Washington Ave. Update

A quick update on a muggy afternoon:


It appears at least one person finds large, blank walls appealing in our 'hood. Unfortunately for Phat Mot (our fine strip mall magnate), said person is a graffiti artist, who struck a few days ago.


This morning, a most decidedly non-union workforce continued to build. Did anyone try to clean the graffiti off? Of course not! There's perfectly good brick to plaster over, and shiny...tile...things to put up! Feel the excitement!

Strip-mall in the city

Well, you can't win 'em all. On the heels of the great restaurant news in my last post, crappy, generic construction has started on a strip-mall on 23rd and Washington Avenue. Great news, if you are a fan of the traffic jams, yellow stucco and fulminant trash bins on 6th and 11th streets (all the same developer).


This project was opposed from the start by the neighborhood association, actual neighbors, and even the local city councilwoman. Undeterred, and convinced of eventual success, the developers quietly (and illegally) built the majority of the mall behind the existing factory walls. For 9 years the proposal was continually rejected by the ZBA, until last year. Then, suddenly, the project was granted approval, as is. As the pictures show, the construction looks even worse when compared to its neighbors- in this case, a beautiful all-brick 19th century schoolhouse.






No one is really sure why (stop by Sidecar after a SOSNA meeting and you may hear some good conspiracy theories), but it was probably just a case of not wanted to look "anti-business" when unemployment is in the double digits. Now, any project is a good project, apparently. The ruling has been appealed, but construction has already resumed in the meantime. I'm glad for the appeal, but I'm not particularly hopeful. I think the city sees $$ from this project, and doesn't particularly care where money comes from right now. How much are you willing to put up with for good Pho?


Fun.
Comically, this door is still locked.

Redevelopment at the namesake

Story goes like this: Neighborhood of uncertain description starts to redevelop after decades of hard times. Realtors jump aboard and christen the 'hood "Graduate Hospital" in the listings, because hey, it's a big building and it's close by. Intrepid blogger (not me) gets feisty, shortens name to G-Ho. Actual Graduate Hospital almost immediately goes under, gets bought and renamed by the ever-expanding Penn borg. Meanwhile, the old offices a few blocks away sit empty.

Fast forward to the present day, where like the vaguely communist art on the building, better days are just ahead, comrade. After months in zoning hell (which may actually be worse than Hollywood's development hell), the Grasso group finally has permission to start work on YACC (yet another condo conversion). Why has such an unremarkable (if obviously positive) development made this blog lurch back to life? Three words (give or take a letter):



Honey's Sit 'N Eat. Go ahead, look at the menu. I'll wait.

Excited yet? There's more. The newly completed 777 South Broad building will soon be home to a fancy-pants, better than drugs sit-in Indian restuarant by the guys who brought you Tiffin. Remember when all we had was Sidecar?

In short, three cheers to developers who save space for commercial tenants, and who ink clients that the city already loves. So look while you can, because hopefully in the near future, vacant space 'round these parts will be a thing of the past.


-Brian

SEPTA Expansion map

Based on a population density map, I tried to draw in a few new subway lines for the city and SEPTA. What do you think?

South Street Bridge Update

One year in, the hulk of metal and concrete above the Schuylkill is starting to look like a bridge again. A sampling of pictures taken on 1/27/10:

From over the highway...

to over the river.



The underneath view:



Center City, as seen from the weave bridge:

The weave bridge, as seen from, well, the weave bridge.
And finally, the end of the bridge as seen from Penn.

Pictures from the East side coming soon.