Think i put this on the wrong thread before.


For over 2 years they have planned the start of the revamping of the Front to 8th Street corridor of South Street?

Does anyone have an update on when this was going to start. It has been delayed 3 times now and it is my believe that Head House District has the money and they are waiting on the go ahead or taking bids from contractors.

The cleanup will entail: A New Street, with brand new curbs and side walks, new LIGHTS and New Trees every 30 feet.

I believe that this would make South Street truly the destination it needs to be to attract the upscale crowed that they are aiming for.

The Street has gotten so much nicer in the last few years especially the first few blocks, this will only help speed the progress up!


Details?? Updates??

Upscale crowd they're aiming for? Something doesn't seem right about that statement.

The improvements have actually been in the works since 1995:
http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/me...-2176830.shtml

It is not a matter of "south street" having the money. Once the ball is in progress, the business district is out of it and it becomes the responsibility of the city and penndot.

A contractor was just picked by the city this month, and right now the finalization of plans are occuring.

People cannot wave a magic wand that makes the city and state move any faster; as bureacracy caused delay after delay, construction costs have risen 300-500% due to the risen prices of construction supplies and labor-mainly a national phenomenon due to katrina and associated disasters. As construction costs constantly rose, the business district had to run around to every politician to find more funds to get the job completed-otherwise the already granted money would of been sent to another area of the city.

The final part of money didn't even come about until October 11th:
http://ework.phila.gov/philagov/news...ase.asp?id=335

The funny part of the whole scenario is that the funds initially granted for the project were intended to improve areas where school crosssings exist, and where students cross to get to and from school. Strange, I've never seen more than one or two kids cross south street on a given school morning...yet another shady city deal by orth-rogers:
Yeah, let's make south street safer for the children-what bullsh*t
http://www.orth-rodgers.com/flash_si...s/archive.html
March 17, 2005 — City of Philadelphia Commerce Department Receives Grant

The City of Philadelphia will be able to significantly expand its ability to make streets around schools safer for children thanks to $1 million in funding announced March 8th by PennDOT. The money comes from an initiative by Gov. Rendell called Home Town Streets and Safe Routes to School. The program uses federal transportation money to reimburse groups for work. Local agencies must find funding to cover 20 percent of the project's cost.

Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc. was hired by the Commerce Department to provide streetscape design services in association with ORA's Southeast Quadrant Signalization Improvements project from 2003. The Streets Department requested the Commerce Department hire ORA so one construction package (signalization and streetscape) could be approved.

Below the article you can see south street bureaucrats, the city, and orth rodgers accept a check-you know, for the kids!!!!

__________________
Magellan2's prescription:
ATTENTION ALL READERS...
DISCLAIMER: Alesis is a South Street business owner
(keep that in mind when reading his or her responses)

No one is aiming for an "upscale" crowd except for the few neighbors who want it to be so, even though they'll still go to jersey or kop for their shopping needs. They seem to wish to ignore every stat which contradicts their wishes.

__________________
Magellan2's prescription:
ATTENTION ALL READERS...
DISCLAIMER: Alesis is a South Street business owner
(keep that in mind when reading his or her responses)

The Street is cleaned each day, the shops have gotten a bit nicer and have now catered to more of a more educated well dressed person. I know this is all general, but it takes viewing the slow changes to realize it is going on. The Restaurants are obviously getting better and the vacancies are way down from previous eras.

The City is espcially making it a bit more attractive now that you have Million dollar homes on both sides of South Street from 8th all the way down to Front Street. Overall it has seen great change.

If you could turn a switch and view what it looked like 10 years ago you would see what I mean, but the change has been a very very slow gradual one.

With the revamping of South Street and the improvements to Head House Square the whole area will be much much more attractive overnight once the project is completed.

because well dressed equals educated? sounds like something someone who wasn't educated might say.

You're talking about the entire city-not just south street. I woulda shoulda coulda bought the lucy's hatshop building for 160k but thought it was too much a mere decade ago. Could of bought an entire building on walnut street for 240k-now getting a studio condo that size is a mere pastime. A home on kater that was 35k in 94 is now 10times the price. Its got nothing to do with "million dollar homes" that realtors are claiming to be in society hill when they're actually in QV, its simply that shoddy developers are buying land and maximizing it with less-than-average construction and slapping a premium pricetag on poo.

10 years ago there were unique businesses and nearly no vacancies. Today the street is, after a decade, at a higher vacancy rate than the center city district.

Will street improvements make the street prettier-sure, but it will also cost people jobs and owners their businesses during the process. Chestnut Street is finally rebounding from their years of a streetscape fiasco, and the executive director of the Center City District has strongly warned the south street area of what closures will do to the business climate....

But your perception is much better than the facts I have at my disposal, so please continue.

__________________
Magellan2's prescription:
ATTENTION ALL READERS...
DISCLAIMER: Alesis is a South Street business owner
(keep that in mind when reading his or her responses)

Hungry- It is merely that the area has attracted a higher end clientele these days thats all. The city is doing a good job, since South Street is a main tourist attraction. Why shouldnt the South Street Corridor be more like Georgetown or Manyunk.

Either way thats the direction it is headed, not just because I have lived here for a year or so, but because that is where it is headed.

I believe it is in the best interest to Make the corridor more like G-Town it is something the city can take pride in.

When I say well dressed, more educated, it is my politically correct way of saying there is less Rift Raft. Of course this is a progress in the making, and it will take years, but it is transpiring before my eyes. I wish I would have bought my place before the prices went sky high. Now I cant afford.

1- Chestnut Street looks a hell of alot better these days-
2-The businesses have been warned plenty, and I believe that one of the deals they have with PenDot and the city is that no business will have to be closed. Yes, inconvienenced but not closed. 1 block at a time I believe, 1 side of the block and then the other.
3-Vacancies are all relative my friend. When Landlords are asking extreme rents that is what they get.

Ever hear the old Real Estate theory that once the banks come in, rentals are unaffordable? Well now we have 3 large branches in the area. This escalates the rental numbers. Citi Bank joines Commerce (busy as hell) and Wachovia.

Either way I agree with you that the businesses need to be careful through this time period, but assuming it starts in February then 3rd -5th can be completed before the tourists season of the summer.


Do you not agree that we can make this area of Philly more like GTown??






You wrote: Will street improvements make the street prettier-sure, but it will also cost people jobs and owners their businesses during the process. Chestnut Street is finally rebounding from their years of a streetscape fiasco, and the executive director of the Center City District has strongly warned the south street area of what closures will do to the business climate....

But your perception is much better than the facts I have at my disposal, so please continue.

You want it to be like Georgetown?

More thefts in a day than a month around south street.

A friend of mine who is a relatively known band got carjacked and shot in the middle of the day.

And you may want to ask a british family how they're feeling after having their relative die from having his throat sliced in georgetown.

And the high profile "hate crimes" that have been going on in Georgetown are just what I want in my residential and business location!

So, if you want to make South Street like the projects-er-georgetown, be my guest-but I don't recall a random murder on this street, with the exception of one which unfortunately turned out to be a stalker against an unsuspecting woman.

__________________
Magellan2's prescription:
ATTENTION ALL READERS...
DISCLAIMER: Alesis is a South Street business owner
(keep that in mind when reading his or her responses)