told PlanPhilly. “I don’t think anyone would deny that this is one of the nation’s great neighborhoods.”

The APA also cited the city’s Redevelopment Authority and Historical Commission, working in concert with the Society Hill Civic Association over the years, to enact a large-scale and “innovative revitalization plan” led by the late Ed Bacon during the 1950s and ’60s.

The eight blocks of South Broad Street from City Hall to South Street, transformed during the past decade into the Avenue of the Arts, made the APA’s “Great Streets” honor roll for “its historical character, focus on the arts, social vibrancy, and public and private redevelopment efforts.” First developed in 1681, South Broad is one of the oldest planned streets in the country.

Kimmel Center

Historically a center of commerce and banking, “recent community action, private investment and over $100 million in public funds have turned the street into a center for arts and commerce,” noted Paul Farmer, the APA’s executive director, in a statement.

“The Avenue of the Arts has an established planning record and history of government, cultural institutions, and businesses working together to accomplish common goals,” said Jastrzab. “Of course, South Broad starts with “good bones,” but has also had high-level support from city and state government.”

He added that the original South Broad Street vision from the late 1990s clearly identified implementation goals, and the plan won a national APA award for implementation several years ago.

The $100 million of public funds invested in South Broad’s redevelopment has attracted an estimated $1.1 billion or more in private investment, officials say. That has allowed for streetscape improvements that complement the boulevard’s 37 (and counting) performing arts venues, including the Kimmel Regional Performing Arts Center, the Merriam and Wilma theaters and the Suzanne Roberts Theater, along with new restaurants, shops and hundreds of new residents living in converted apartments and condominiums.

Best of the Rest
The nine other APA 2008 Great Neighborhoods are: Echo Park (Los Angeles); Greater Park Hill (Denver) ; North End (Boise, Idaho) ; Old Town Wichita (Wichita, Kan.); Downtown Salem (Salem, Mass.); Charles Village (Baltimore); Greater University Hill (Syracuse, N.Y.); Village of Mariemont (Mariemont, Ohio); and Downtown Sheridan (Sheridan, Wyo.).

The nine other APA 2008 Great Streets are: Mill Avenue in Tempe, Ariz.; Seventh Avenue in Tampa, Fla.; West Main Street in Louisville, Ky.; Commercial Street in Portland, Maine; Washington Street in Boston; Main Street in Annapolis, Md.; Summit Avenue in St. Paul, Minn.; South El Paso in El Paso, Texas; and Clarendon & Wilson Boulevards in Arlington, Va.

A third category, Great Public Spaces, was defined as “a gathering spot or part of a neighborhood, downtown, special district, waterfront or other area within the public realm that helps promote social interaction and a sense of community.” The winners: Manhattan’s Central Park; the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, Vermont; Mellon Square in Pittsburgh; Pioneer Courthouse Square in Portland, Ore.; Santa Monica Beach in southern California; Union Station in Washington, D.C.; Waterfront Park in Charleston, S.C.; Waterplace Park in Providence, R.I.; Cleveland’s West Side Market; and the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza in Prescott, Ariz.

This year’s Great Places are being celebrated as a part of the APA’s designation of October as National Community Planning Month, “designed to recognize and celebrate the many residents, leaders, officials, and professionals who contribute to making great communities.”

Contact the reporter at tom@thomasjwalsh.info.

ON THE WEB:
American Planning Association, and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners: at www.planning.org
National Community Planning Month information: www.planning.org/ncpm
APA’s Society Hill page: http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/2008/societyhill.htm
APA’s South Broad Street page: http://www.planning.org/greatplaces/streets/2008/southbroadstreet.htm

Home Page Summary

American Planning Association gives national recognition to Society Hill neighborhood and South Broad Street's Avenue of the Arts.

