Maybe you love surface parking lots, but if you're a regular reader of this blog you know we aren't into 'em. So we rejoiced a couple years back, when Parkway Corporation, one of the biggest parking lot owners in Philadelphia, partnered with the Hanover Company with plans to redevelop two surface parking lots on opposing corners at Broad & Callowhill. At the time, we predicted that we'd be offering more information in the near future, and we somehow haven't checked in on the property in the time that's passed since then. But better late than never, eh? Currently, both the southeast and southwest corner are in the early stages of construction.

Current view of the southwest corner

Construction on the southeast corner

So what's coming? Accoring to the permits, the western building will rise six stories and will include 229 apartments, two retail spaces, and 256 parking spots between the basement and the first floor. The smaller building on the east side will also be six stories tall and have two retail spaces, but it will only have 110 apartments and 114 parking spots. The project has had approvals since early 2014 and also went to Civic Design Review, providing some useful renderings of what we can expect.

Pretty rendering of the western building from the northeast

More practical rendering of the western building from the other direction, blocky Inquirer building in the distance

A fancy rendering of the east building, looking toward City Hall

A plainer rendering of the eastern building, again from the other direction

In a vacuum, 339 new units on North Broad Street would obviously be a big deal. But coming in conjunction with all the other development we've seen nearby in recent years and with additional projects in the pipeline like the Divine Lorraine, the Mural Lofts, and the Metropolitan Opera House, we're seeing a true rebirth on North Broad Street. Next up, the Inquirer Building. Soon, maybe?