Senior Housing in the Italian Market - PhillyBlog

It'sJessMe · #1 (**permalink**) 06-28-2007, 06:10 PM

I'm a little surprised not to have seen any discussion about this article yet.
http://www.southphillyreview.com/vie...le.php?id=5806

Here's an excerpt.

Quote:

Pointing to the part of the icehouse closest to Washington, the two marveled how American Ice and Coal Co. could still be read in faded white paint on the massive brick edifice.
But not for long. By year’s end, the structurally damaged relic will have a date with the wrecking ball to make way for a brand-new, two-story mixed-use facility of senior housing and retail shops, 1st District Councilman Frank DiCicco said. With architectural plans already drawn up, the project will cost a minimum of $800,000 to $1 million and feature 51 rental apartments on the second floor and about five to seven shops at ground level, DiCicco said.

I can understand how people are upset about their area being labeled "blighted", but if this works out it seems to be a great idea. That stretch of 9th is just primed for revitalization.

SwiftLyons · #2 (**permalink**) 06-28-2007, 08:32 PM

Its too bad they gotta get rid of the icehouse. My grandmother and grandfather met there, about 100yrs ago.

asiamommi · #3 (**permalink**) 06-28-2007, 10:38 PM

Do you think it would be twisted if they used the name Icehouse for a senior citizens residence?

nativephl · #4 (**permalink**) 06-28-2007, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by It'sJessMe

I'm a little surprised not to have seen any discussion about this article yet.
http://www.southphillyreview.com/vie...le.php?id=5806

Here's an excerpt.

I can understand how people are upset about their area being labeled "blighted", but if this works out it seems to be a great idea. That stretch of 9th is just primed for revitalization.

Good article, but how the hell is a home for poor elderly people going to stimulate interest in the Italian market?? Yes the city should be building homes for the aged, but not on freakin 9th Street.

It'sJessMe · #5 (**permalink**) 06-28-2007, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nativephl

Good article, but how the hell is a home for poor elderly people going to stimulate interest in the Italian market?? Yes the city should be building homes for the aged, but not on freakin 9th Street.

I think it's the 8 storefronts on the ground level that's supposed to stimulate interest.

seand · #6 (**permalink**) 06-29-2007, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by It'sJessMe

I can understand how people are upset about their area being labeled "blighted", but if this works out it seems to be a great idea. That stretch of 9th is just primed for revitalization.

Being labeled "blighted" doesn't mean anything in the City of Philadlephia. Its just the most well traveled route to the RDA excercising eminent domain to forcibly take over land. The land for the Comcast building was taken by beind declared "blighted" i believe - as was/is most of the land for the Convention Center expansion. I would argue its an abuse of the intent of the law but someplace being declared "blighted" in Philly is actually an indication that a district councilperson or government agency has interest enough in property to spend tax dollars to forcibly acquire it - i.e. if it is called "blighted" - its precisely because its been diegned valuable enough by a politico to expend limited funds and poltical juice anough to take it. "Blighted" in other words = valuable. Abdonned but not declared anything = well actually "blighted" the way you and i would use the term. They almost never declare it blighted till they have a project like this one already sort of "lined up" to deliver the land to.

This looks like it may be a very interesting project, though I had heard that despite the rosy tone of this article that feelings at Passayunk Civic were not exactly so upbeat in its initial stage of planning. Essentially that DiCicco was very, very secretive about the plans - that he was sending the message in no uncertain terms "this is a done deal - don't ask too many quesitons or muck it up or I might cause you problems with something else" - stuff to that effect. I mean it looks like it might be a very positive development and who knows if along the way the project possibly got "tweaked" to make it more palatable so this is actually an improved version of the orginal proposal.

For what its worth, I have heard that the actual developer (who gets the tax credits as mentioned in the article) as opposed to the church under whose name te project is being built will actually make a decent but debatably not exorbitant profit on the deal - and just so happens to be a DiCicco contributor. Depending on your persepctive, you may just say well thats how things get done in Philly and overall the project is much better than letting it sit there but the profitable developer working for a non-profit game is one that does get abused in this town. Particualarly by my councilwoman, Jannie Blackwell and by NW Philly's Donna Reed Miller.

Again not trying to pick on this project - it looks like it might be quite good for the block, particularly the street level retail part - just that I had heard the early stages of planning were maybe a little more contentious than the article portrays it - and that possibly the project as it now described in the article may be a little better from a neighborhood perspective as a result. Or so I heard.

I'm sure others may want to chime in here.