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Written By

Thomas J.W

Publish Date

October 8, 2008

Abstract

How rail plays infrastructure role

mgolas — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:55:36 -0400

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Aug. 27

By Alan Jaffe
For PlanPhilly

(This is the seventh in a series of stories examining the infrastructure projects proposed in the Civic Vision and Action Plan for the Central Delaware. This article looks at the railways that have had a long, remarkable history on the Delaware River and the possible future of rail on the waterfront.)

Previous stories:
Infrastructure overview
Parks and green space
SEPTA funding
Grappling with I-95
Center City Commuter Connection
The Street Grid

The seven-mile stretch of riverfront from Allegheny Avenue to Oregon Avenue was once the dominion of the rail car. The Pennsylvania Railroad brought freight from the south, rolling down Washington Avenue to the waterfront to unload or pick up cargo at the massive piers. In the north, track after track after track ran along Lehigh Avenue to the waterfront, carrying the coal-black Reading Railroad cars, which hauled millions of tons of anthracite from upstate Pennsylvania for shipment up and down the coast and around the world.

A couple of active lines still run from the Lehigh Viaduct. In South Philadelphia, rail cars still stack up near the freight yards, blocking vehicular traffic. And plans are moving forward for the expanded Southport project beyond the Walt Whitman Bridge.

But on the Central Delaware waterfront, the rule of the rail is over. Colliers awaiting the black fuel no longer line the port. The piers mainly house parties and condos, not cargo. The rail yards are part of an irretrievable industrial past, displaced by technology and geography.

A modernized rail, however, could play a part in the rejuvenation of Center City’s eastern shoreline and help turn it into a 21st-century urban waterfront.

The Northern Yards

From the early 19th to early 20th centuries, the northern Delaware riverfront was known as “the workshop of the world,” a center of industrial manufacturing in Bridesburg, Fishtown, and Kensington.

Cramps Shipyard, now destined for razing and redevelopment, was an economic engine in the region, producing wooden clipper ships and then iron and steel warships for the Civil War through World War II.

The other driving force on the waterfront was the Reading Railroad terminal at Port Richmond, fueled by the steady stream of coal cars coming down from Lackawanna, Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon and surrounding counties. Eastern Pennsylvania contained some of the country’s richest seams of anthracite, a dense, high quality coal that was touted as a clean-burning energy source. Western Pennsylvania boasted huge bituminous fields, but that coal burned quickly and dirty.

“There was an advertisement at that time that said, ‘Keep your daughters’ and wives’ dresses clean by using anthracite,’” said Dave Schaaf, an urban designer at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.

“It was found in Eastern Pennsylvania, just above us. So the Reading Railroad builds lines to those counties. And that’s why Port Richmond develops the way it does, with all those lines to the water, running down along Lehigh Avenue,” Schaaf said. “It was such a desirable coal, it was distributed to the world.”

Colliers, the ships that bore the coal around the intracoastal United States, lined the ports where dozens of railheads met the water. The Reading Railroad’s enormous infrastructure at Port Richmond moved 2.25 million tons of anthracite in the mid-1870s, according to the website “The Necessity for Ruins” (http://ruins.wordpress.com/category/port-richmond-coal-terminal).

The Reading line also transported materiel to the Pennsylvania steel plants, and fruits and vegetables from farms to markets, including tomatoes to the Campbell’s Soup plant in Camden. It was also a major passenger railroad.

But the collapse of the coal business in the 1950s was the turning point for the Northern Central Delaware industrial base. The dozens of tracks to the waterfront grew silent and vacant. Most have been removed from the grasslands that have sprung up on that vast section of the riverfront.

A couple sets of tracks that run down from the Lehigh Viaduct still carry oil and chemicals to the Tioga Marine Terminal and the remaining industries in the area, explained Adam Krom, a transportation planner at the Philadelphia office of the design firm Wallace Roberts & Todd. Conrail, the federally created corporation that resulted from the bankruptcy of the country’s major railroads, owns the tracks and land where rail is still active on the Northern Central Delaware.

