Oh, We Got Trouble
It's not just baseball, football, or cycling anymore. Welcome to Development on Steroids, also known as Philadelphia River City, a 10-building, 12-million- square-foot, 3700-apartment, two-hotel, and one-60-story tower complex being proposed for northwest Center City between 23rd Street and the Schuylkill River. Here's an artist's rendering of the site.
I support the responsible development of Center City and other parts of Philadelphia and have been critical of those who adopt an "enough is enough" attitude 10 minutes after they move in. But, that said, one has to ask: Are you bleeping kidding me?
Disclosure time: I'm neither an urban planning or architectural expert, although I am by years of experience a city living expert. If built, the shadows cast by Philadelphia River City will literally fall on FCB World Headquarters and kill off the western view from the top floor of FCB HQ. And it says something about what is happening in Center City that, despite this proximity, River City is not even the closest multi-housing development within the sound of these keyboard clicks. So, I definitely have a dog in this fight.
But I have to question both the wisdom and the feasibility of the proposed complex. Is it necessary that every inch of Center City have a building on it? Why make it harder for many to see the magnificent facade of 30th Street Station? Why do developers want to mess with the great open view of 30th Street Station as you walk up JFK Boulevard, which is the second-best walking view in town after the Art Museum/City Hall corridor on the Ben Franklin Parkway? Okay, I know the answer to that one -- money. What is the point of a height limitation in a zoning code if someone can seriously seek a variance to allow a building eight times higher than the law permits? How will people get into, out of, and past this behemoth, given the existing roads and the geographical limits imposed by the Schuylkill River? And how much money will all this cost taxpayers, both in the form of necessary infrastructure improvements as well as lost revenue if the development becomes a Keystone Opportunity Zone, entitling businesses and their well-heeled employees to forego state and local taxes?
Governor Rendell is on record as supporting Philadelphia River City, which is hardly surprising since he loves big developers only slightly less than his lovely wife and cheesesteaks. So let's hope that the mayoral candidates and other officials begin an extended public discussion about the merits of this project.
I support the responsible development of Center City and other parts of Philadelphia and have been critical of those who adopt an "enough is enough" attitude 10 minutes after they move in. But, that said, one has to ask: Are you bleeping kidding me?
Disclosure time: I'm neither an urban planning or architectural expert, although I am by years of experience a city living expert. If built, the shadows cast by Philadelphia River City will literally fall on FCB World Headquarters and kill off the western view from the top floor of FCB HQ. And it says something about what is happening in Center City that, despite this proximity, River City is not even the closest multi-housing development within the sound of these keyboard clicks. So, I definitely have a dog in this fight.
But I have to question both the wisdom and the feasibility of the proposed complex. Is it necessary that every inch of Center City have a building on it? Why make it harder for many to see the magnificent facade of 30th Street Station? Why do developers want to mess with the great open view of 30th Street Station as you walk up JFK Boulevard, which is the second-best walking view in town after the Art Museum/City Hall corridor on the Ben Franklin Parkway? Okay, I know the answer to that one -- money. What is the point of a height limitation in a zoning code if someone can seriously seek a variance to allow a building eight times higher than the law permits? How will people get into, out of, and past this behemoth, given the existing roads and the geographical limits imposed by the Schuylkill River? And how much money will all this cost taxpayers, both in the form of necessary infrastructure improvements as well as lost revenue if the development becomes a Keystone Opportunity Zone, entitling businesses and their well-heeled employees to forego state and local taxes?
Governor Rendell is on record as supporting Philadelphia River City, which is hardly surprising since he loves big developers only slightly less than his lovely wife and cheesesteaks. So let's hope that the mayoral candidates and other officials begin an extended public discussion about the merits of this project.
posted by FCB at 6:20 PM
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