Next phase of Penn Treaty Village revealed

[New2Fishtown]

Waterfront developer plans 3,000-person music venue, restaurants, a bowling alley and a distillery at Ajax Metal Works site | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

The same developer converting the warehouses at Delaware Ave and Brown proposes reusing the Ajax building for a mix of entertainment uses: bowling, distillery, concert venue. The main entrance would be on Canal Street, which the Master Plan for the Central Delaware proposes be revived as a meandering commercial street, potentially for pedestrians only. It's a shame the big reveal of the developer's plan for all of his land holdings has yet to be publicly discussed, but his focus on adaptive reuse and willingness to embrace Canal Street as an organizing principle is very encouraging. Also, where better than next to a casino and buffered by a highway to put this mix of stuff? It will certainly firm up the connection between the river and Girard Ave which is slowly coming together what with Barcade, the Barbary, etc.

[thoth]

Waterfront developer plans 3,000-person music venue, restaurants, a bowling alley and a distillery at Ajax Metal Works site | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

The same developer converting the warehouses at Delaware Ave and Brown proposes reusing the Ajax building for a mix of entertainment uses: bowling, distillery, concert venue. The main entrance would be on Canal Street, which the Master Plan for the Central Delaware proposes be revived as a meandering commercial street, potentially for pedestrians only. It's a shame the big reveal of the developer's plan for all of his land holdings has yet to be publicly discussed, but his focus on adaptive reuse and willingness to embrace Canal Street as an organizing principle is very encouraging. Also, where better than next to a casino and buffered by a highway to put this mix of stuff? It will certainly firm up the connection between the river and Girard Ave which is slowly coming together what with Barcade, the Barbary, etc.

Sounds great to me. They're already jumping all over the surface parking ****, which is annoying. 300+ parking spots for a 3,000 person venue is not that absurd. There will be plenty of additional street parking and private lots available for the hours when that venue will be active, most people will probably ride SEPTA or bikes to a later show (with alcohol, I presume) and how often are they gonna even fill that place?

[kidphilly]

Is another bowling alley really needed in the area

[thoth]

Is another bowling alley really needed in the area

Like North Bowl doesn't get packed as it is? I had to wait two hours to bowl there, and that was on a weekday. Why are Philadelphians always worried about other people opening "too many" businesses when this town is clearly hungry for more commercial growth?

[New2Fishtown]

I'm not sure how kosher it would be to suggest this at a public meeting about this project, but to the supposed parking problem, isn't there a rather enormous and rarely-anywhere-close-to-full casino parking lot across the street that a lot of concert-going people could use? I don't see why SugarHouse would even have such a problem with it to the extent that this development is creating in a separate building the kinds of additional attractions that full-scale casinos usually have, so there's bound to be some positive ripple effects for SugarHouse. I also think this is a good opportunity to talk with SEPTA, DRWC, and others about more proactively marketing just how accessible the waterfront is by other means. The Ajax building is 0.3 miles walk from the Girard MFL stop, and a trolley comes right down to its front door. I think that the critical mass of Barcade, Frankford Hall, etc has gotten a certain contingent used to the idea that you can MFL it up to Girard on a weekend night, have fun, and cab home. No reason patrons of this new project couldn't and shouldn't do the exact same thing. A lot of it is just educating people to let them know that yes, despite the fact that this area doesn't register on your mental map, it's actually very close to other places you do know, and it's possible, even pleasant, to get there without a car.

[Tail]

I'm not sure how kosher it would be to suggest this at a public meeting about this project, but to the supposed parking problem, isn't there a rather enormous and rarely-anywhere-close-to-full casino parking lot across the street that a lot of concert-going people could use? I don't see why SugarHouse would even have such a problem with it to the extent that this development is creating in a separate building the kinds of additional attractions that full-scale casinos usually have, so there's bound to be some positive ripple effects for SugarHouse. I also think this is a good opportunity to talk with SEPTA, DRWC, and others about more proactively marketing just how accessible the waterfront is by other means. The Ajax building is 0.3 miles walk from the Girard MFL stop, and a trolley comes right down to its front door. I think that the critical mass of Barcade, Frankford Hall, etc has gotten a certain contingent used to the idea that you can MFL it up to Girard on a weekend night, have fun, and cab home. No reason patrons of this new project couldn't and shouldn't do the exact same thing. A lot of it is just educating people to let them know that yes, despite the fact that this area doesn't register on your mental map, it's actually very close to other places you do know, and it's possible, even pleasant, to get there without a car.