Rail and the Port

Besides the end of the coal economy, the rail lines were also limited by the city’s geography. “We were one of the last of the original colonies founded, and there’s a reason for that,” Schaaf explained. “We were the only colony with no Atlantic frontage. All the great ports were taken by the time William Penn gets Pennsylvania.”

Boston Harbor, New York Harbor, Baltimore Harbor, Hampton Roads and Norfolk Harbor – all well known and thriving. “But have you ever heard of Philadelphia Harbor? There isn’t one,” Schaaf said. “This doesn’t negate the fact that we had the largest freshwater port in the world for quite a long time.” But the competing ports, including the neighboring Elizabeth and Newark, have 50-foot drafts in their harbors. The deepest channel on the Philadelphia side of the Delaware is 40 feet to the bottom.

“The governor and the Delaware River Port Authority want to dredge our channel to 45 feet. Our channel is 103 miles long,” Schaaf said. “So our geography does not exactly work for us. We’re not a great natural harbor. The harbors that really do well on the East Coast are the ones right at the Piedmont, where you have the Atlantic coastal plain meeting the Piedmont right at the harbor,” creating deep water at the port.

The Delaware River could comfortably carry 17th and 18th century vessels with relatively shallow hulls. But 20th century shipping eventually made the port at the northern section of the city obsolete.

“Containerization forced ships to be not only enormous, but to actually be stacked really tall,” Schaaf continued. “You can take the containers off at Elizabeth and Newark, make trucks out of them and send them everywhere. Apparently we can’t get a containerized ship below the Walter Whitman Bridge. The Tioga Marine Terminal does have containerization, but it has to be a specific kind of ship.”

Before World War II, “when ships didn’t need a very deep draft, we did fine. Now, our channel is just too shallow.”

The Port to the South

To the south of the Walt Whitman, the expansion of the Southport project is under way. The plan calls for a major, best-in-class containerized facility with the potential of employing 175,000, handling 3.5 million containers a year.

The rail yards in the south remain active, and there are no plans to relocate or in any interfere with those lines in the Action Plan for the Central Delaware, Krom said. “That area will remain very important from a freight-handling standpoint and as a working waterfront.”

The major issue in that area involves the impact of stacked freight cars blocking autos and trucks on Columbus Boulevard, explained Nando Micale, a principal at WRT who leads the firm’s planning and urban design group. The Action Plan and Civic Vision developed by PennPraxis and designed by WRT shifts the tracks slightly south, closer to the industry and piers serviced by the rail lines.

“There’s nothing incompatible with increased port activity, including intermodal rail-truck-ship connections, in the Civic Vision,” Krom said. Some changes to existing track configurations and the street network may be needed, “but there will be no change to function. It will improve function, in fact,” he said.

The Pennsylvania Railroad was the leading line in South Philadelphia and the piers near Center City. The railroad came down to the waterfront from Washington Avenue. The port shifted south over time, and the Philadelphia Belt Line Railroad Company, a consortium of railroads, carried trains all the way to the Navy Yard. The waterfront was “sort of neutral territory for all the railroads, so the shipper could choose which one it wanted to use. The Belt Line allowed for interchanging among the different railroads,” Krom said.

Bob Turner, a consultant for the Belt Line, explained that it was chartered in 1889 “to break up the monopoly of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which controlled the Philadelphia waterfront.” The Belt Line brought in the Baltimore & Ohio and other companies “to make sure the waterfront was open to competitive rail service.”

The Washington Avenue tracks are now gone, and there are few working piers on the Central Delaware. The active railroads to the south are CSX, Norfolk Southern and Canadian Pacific. CSX and Norfolk Southern now own Conrail, although Conrail has served since 1998 as a switching and terminal railroad that operates as an agent for its owners, allowing access for both carriers.

Craig Lewis, vice president of corporate affairs at Norfolk Southern, confirmed that the railroad companies provide no freight service “north of, roughly, South Street.” Norfolk Southern also has been in talks with Foxwoods Casino representatives about doing some reconfiguration so that trains do not travel above the casino’s location, if it is built.

