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Yesterday, Brad Maule of Phillyskyline introduced us to New River City, an ambitious project along the Schuylkill planned by Daroff for World Acquisition Partners and Patriot Parking Corporation.
As you can see from the screenshot there, Daroff designed the project using SimCity, but it’s still a pretty neat project: a series of towers (for various uses) to be built along the Schuylkill River and JFK Boulevard. Of course, it’s also a ridiculously expansive project, and this is Philadelphia:
As is true, of course, for Philadelphia River City. Ten towers is a lot to expect of any city outside of New York and Chicago at once, much less within a single project. Factor in the costs and risks involved in building over TWO separate railroad tracks (Septa’s and CSX’s) and it gets that much trickier. Factor in over 15,000 users (residents and visitors) a day. Factor in parking (much of which could be robotic). Factor in the challenges of Philadelphia bureaucracy and the abominable NIMBY. It’s a big, big IF.
As of now, that bureaucracy is in motion. The developers and architects have already submitted the project, as one big master plan, as opposed to several little plans, to L&I for review. With so many assets — retail where there is currently nothing, public access to the Schuylkill River Park where there is currently controversy with CSX, a muffler over CSX’s noisy, stinky trains, two hotels in a city that is sorely underserved, an Olympic sized pool, a skating rink, a Jetsons-age people mover from River City across the river and to 30th Street Station, and a totally changed skyline — one would think it could clear those hurdles.
Indeed. Will this all actually happen? In a word, “Ohhellnaw!” But, hey, Daroff Design zoned a couple sections residential and commercial and got the SimCitizens to move in, so we can dream…
Phillyskyline.com
SimCity [Wikipedia]
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Great optimism. People like you retain that awful attitude that holds Philadelphia from being even greater.
If individuals such as the author of this article would exchange skepticism for enthusiasm, they might actually trigger the popular groundswell necessary to move a grand project such as this from simulation to reality.
I think the mega project can be a reality. If you can build the worlds largest trade center in Indonesia, You can build the mega structure proposed. However, I do think it is somewhat of a challenge to build all of the towers at one time, but this is America where we build alot of things that people think is impossibe. For example, US Government just build USS Virgina for the Navy. A huge submarine that has incredible capibilities. The submarine was build via CAD. CAD is a computer aided technology that allows you to build a structure and create a “ready to build” blueprint on the computer. Anyhow, when this structure was complete via CAD, it was build. As a result, It was successful. Anyway the mega project that the company is proposing is possible but challenging as well. Further, I think Philadelphia needs an extreme makeover anyhow. I also think we deserve to be big City like Chicago and New York if we are going to compete with the big boys.
This is a comment I posted recently on Inga Saffron’s blog about the Philadelphia River City project. I hope it gives you some perspective about what we are trying to accomplish.
Dear Posadelphia: Thank you for your comments and questions. This is exactly what our team is looking for from the community at large. Our desire for open dialogue with the community is also something that was missed by Ms. Saffron in her assault on the preliminary development plan and the people behind it. Now to your questions as stated in your last two posts:
Project Timing
1. There are no formal development timelines at present. We are too early in the process to be anywhere close to establishing a construction schedule. That being said, we do have certain generalized timing goals for the project. During the next two years we will be finishing the development plans and seeking permits for the surface parcels located adjacent to the river on 23rd Street between JFK Blvd. and Cherry Lane (the “River Parcels”), with actual construction occurring thereafter. This is the logical first step, as these parcels will not require the infrastructure work that the air rights development over the Septa tracks will. Additionally, the River Parcels will be primarily for residential, entertainment and retail uses (including a state of the art parking facility); with a significant portion of the public amenities and improvements to be located in this section of the development including access to the park and river. Of course not all of the structures designated for the River Parcels will be built at once, but will be phased in over the course of ten or more years depending on market conditions and demand.
2. During the first five years we hope to begin the infrastructure work for the air rights development over the Septa tracks. This will require building a plinth that will serve as the base of the buildings in this portion of the project and also house a large parking area. We do not anticipate this aspect of construction to occur until we are ready to construct the first building on this portion of the property. The completion of the air rights aspect of the project is anticipated to take over twenty to thirty years, and will also be driven by market conditions.
Realities to Fantasize About
The overarching theme that drives this project is the development team’s desire to do something really special in and for Philadelphia. Yes….we want to make a financial profit, but the best way to do that is to build something spectacular. This project will be the first of its magnitude in Philadelphia to seek certification to the U.S. Green Building Council LEEDS Gold Standard for green projects (see http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19 for more information on this). Some of the more exciting aspects of the development are the public amenities that will be built, including significant open space with a people mover connection to 30th Street Station and easy access to the park and river. When combined with the parking facilities, restaurants, entertainment, media center and retail offerings, Philadelphia River City will be both a gateway to Center City from the west and a landmark component of city life.
The final dimensions and look of Philadelphia River City will be the result of working closely with the Logan Square community, Philadelphia citizens groups and government officials whose input will be taken seriously. While it is impossible for everyone to get everything they want, especially the developers; a successful end result will only come from cooperation amongst the stakeholders and not force-feeding.
Andrew Teitelman, Esquire
General Counsel
World Acquisition Partners Corporation
AndyT@WorldAcquisitionPartners.com