Too hard to read, break it up into smaller paragraphs and call MFL the EL, do people really say MFL? We have the EL and the subway, not MFL and BSL.

[MarketStEl]

Too hard to read, break it up into smaller paragraphs and call MFL the EL, do people really say MFL? We have the EL and the subway, not MFL and BSL.

1) Formatting complaints are considered poor netiquette;

2) I know what people say in everyday speech; I wrote the sticky post on the Transportation forum explaining what the various terms mean. But in writing - and this is a written medium as much as it is a conversation - the proper names of the lines may, and in formal writing should, be used. You will note that news articles and press releases from SEPTA never use simply "El" or "subway." Most people understand the acronyms as well as they do the everyday terms.

Please forgive my pedantry, but this post read like a newbie's.

[phillyaggie]

I'm not sure how kosher it would be to suggest this at a public meeting about this project, but to the supposed parking problem, isn't there a rather enormous and rarely-anywhere-close-to-full casino parking lot across the street that a lot of concert-going people could use? I don't see why SugarHouse would even have such a problem with it to the extent that this development is creating in a separate building the kinds of additional attractions that full-scale casinos usually have, so there's bound to be some positive ripple effects for SugarHouse. I also think this is a good opportunity to talk with SEPTA, DRWC, and others about more proactively marketing just how accessible the waterfront is by other means. The Ajax building is 0.3 miles walk from the Girard MFL stop, and a trolley comes right down to its front door. I think that the critical mass of Barcade, Frankford Hall, etc has gotten a certain contingent used to the idea that you can MFL it up to Girard on a weekend night, have fun, and cab home. No reason patrons of this new project couldn't and shouldn't do the exact same thing. A lot of it is just educating people to let them know that yes, despite the fact that this area doesn't register on your mental map, it's actually very close to other places you do know, and it's possible, even pleasant, to get there without a car.

you're right; that area near the Girard stop is turning into an entertainment district with several different venues and options, and this new project, if approved and built to full development, would only add to it.

i wonder if that trolley on Market East that then runs north and south on Delaware Ave would be even more useful as more residents and such businesses come up in that whole area and further up along the waterfront. That trolley would make more sense with more and more people living, working, and playing there. I wonder how it would compare to the current Girard Ave trolley...I've never had the reason to use that trolley since it's just easy for me to take the El instead.

most people hated the idea of that trolley because it is redundant to the el along Market East, but if we have dense new development along the river, that or some configuration of a dedicated ROW light rail line might be good considering Obama Admin's new transit policy of funding projects/new starts that help urban density.

[mixiboi]

i wonder if that trolley on Market East that then runs north and south on Delaware Ave would be even more useful as more residents and such businesses come up in that whole area and further up along the waterfront. That trolley would make more sense with more and more people living, working, and playing there. I wonder how it would compare to the current Girard Ave trolley...I've never had the reason to use that trolley since it's just easy for me to take the El instead.

If it ever happens..it would be useful if that area becomes a entertainment hub.

[thetalkingmule]

Time to start running the El later.

[mixiboi]

Eh, the El shuttles work fine...

[ripewuddermelon]

Too hard to read, break it up into smaller paragraphs and call MFL the EL, do people really say MFL? We have the EL and the subway, not MFL and BSL.

tough guy in koreatown!!! You know why? SEPTA calls it market-frankford line!!! You call your kid Puke but now should I call hime Stink just because I like name better?!

[thetalkingmule]

Eh, the El shuttles work fine...

Takes 4 times as long!

[Tail]

tough guy in koreatown!!! You know why? SEPTA calls it market-frankford line!!! You call your kid Puke but now should I call hime Stink just because I like name better?!

Nobody in Philly calls the EL the Market Frankford Line or MFL, just transplants or when maybe giving directions to out of towners. I grew up taking the 66 to Bridge & Pratt, jumping on the EL to the subway.

It's like someone in Philly saying Pat's or Geno's cheasesteaks are good.

Lighten up crackhead.