But Lewis said Norfolk Southern’s focus is on business around the Navy Yard, where the company has plans for a new intermodal facility and active rail service in the “relatively near future.”

The company’s longer term program is called the Crescent Corridor, a plan to improve rail infrastructure along Interstate 81 from North Jersey to West Tennessee and divert freight from highways to tracks. “Part of the game plan anticipates new or expanded terminals,” Lewis said, including Philadelphia’s Navy Yard.

As the port is expanded, and if the Action Plan’s proposals for naturalizing areas of the waterfront and creating a street grid to support land development are realized, the southern section of the Central Delaware should complement the rail infrastructure, Krom said. “It will actually neaten up a lot of operations over time.”

A New Role for Waterfront Rail

In the early decades of the 20th century, an elevated rail line ran from Frankford Avenue and down Delaware Avenue, where passengers transferred to the ferries to cross the river. As the port evolved, larger ships docked at larger piers, and ferry service declined with the opening of the Ben Franklin Bridge. The elevated track was torn down.

Passenger rail along the Delaware was briefly revived in the 1990s with a trolley line that serviced the Penn’s Landing area, but it had limited success on a waterfront that never realized its potential.

But that same right-of-way used by freight trains in decades past and by the trolley more recently could host a 21st-century track. “The Vision Plan established the idea of potentially having a waterfront light-rail line,” Krom said. The new line could promote riverfront development, provide residents access along the river, and reduce congestion on Columbus Boulevard, he said.

“Light rail generally means fast, higher capacity, modern service, and more efficiency,” Krom explained. “It holds more people, it doesn’t interfere with traffic, and it moves with its own power.”

While the light-rail line in South Jersey uses diesel power because it covers the long route from Camden to Trenton, the Philadelphia line would probably be an electric-powered rail, Krom said.

The right-of-way down the center of the boulevard in the Penn’s Landing area is held by the Belt Line in joint ownership with Conrail, said consultant Bob Turner. “There is not much in the way of industry anymore” in that stretch of riverfront, he added, and “we do not operate at all. … We’re in a sort of holding pattern; our main purpose in life is to make sure there is competitive business on the waterfront.”

If the Belt Line company allows light rail service on the right-of-way, it would reduce start-up costs considerably, Krom said.

Creation of a rail line down the median of the boulevard, in concert with other pedestrian- and bike-friendly changes along either side of the highway, would reduce auto traffic from six to four lanes. But the Action Plan estimates that a high-frequency streetcar line will be able to transport 2,000 to 3,000 passengers per hour in each direction. “That’s almost twice what a car lane would have carried,” Krom said. “So you’re not losing capacity. You’re just shifting people from automobiles to transit.”

A streetcar line would also reduce parking lots along the waterfront, Krom said. “Tourists will have to park just once. They can access all the destinations on the waterfront by riding light rail. If they come by mass transit, they’d need zero parking spaces.

“Residents wouldn’t need as many cars because car share and light rail would be available to them. So it will help with congestion. And it will cut the high cost of building parking lots,” he said.

The Delaware River Port Authority, which operates several bridges and the PATCO Hi-Speed Line, is already exploring several alternatives for light rail along Philadelphia’s waterfront.

“An Alternative Analysis study is now under way, which is the first step in the process for applying for federal funding,” said John Matheussen, chief executive officer of DPRA. “We’re looking at potential ridership, cost factors, and environmental impacts.”

The three alternatives under consideration all involve light rail, Matheussen said. “These are street level or underground lines, all complementary to systems already in place. We’ve had good experience with the River Line in New Jersey. This is what light rail is built for.”

Fifty percent of the funding for such a project would come from the federal government, Matheussen said. “The cost of these alternatives is in the high hundreds of millions of dollars up to a billion dollars. We would look for the rest to come from DRPA, the state of Pennsylvania, their trust funds, potential private alternatives, and public-private partnerships.” However, the vast majority large price tag is needed to extend the light rail from the riverfront to Center City; the construction of just the riverfront tracks itself would only cost a very small fraction of this nine-figure amount.

