9th and Girard Development

[eldondre]

so, this is in between NL and Fairmount forums so I'm putting it in north philly, where they all belong anyway.

North Philly: Proposals to zone out industry and make it easier to open stores and offices in the Southwest Temple Urban Renewal area, which is actually southEAST of Temple's campus, around 9th and Girard, including Bart Blatstein/Tower Development's proposed 901 Girard Associates shopping center;

Read more: Philly plans: 3 new Drexel dorms; Blatstein at 9/Girard | PhillyDeals | 07/15/2011
would be nice to see a residential component as well. seems like a good time to rebuild the girard ave regional rail stop
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

901 Girard Associates proposes to develop these parcels along with adjacent privately owned
properties into a supermarket and retail shopping plaza. The anticipated development cost is $15
million and will be paid by the developer through personal funds.
The disposition price will be $90,000. Sale of these properties complies with the Authority’s Land
Disposition Policy.

http://www.phila.gov/rda/PDFs/7-11-2...%20Website.pdf

[s3quoia]

LoopNet - Imani Square Shopping Center, Retail Pad, 901 W. Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA

It's nice from the draw-up picture. I don't like the idea about Sav A Lot but it would be nice to have a store closer to my house.

[mixiboi]

That is funny, because I was just looking at that area last week and wondering when it get built up this area of Girard will BOOM.....Guess Bart was looking too....



And S3quoia, god that is OLD. lol I remember that being purposed back in 2003. It never came to form, well the Dunkin Dounats happen....


This is new and hopefully is more on what Blatstein does now vs what he USED to do(See Manayunk Theater Complex or River View Plaza).

[s3quoia]

I wonder why no one commented on it. Cause I was going through retail stores and I saw that. I would like to own a store on Girard.

[girardo19122]

It seems maybe a little close to the supermarkets at Pathmark/Superfresh at 2nd & Girard (7 blocks) and Fresh Grocer (8 or 9 blocks). And the mid-size Fine Fare at 7th & Girard. I guess Bart knows what he's doing tho....?

[bmp02]

Agree. Its about time. That land has been sitting idle for years!!

[3rd&Brown]

This is new and hopefully is more on what Blatstein does now vs what he USED to do(See Manayunk Theater Complex or River View Plaza).

I wouldn't count on it. Bart only elevates his game when everyone is watching. His small infill projects in Northern Liberties are complete crap. Even the most recent stuff. I'm staring at it now, from One Shot Coffee. His "houses" on George Street look like plastic abortions. The street is completely torn up and hasn't been fixed, and it's absolutely filled with litter (another objection to garage front rowhomes...when you drive into your house, as opposed to walking into it, it's well...harder to see the trash (and motivate yourself to pick it up)).

Anyways, so no, I doubt you'll get anything like what it on 2nd Street or on Temple's campus.

[eldondre]

the obligatory what used to be there pics
9th looking west, 1909


looking east, 1912 (including the old station at girard ave)

[3rd&Brown]

and now we gotta dunkin. gotta love that.

so sad.

[girardo19122]

I attended today's PCPC meeting The three actions that the staff recommended for approval for the 9th & Girard site (approving the redevelopment agreement to sell the RDA portion of the site and two text changes to the urban renewal plan) were approved by the commissioners. Benjamin Jennings of the West Poplar NAC spoke and was supportive of the action. The commissioners did seem a bit concerned about the proximity to Cousin's, Fresh Grocer, Superfresh, but seemed reassured that the new owners were not completely decided on a supermarket, as they would indeed may be cannabalizing their own market (Superfresh). The project will still need to come back to the commission for rezoning. Meantime, the Councilman's office plans to hold a joint meeting of Yorktown, Ludlow and West Poplar NAC to start getting community input.

[eldondre]

this almost seems like a worse idea than vacant land or a park

The plans 901 Girard Associates has submitted to the RDA call for a supermarket and a retail strip center, each being about 20,000 square feet. “We're not going to get a lot of retail there. It's not going to be one of the heavy-hitters. But it will be in community-serving retail,” Fecteau said...The planning commission is asking the civic associations in the area to hold one joint community meeting with the developer to discuss the project before it reaches city council and/or the ZBA. The communities include Ludlow, Yorktown and West and East Poplar....Staff is concerned about the impact the back of the structure would have on the residential properties behind it on Thompson Street. “We want a development that respects the surroundings,” he said...Fecteau said staff was pondering if the grocery store would serve a different market between Progress Plaza, geared toward more affordable shopping, or the proposed 2nd and Girard grocery store, which is supposed to be upscale.(of course, it's a sueprfresh, which isn't upscale but middle of the road)...Fecteau said this is one of the discussions commission staff is having. “We do want to see something a little more urban,” he said. But staff also realizes that it's a difficult site to build on, he said, as visibility from Girard Avenue is essential. “It's going to take a creative architect,” he said.

Girard and 9th project calls for supermarket, retail | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future
given all that, I'd expect a typical strip mall with a sav a lot or something. nothing against sav a lot, but I'd think the area could use something other than a strip mall. perhaps something that might bring a little more life to the stretch

[Kukla65th]

Someone has to stop letting subpar stuff go on Girard...no more surface lots in front of development!

We sat for years looking at that crap development at 12th and Girard sit empty...now it's open and Popeye's Chicken was allowed to paint their part of the building, too. Stupid.

[hammersklavier]

I could see Save-A-Lot or Aldi (which would serve as a downmarket version of the midmarket Fresh Grocer and soon-to-be Superfresh)...but a strip mall? Really? You disappoint, Blatstein.

[eldondre]

I could see Save-A-Lot or Aldi (which would serve as a downmarket version of the midmarket Fresh Grocer and soon-to-be Superfresh)...but a strip mall? Really? You disappoint, Blatstein.

it sounds like, and maybe I'm reading it wrong, that's what the RDA is actually asking to have built....much like they did with the popeyes strip.

[MariusPontmercy]

It's next to the faux-suburban projects. They wanted it to fit in.