Yesterday's story about the ZBA approvals for the project at 401 Race Street inspired some heated conversation in the comments section, and also caught the attention of Barton Partners, the project architects. A representative was kind enough to send us an updated CDR submission which contains revised renderings for the project. We haven't seen these images anywhere else, so we thought it would be a good idea to pass 'em along. First though, we'll revisit the renderings from yesterday, for the sake of comparison.
Okay, now the new stuff:
It seems these revisions were made in response to some of the feedback given at their CDR presentation over the summer. So on the one hand, it's encouraging to see that this process affected some positive change. On the other hand, some architectural tweaks don't impact our primary critique, which relates to the nature of the project itself. Redevelopment opportunities so close to Independence Mall are few and far between, so when they come about we'd contend they merit an extra level of scrutiny. And to us, a four-story apartment building just doesn't seem like a significant enough project given the location.
But with approvals from the Planning Commission and the ZBA, the project is happening whether you love it or hate it. And while a four-story apartment building here will certainly be an upgrade over a vacant warehouse, we'll always look at this property and feel like we settled for something less than perfect.