DRPA is half-way through the process of choosing an alternative, he said. The agency’s last round of public input on a waterfront light-rail project will occur this fall. (To view the PATCO alternatives, go to www.patcopaexpansion.com.)

Micale, of WRT, said any transportation system has “funding challenges. It comes down to federal policy. Other cities have funded such projects themselves, or they figured out ways to fund it with minimal federal money. Those tend to be cities in major growth markets; Philadelphia and other East Coast cities tend not to be.”

But in examining successful urban waterfronts, “it’s hard to find places that have not created light-rail systems,” Krom noted. He lists Toronto, Seattle, and San Francisco, which is working on a second light-rail line on its southern waterfront. Many European cities have also incorporated light rail in waterfront renewal. “What most cities are striving for is access to the river,” he said.

From South to North

The PennPraxis proposals recommend a light-rail line that runs the full length of the Central Delaware, from Oregon Avenue to Allegheny Avenue, and possibly beyond in several directions.

“It could extend upward from Oregon Avenue as a major east-west railroad that ends up at the Sports Complex,” Micale said. Other east-west connections could also be made linking the line to Center City along Washington Avenue or Spring Garden Street.

It could also link up with the North Delaware Greenway under construction in Northeast Philadelphia.

The old rail yards to the north have long been the focus of an open space or greenway plan that crosses the city and connects its two great rivers. The path could thread itself around the still active right-of-way running down from the Lehigh Viaduct, “a rails and trails” project as opposed to rails-to-trails, Micale said. “But there’s still a lot to do in-between.”

The light-rail line could also stimulate redevelopment in the southern section of the northern rail yards, which Schaaf noted contains the largest amount of vacant land on the Central Delaware.

Lewis, of Norfolk Southern, noted that some of the PennPraxis plans for the northern rail yards are “probably in conflict with the value of that real property. Unless the community makes some acquisitions” of land, there could be friction between developers and planners. “But I don’t think these things are insurmountable,” he said.

Much of the desirable land on the northern section of the Central Delaware is owned by Conrail, which continues to operate a train five days a week for “a number of customers” in the Tioga Marine Terminal and Port Richmond area, said Conrail spokesman John Enright.

Conrail has sold defunct rail yards in the area around the Walt Whitman Bridge over the past year to the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, but “we don’t have any specific project in development at this juncture” for the real estate in the north Central Delaware, Enright said.

Conrail is aware of the PennPraxis proposals for mixed uses for the old rail yards, including development and green spaces. “We haven’t met or sat down with PennPraxis about their vision at this point,” he said.

“As a railroad,” he continued, “if we have vacant property and there is an opportunity to develop rail service, that is certainly our preference. That’s not to say we wouldn’t take into consideration other factors, such as the PennPraxis vision or anything else. …We really haven’t had any dialogue with PennPraxis at this point.

“Meanwhile, if an opportunity arrives for developing rail business, we will certainly look at it. We are always open-minded for new rail business,” Enright said.

The northern rail yards have “always been seen as a site for redevelopment,” said Micale, of WRT, “though they’ve never consummated a deal there.” The adjacent Cramps Shipyard grounds are also viewed as a likely site for early action because of the access to the highway and its proximity to Center City.

“The idea is that the boulevard and light-rail initiatives would bring you all the way to this area, so you would set the framework for development in the southern portion of the Conrail site,” he explained.

And a light-rail line could bring new hope to an area where rail was once king.

Contact the writer at alanjaffe@mac.com.

