this is great news!
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/9533327.htm

In general, yes, it sounds like good news. I hope things are done right.

Anyone have any idea what exactly Street's "land assembly and demolition project" entails?

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D'oh! I wanted to buy one of those rowhouses in the photo but my realtor at the time dropped the ball and never followed up. I figured I'd try again in a few years and here the DN goes and tells everyone "my" idea. Now the prices will double and I'll be stuck in the suburbs for another five years.

On a less selfish note, that's great news for north Philly, which really needs a shot in the arm.

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(Avatar stolen from this nifty project.)

me too. one good thing is that there are tons of great houses innorth philly.

There's some spectacular architecture in North Philadelphia to be sure, though I expect much of it will be gone in the next ten years. Nevertheless, it's such a blighted area that it's hard not be excited by big projects, even of new housing. As long as it's mixed with preservation and renovation.

The other day I drove down 12th Street south of Catherine and was amazed - I guess as part of Universal's big project around there, there were a number of really pretty impressive "infill" rowhouses - new houses bulit in the gaps between the old ones. They were for the most part nicely designed, with interesting features, and complemented the old houses very well. They actually made those once-blighted blocks look whole again. Pretty amazing.

Used to live a block or so from those houses in the picture and walked by them at least once a week. Kind of cool to see the renovation going on around there first-hand. Every time I saw one of those huge rowhomes along Girard go up for sale, I wished I had a steady job so I could buy it. Probably couldn't afford any of them now.

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We're discussing it over on Fishtown.us

http://fishtown.us/modules.php?name=...=0&thold=0

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

Neil---I think the best chanced to save the architecture around N phila is to have people invest in making the area more attractive...there will be some concerns over gentrification...that story was excellent , and Earni Young is to be commended for aggregating a lot of details into a veyr impressive whole

And---Kenny Gamble's Universal development you mention (on both sides of broad) is a good example---he actually likes gentrification, because it gives him more funds to redevelop more, and ther's actually some housing integration down there----moreso than virtually ANY spot in the metro area (at least any spot where people CHOOSE to live)-----

Brooke (respectfully) what is the "it" you are discussing in Fishtown?

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SPM

Did you click on it? The article, the real estate development, and of course, the potential bottom dropping out.

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Resident of Fishtown, Moderator of Fish/No. Libs/Kenzo forum, Real Estate Agent-Prudential Fox & Roach

Interestingly enough, Gamble's Universal Development has announced that they will cut back development in SW Philadelphia because house values are begining to take off - instead, they will let market forces work.

Even better, they are going to set up workshops, etc. to help neighborhood residents take advantage of the boomlet.

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