There's a small commercial building at 15th & Hamilton, on the eastern edge of the campus for the Community College of Philadelphia, which will soon be on the outs. Had things broken differently, this site could have been the backyard of Philadelphia's second casino, but instead it will be home to roughly five-hundred new units of student housing. Considering the current situation, just about any change would represent an upgrade. Well, aside from a casino.
Last week, Philly.com reported that CCP will be teaming up with Radnor Property Group to construct two new 11-story buildings on this site with an eye toward attracting international students (who somehow pay three times as much as American students). These buildings, designed by BLT Architects, will include parking and a retail component as well. We're perhaps most pleased about the mid-rise scale of the buildings, it seems we don't see too much new construction of this size in Philadelphia.
We're generally thrilled about this plan, as these buildings are as a massive improvement over what's here today. Though it's a block away, we see this project as an extension of the buzzing North Broad Street corridor, which continues to head in a positive direction.
We're curious to see, though, what kind of success CCP will have in its strategy of recruiting international students to live here, as their initial goal will be 300 new students in the next five years. If they're indeed able to attract a large international population with dedicated housing, then alternate housing possibilties in surrounding neighborhoods won't represent much of a threat. If, on the other hand, CCP can't recruit enough international students for these buildings, they may quickly find themselves renting to non-students or grappling with unfilled apartments. Fortunately, they'll have the next couple of years to figure it all out.