Home Page Summary

A modernized system could help rejuvenate Center City’s eastern shoreline and help turn it into a 21st-century urban waterfront.<br /><br />

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Written By

AlanJ

Publish Date

August 27, 2008

Abstract

Stamper Square (sort of) gets final approval

mgolas — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:13:59 -0400

Bio

Body

August 19
By Thomas J. Walsh
For PlanPhilly

A re-worked “plan of development approval” for the controversial Stamper Square development, to be built on the site of the old NewMarket in Headhouse Square, was unanimously approved Tuesday afternoon by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, after the usual back-and-forth discussion and debate about the ambitious project.

The project was the final subject of an unusual (and unplanned) August Planning Commission meeting. Major developments at 16th and Vine and in Northern Liberties at 2nd and Girard were presented as “information only” sessions for the benefit of the commissioners. Both developers – David Grasso and Bart Blatstein, respectively – said they aim to break ground before the end of 2008.

The Stamper Square approval comes after City Council passed a key re-zoning ordinance for the site in May, which changed the 1.3-acre site from C-2 to C-4, allowing for height and other variances. Developer Marc Stein and his Bridgeman’s Development now need a building permit from the city’s Department of Licenses & Inspections. But because the 15-story combination hotel, condominiums, restaurant and open public space is within a designated historic district, he must also face the Philadelphia Historical Commission.

Just how much authority the Historical Commission has over the project’s ultimate green light seems to be an open question. Elise Vider, deputy director of the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, and Paul Boni, an attorney who lives close to the site and is against it, said after Tuesday’s meeting that the commission can hold up construction if it deems the effort unworthy of its surroundings. Both testified in front of the Planning commissioners, urging them to delay approval on the grounds that a problem with the Historical Commission would likely bring the project back to them.

But Gary Jastrzab, the Planning Commission’s acting executive director, said it was his understanding that the Historical Commission could only give a recommendation. “The [Planning] staff’s position is that this is what the neighborhood needs,” Jastrzab told PlanPhilly.

Martin Gregorski, the staff planner who made the initial presentation of approval to the commissioners, said that actually, the Historical Commission has plenty of say in the matter, and that developers would be hard-pressed to get L&I permits if another city agency says there are problems.

One thing is certain, according to one commissioner: Basic L&I paperwork lists the Historical Commission as one of the bodies that need to eyeball any given project if it is, well, historic.

Jonathan Farnham, the commission’s executive director, could not be reached for comment early Tuesday evening.

Vider and Boni said that Bridgeman’s had already been before the Historical Commission, earlier this year, and on Monday Stein confirmed that. Both parties said there was a split opinion from the commission’s architecture committee. But Stein did an end run by simply pulling his application to the Historical Commission, Vider and Boni contend, until zoning and planning approvals were in hand – that is, as of Tuesday afternoon. Stein said Monday that plans had needed alteration after settling differences with neighborhood groups, so it was necessary to pull back for a time.

In any case, the “plan of development approval,” as described by Gregorski, means that if major changes to the development are necessary, they must come through the Planning Commission first. That includes site plans, “massing” and height changes, floor area ratios and three deed restrictions for use and operation, including a sunset clause for the commencement of construction – mid-April 2009.

The split
People who live near Headhouse Square are still divided on the issue, but Bridgeman’s has seemingly made peace with the Society Hill Civic Association. An SHCA envoy was sent to convey the group’s understated blessing.

Others complained that some neighbors were being compensated for going along with the project, while those who objected are now being penalized – something that Stein and his legal counsel readily admit (though not to the concept of penalization per se). Some residents were entitled to a parking spot as part of a covenant with the former NewMarket space, the two said. If the neighbors signed on, backing the project, that spot would be delivered.

“Some neighbors had existing legal rights to parking under NewMarket,” said Bill Martin, Stein’s lawyer. “To the extent individuals were going to actively oppose approvals, we were not going to allow them” those rights.

Commissioner Camille Cates Barnett, the city’s Managing Director, wanted to make sure she had that clear, because it was also posited that neighbors who had no such pre-existing right to a valuable parking spot could also get one, in exchange for their loyalty.

Correct, Martin said (condensing his response). So, it’s not really about the past NewMarket garage agreement at all, is it? Barnett asked. That’s right, Martin said, in effect.

