Thursday, May 30, 2013

Drexel University “Campus Master Plan”

Drexel is calling thier recent real estate developments and acquistions thier Campus Master Plan. Seems like what Drexel U is planning in West Philadelphia are new planters, benches, upgrades to existing buildings, etc. However, Drexel University has acquired a property at 32nd and Market, a 26,675 square foot triangular parcel. The parcel’s exact future use hasn’t been determined.

Additional potential real estate develpment has Drexel going east to 30th Street, west to 40th Street and north to Spring Graden Street. This pushes Drexel into residential West Philadelphia neighborhoods and will they have resistance as UPENN did? To read more…

drexel

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

US Regional Map of Year of Year Real Estate Sales

US Regional Map of Year of Year Real Estate Sales

If you real estate is up from the talking heads on national news channels, this map tells you how local areas are doing. Remember real estate is local, especially in Philadelphia where it can vary block by block.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100424686

Monday, May 27, 2013

Philadelphia Planning Commission approves rezoning on American St

A real estate development company is planning a two-phase, 320-unit mixed-use apartment complex in Philadelphia, PA on American Street between Master and Thompson.  This past Tuesday the Philadelphia City Planning Commission recommended approval of a bill that would rezone to commercial mixed-use.  The main concern from South Kensington Community Partners is street level parking.  For more details…

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Some Stats on Haddington neighborhood of West Philadelphia

Saw this in the Philadelphia Inquirer today.  The article discusses the Haddington neighborhood of West Philadelphia. Its borders are Haverford Avenue/Girard Avenue to the north, 52nd Street to the east, Market Street to the south, and 67th Street to the most western edge of the neighborhood.  Rehabbed properties sell for $80,000 to $90,000.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Zoning Board Hearing on Canal Street Entertainment Complex in Fishtown

A Real Estate Developer received conditional approval for its development of  the Penn Treaty Village that would include a bowling-alley, concert-venue, restaurant, distillery and a Toby Keith bar located on Canal Street in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA.

The project would turn the vacant Ajax Building at the corner of Delaware and Frankford into a concert venue run by Live Nation; it would be a Fillmore venue, like the former TLA on South Street. The venue’s maximum occupancy would be 3,000, and a representative of Live Nation said the group plans to hold around 65 concerts a year.

The plan includes two surface parking lots, and it would make an existing non-accessory sign on the Ajax Building permanent.  To read more

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Real Estate Development Plans For West Philly

The proposed 24-story Drexel University dorm building at 34th and Lancaster in West Philadelphia was discussed during the Planning Commission monthly meeting. The building will contain 351 residential units, accommodating 1,361 residents, and commercial space on the ground floor. Also, it would include 89 onsite parking spaces [I recommend more onsite parking spaces for 1361 residents].

The planning and zoning processes in Philadelphia are not proceeding perfectly. The new zoning code requires real estate developments to go through a fairly rigid series of steps, and the city generally wants to avoid piecemeal amendments to the zoning maps. At the same time, the Planning Commission is performing a neighborhood-by-neighborhood remapping, which is not supposed to be complete for the next few years.    To learn more...