I was just checking out the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation website, www.pidc-pa.org, which is the organization that is selling the North West corner of Broad and Washington for the city. It lists the 6 prequalified developers, and says that responses were due Sept 2005, and a developer would be selected by yearend 2005.

Has anyone heard anything about the proposals? It seems like there is so much land around there if you count the two north corners, the train station, and the garage building on Washington.

The development team at Marine Club said that there are some big players bidding on the sites, and Dranoff is a front runner for the West corner. I wish I had real facts.

According to the PIDC website the list is:

* Dranoff Properties and Universal Companies
* K. Hovnanian Homes and Moreland Development, LLC
* Matrix Development Group
* Metro Development
* Pitcairn Properties and Pulte Homes
* Toll Brothers

Don't forget, you got to pay-to-play.

While redevelopment is good, it's a shame they tore down the Wanamaker Shirtwaist factory on that site around 1995. If they had just held on a few more years, it could have been converted to residential a la the Bella Vista Lofts down the street.