Eyebrows near the ceiling, Barnett looked incredulous, but did not press. Alan Greenberger, the Planning Commission’s vice chairman and its executive director-elect, did – a bit. “I have concerns about that,” he said. “I think you should rise above it.” After consultation with a lawyer for the commission, though, he dropped the subject to concentrate on planning matters.

As for the approval of the Historical Commission, Greenberger said Stein was “on a separate path needed by the developer, but that’s not for us now.” The re-zoning has been signed into law, he said, and the mayor signed it.

The neighbor with the big guns
An interesting side story developed when Greenberger questioned one of the three deed restrictions, which bars outdoor dining on the site, something that was in the original plan.

Isn’t outdoor seating at high-end restaurants what the city wants as part of a vibrant street life? Greenberger asked. What’s up with that?

Martin explained that it was the result of losing a battle to win the war – that at least two neighbors with clout threatened to sue over the matter, and one was close to a senior partner at a major Center City law firm. Martin didn’t name names. But he did say, in no uncertain terms, that he believed that this particular neighbor may well have access to “unlimited” legal heft.

In polite terms, it was a handshake deal, in the form of a deed restriction, and in lieu of, presumably, unmitigated litigation hell from said unnamed neighbor.

This time, Greenberger was having none of it. He said if Bridgeman’s wanted to come to an agreement with an aggrieved party, it should do so privately, not under the city’s jurisdiction. Martin was fine with that – after all, the aggrieved party could end up moving, he said. If there was no deed restriction on outdoor seating, there would be no need to reappear before the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Or, he added, the angry, threatening neighbor “might die.”

Something in the way that thought was delivered, combined with Greenberger’s slight pause before continuing, gave the crowded room the opportunity for a much-needed laugh.

Contact the reporter at thomaswalsh1@gmail.com.

Home Page Summary

Planning Commission gives controversial Society Hill project the green light; other entities - historical and preservation - flash caution.

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Written By

Thomas J.W

Publish Date

August 19, 2008

Abstract

Join Governor Rendell and Mayor Nutter on Thursday

mgolas — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:45:08 -0400

Start: 07/17/2008 - 12:00pm

End: 07/17/2008 - 2:00pm

Start: 07/17/2008 - 12:00pm

End: 07/17/2008 - 2:00pm

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On behalf of the Mayor's Office, Governor Rendell and Mayor Nutter would like to invite you to two press conference events on the afternoon of Thursday, July 17th to announce the partners, funding and scope of the enhancement project along the Parkway and the development of Hawthorne Park in South Philadelphia.

The press conference on the Parkway will take place at 1pm on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, between 20th and 21st Streets. The event is rain or shine but in case of heavy weather will relocate indoors to the Moore College Of Art and Design. Both Governor Rendell and Mayor Nutter will speak.

The 2 pm press conference will take place on the future site of Hawthorne Park, located on 12th Street between Clymer and Catharine Streets. Mayor Nutter will be joined by DCNR Secretary Mike DiBerardinis, who will speak on behalf of the State.

Both of these projects will play a crucial role in the economic and cultural development of the city by creating active and attractive public spaces for residents and visitors alike.

Come on out to learn more about the scope of the projects and to celebrate the announcements with community leaders and project stakeholders. Please email Katharine Gajewski, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff, Office of Mayor Michael A. Nutter, at katharine.gajewski@phila.gov with any questions or to RSVP. Feel free to share this invitation with anyone you think might be interested in attending.

The Mayor, Govenor and DCNR Secretary hope to see you on Thursday!

