We’ll never forget attending the 2008 “WFC” Phillies parade, seeing Pat Burrell and his dog Elvis leading the charge down Broad Street in a horse-drawn wagon from Budweiser. Our parade-watching spot was the 700 block of S. Broad Street, across from 777 South Broad, which was under construction at the time. Looking back <gulp> seventeen years the changes that have occurred on this stretch in a relatively short period of time are rather remarkable.
Obviously, 777 South Broad was completed, adding about 150 units and a number of commercial spaces to the mix. About a decade later Lincoln Square arrived, filling a long vacant lot on the northwest corner of Broad & Washington, adding hundreds of units, national retailers, and plenty of parking. Most recently, One Thousand One completed its first phase on the northeast corner of Broad & Washington. When it’s done, it will include over a thousand units, a grocery store, a Wonder, and more. Not bad for a property that looked like this in 2008:
Back then, there was a McDonald’s on the northwest corner of Broad & Carpenter that had a vintage look but only dated back to the 1970s. McDonald’s closed in early 2021, leading us to wonder what might come next for this roughly 17K sqft parcel. At the time, we noted the opportunity for a substantial project at this location, given the proximity of several adjacent vacant lots. We also mentioned the significant challenges represented by the fact that multiple parties own these adjacent lots. To wit, music legend and Universal Companies founder Kenny Gamble owns 15K sqft at 900 S. Broad St., while McDonald’s owns the small vacant lot at 912 S. Broad St. and the 20K sqft parking lot along the north side of Carpenter Street. A third party has owned 914 S. Broad St., the corner, for decades.
About three years ago, we shared the news that developer Carl Dranoff was planning a by-right project at the former McDonald’s site, consisting of 85 units over ground floor retail. Given that we had not heard much about the project since that time, and also considering the challenging environment for real estate development in the last few years, we thought the project might be on hold or worse. But now we know that things have indeed been progressing, and the project will be coming to the Civic Design Review board next month. We’ve even got some renderings, from JKRP Architects.
The project is largely as expected from a few years ago, though it has evolved slightly. The unit count is now 84, the commercial space (which will likely house a restaurant) will be about 5K sqft in size, and the project will also include 20 parking spots at grade. At seven stories, it will have considerable compatibility with Lincoln Square across the street, though it will feel a bit small compared to One Thousand One, on the other side of Broad. The height is dictated somewhat by the much smaller footprint, in comparison, but mostly by the fact that the project is being pursued by right. The zoning fight for One Thousand One lasted years, nearly killing the project.
In a vacuum, “The 914,” as it looks like it’s being called, is a terrific project. Swapping a McDonald’s or a vacant lot for a seven-story building with apartments and retail is a tremendous improvement. The design of the building is really nice as well, with plenty of brick and a cool curve at the corner, providing a classy yet understated addition to the corridor.
That being said, we were really hoping that the last three years would have resulted in a larger project, incorporating some of the vacant lots nearby. To be clear, we don’t hold this against the developer even a little bit – you can’t force someone to sell you something if they don’t want to sell you something. But from a city planning perspective, a larger and more holistic project at this location would have been the ideal outcome. Instead, we’ll get a new building at the corner with what’s likely to be persistent vacancy on both sides. Will McDonald’s sell their parking lot at some point? Will Kenny Gamble sell? We couldn’t tell you. But we have a feeling that the best offer either party will see for years was on the table quite recently, which tells us that both lots are likely to remain in their current state for years to come.
Though Zack Wheeler’s recent injury news adds a level of unexpected complication, we’re still planning for the next Phillies parade to take place later this year. Figure things won’t change much between now and then. But by the time the following parade takes place, things on South Broad should once again look rather different. Let’s just hope it’s not another 17-year wait.