In West Powelton, the construction of Philadelphia’s first LEED Platinum pre-certified building is nearing completion. Builders broke ground last spring on University Place 2.0, a building design by Shraga Studios that features a glass-panel front. Construction hasn’t been terribly swift, but nevertheless, the southwest intersection of 41st & Powelton now sports a significant facelift.

In the past

Current view

Most recently, and for a number of years prior, 30 N. 41st St., the lot on which this five-story 97K sqft building is now situated, was an overgrown vacant parcel, much like its neighbor across the street, where materials for development are now stored. Does anyone know of any plans for this lot, or is this just wishful thinking?

We first covered the site, located in a Keystone Opportunity Zone, last spring. That means tenants in this building and others located in the zone can realize tax benefits until 2018. As we told you previously, the lead tenant here is the Citizen and Immigration Services, which is moving from 16th & Callowhill. We’d guess that more of the building is leased by now, but couldn’t tell you any specific additional tenants at this time.

We're almost there

Even if some of the building has yet to be leased, this is a major step for West Powelton and University City in general. And with major projects from the Science Center at 36th and 37th and Market Streets, as well as the recent demolition of a strip of buildings at 46th & Market to make way for a $75M TEC development, this area is poised for this new opportunity. Can’t wait to see what’s next.

–Lou Mancinelli