The Parks Alliance

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Greensource: Organic Lawn Care Lecture

mgolas — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:12:01 -0400

Start: 06/10/2008 - 5:00pm

End: 06/10/2008 - 7:00pm

Start: 06/10/2008 - 5:00pm

End: 06/10/2008 - 7:00pm

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Pennsylvania Horticultural Society | Greensource: Organic Lawn Care Lecture

Tuesday, June 10, 6pm, Philadelphia Horticultural Society Auditorium, 100 N. 20th Street, 5th Floor. Reception and book signing to follow. RSVP to Carol Dutill at 215-988-8869 or programreg@pennhort.org. For more information, visit: www.pennsylvaniahorticulturalsociety.org

Paul Tukey, award winning author and horticulturist, will present a lively discussion about our nation’s lawn care obsession and the vast amounts of air pollution, water degradation, and health risks it generates. Offering a safer alternative, Tukey will share natural techniques that conserve resources and save money.

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Community Design Collaborative | Project Review Meeting

mgolas — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:07:56 -0400

Start: 06/17/2008 - 11:00am

End: 06/17/2008 - 12:00pm

Start: 06/17/2008 - 11:00am

End: 06/17/2008 - 12:00pm

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Tuesday, June 17 and July 1 (1st & 3rd Tuesdays), 12-1pm, Center for Architecture, 1216 Arch Street, 1st Floor.

Join us at lunchtime to hear 1-2 presentations by current volunteer teams. Share your expertise by providing your feedback and critique for these in-progress projects. Please bring a brown bag lunch. Note: AIA/CES credits (HSW) available for those attending these meetings.

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Building Success: It's all about Sustainability!

mgolas — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:56:45 -0400

Start: 06/23/2008 - 5:00pm

End: 06/23/2008 - 7:00pm

Start: 06/23/2008 - 5:00pm

End: 06/23/2008 - 7:00pm

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Building Success: It's all about Sustainability!
CES LUs TBD
date: 6/23/2008
time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
location: The Hub, LLC - 30 South 17th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
organization: Building Success
cost: Complimentary
registration: Required - Register Online
contact: Donna Serdula
phone: 646-351-8039
email: dserdula@microdesk.com
Building Success nights are a chance to hear keynote speakers - executives, experts, and prominent industry leaders - share their thoughts about emerging trends and issues shared by AECOO industry, from designers and operators, from architects to engineers.

Our next event is on June 23, 2008 and "It's all about Sustainability!" Max Zahniser, LEED-AP, NCARB will be delivering the keynote speech.

AGENDA

6:00 - 7:00 Cocktail Hour

7:00 - 7:45 Keynote Speech

7:45 - 8:00 Q&A and Roundtable discussion

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CCD noontime concert series

mgolas — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:41:34 -0400

Start: 06/25/2008 - 11:00am

End: 06/25/2008 - 12:30pm

Start: 06/25/2008 - 11:00am

End: 06/25/2008 - 12:30pm

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What: The Center City District kicks off its popular summer event programming with the Center City District Lunchtime Concert Series presented by TD Banknorth.

Free Lunchtime Concert:

When: 12-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 25

Who: Life's A Beach (Jimmy Buffet-Style)

Where: The Shops at Liberty Place, 17th & Market Streets (Rain Location: Mellon Independence Center, 701 Market Street)

Center City District Sips Happy Hours, featuring $4 cocktails, $3 wine, $2 beer and half-priced appetizers, will also take place on June 25, 5-7 p.m.

For more information on all Center City District summer events, including the lunchtime concert schedule and a list of participating Center City District Sips locations and happy hour specials, visit http://www.CenterCityPhila.org.

The 2008 summer programs are produced by the Center City District. The Center City District Lunchtime Concert Series is sponsored by TD Banknorth and METRO. Center City District Sips is sponsored by Leblon, Innovation Philadelphia, Philadelphia Weekly, Q102, METRO and Philadelphia Style.

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PhillyStat meeting on L&I and Housing

mgolas — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:20:12 -0400

Start: 06/25/2008 - 12:00pm

End: 06/25/2008 - 2:00pm

Start: 06/25/2008 - 12:00pm

End: 06/25/2008 - 2:00pm

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June 25

PhillyStat meeting with L&I and Housing concerning historic preservation

television schedule

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