Despite a great run of redevelopment in the last fifteen years or so, Philadelphia still has its share of prominent vacant lots. The northeast corner of 15th & Chesnut, which could become a hotel, stands as one example. Broad & Washington, both the northwest and northeast corners, is another one. Today though, we turn our eyes to the northwest corner of 2nd & Race, in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Right in the middle of Old City and mere steps from the awesome Race Street Pier, this parcel cries out for mixed-use. Instead, we've got this:
For the last several years, Brown Hill Development has been trying to redevelop 205 Race Street. Back in 2006, there were plans for a 10-story condo building. More recently, a changed plan resulted in debates about height, massing, and whether the building would block views of a nearby billboard. As a result, according to Plan Philly, the parcel received a zoning overlay that will allow the project to be a by-right build after review by the Historical Commission and going through the Civic Design Review process. It should be noted that some changes were made to accommodate the billboard.
As you can see, the building pushes most of its height to 2nd Street to preserve the scale of Race Street. Assuming it gets built and retains its current specs, it will have 148 apartment units, 14K sqft of commercial space, 28 parking spots, and 51 bike parking spots. We particularly like the green space that's on top of the Race Street platform; it should be a nice amenity for the building's residents.
CDR will take place early next month, and the Historical Commission will probably give its recommendations sometime soon after. Hopefully, both will prove to be easy hurdles to overcome and this parcel can finally get built. And then we can move on. And start worrying in earnest about the next lot that's inexplicably still undeveloped.