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Dryheavemorning OP t1_jdwm7ln wrote

I get a kick out of the NIMBY comments on the Instagram posts related to this. My favorite is: "It's a shame the design makes no consideration for views from lower American." Lol, are they supposed to make it fully transparent or super short just so you can see the church spires on your walk at that particular location?

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Inzitarie t1_jdwpmae wrote

It is absolutely ATROCIOUS that this place did NOTHING WHATSOEVER to consider the 3.7° line-of-sight that it blocks of the night sky at ascension 02h 31m 49.09s | Declination +89° 15′ 50.82" during the autumnal equinox alignment of Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Now every 4.6 years my viewing of that moderately-rare celestial event will be TOTALLY RUINED! Ban all construction in the city forever.

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LurkersWillLurk t1_jdwpixr wrote

Don’t you understand? Aesthetics, neighborhood character, parking, and the status quo are far more important than making sure people have a place to live!

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Dismal-Radish-7520 t1_jdwwey2 wrote

People having a place to live isn't the issue, its the cost of the places that are available.

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erdtirdmans t1_jdx5jq9 wrote

Real quick - how is price determined?

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bigassbiddy t1_jdxx0jc wrote

It’s always greedy corporations and developers of course. I mean if a developer built this building in the middle of Ohio, they would definitely be able to charge the same rent.

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Dismal-Radish-7520 t1_jdztfnl wrote

as if housing isnt something everyone needs lmao everyone acts as if its a privilege to have a roof over your head and something you "Earn" and then cry and moan when they have to pay for private security to bully the homeless out of their neighborhoods. you cant have a functioning society where minimum wage doesn't allow you to have a home. these people are just coping because they spent a bunch of money on a degree that got them a job where they sit in an office all day and waste their life away except for the small joys they find in paying someone two grand for a studio apartment. fucking morons.

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bigassbiddy t1_jdzy4uy wrote

Everyone should have housing but nobody is entitled to a fancy brand new apartment a couple blocks from a transit station. That my friend, is a luxury.

Rent is extremely cheap in the suburbs like Norristown if you can’t afford this, still commutable to the city.

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Dismal-Radish-7520 t1_jdzt87s wrote

look up the statistics for how many empty homes there are versus homeless. I'm sure BlackRock is buying up all these houses because they're afraid they wont have somewhere to live in the future, right?

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nowtayneicangetinto t1_jdxdqsn wrote

It's just the way it goes in the city. Buildings get taller the higher the density. I had a lonely tree in my tiny yard, but a big 4 story house was built and now put it in the shade, the poor thing is dead, but c'est la vie.

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ColdJay64 t1_jdxipve wrote

I love trees but I wish this would happen to my neighbor's humongous tree, it's the only thing keeping me from having an amazing view of the full skyline from my deck.

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electric_ranger t1_jdxptm5 wrote

Monkeys paw curls: tree dies because they build a massive building in front of your view

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squirrel_eatin_pizza t1_jdyvlo2 wrote

People from upper roxborough who drive everywhere are upset the new apartments in manayunk will block the view of the bridge from main street. As if their view was more important than housing demand

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tjcslamdunk t1_jdx9nje wrote

I just hope there will be more grocery stores, restaurants, bars, corner stores, better public transit etc. with all of these massive new condo buildings. Doesn't seem like commercial business or infrastructure are anywhere close to keeping up with the influx of condos. Also, would be great if they were affordable to average Philadelphians and not just wealthy NYC transplants.

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nowtayneicangetinto t1_jdxdzc6 wrote

It is interesting how despite the rapid growth, there has been very few new grocery stores. The only one I can think of is Riverwards.

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OnionBagMan t1_jdxgb9e wrote

Giant Heirlooms. Riverwards and KCFC(LOL) The Acme is still new to me. A new discount grocer opened on American. Palm Trees and places like Castellino’s have opened. Ten years ago there were a lot less places.

Several building that were given variances also have an empty floor on the bottom waiting for a grocery to fill.

There have also been produce markets that have come and gone as well.

We’ve seen Green Grow, Green Aisle, Parsley and Sage and others come and go. They don’t all make it.

We also have one of the best Asian grocery stores and Cousins.

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pineapple-pumpkin t1_jdzpcf5 wrote

Grocery outlet just opened on American street. But that's a discount place, so I don't know if "luxury condo" dwellers will shop there.

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just_start_doing_it t1_je4pfd5 wrote

Apparently the grocery business is partially challenging in Philly because of the Tex structure. If that is true seems like and easy win for the new mayor

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baldude69 t1_je0xjc6 wrote

Not super local, but the Lidl on Aramingo is new. Also the Target on 5th, although their grocery selection isn't that great

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King_Arber t1_jdye0jx wrote

New Sprouts nearby at Spring Garden and Delaware

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baldude69 t1_je0xp04 wrote

.. I know nothing of this. Is it open?

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King_Arber t1_je0z1fd wrote

Not yet but being built. I’m a dork and actually excited about it. Glad they’re doing something with the vacent lots on the Delaware!

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The_Prince1513 t1_je1xtec wrote

I agree. The huge commercial adaptive reuse of the 1400 n. howard warehouse is now soliciting for tenants (not sure if the mini-golf bar thing is still going forward) - It would be amazing if a giant heirloom or a trader joes could go in there.

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Dryheavemorning OP t1_jeay5l1 wrote

Mini golf is definitely not going to be there, they pulled out. Only confirmed tenant right now is a daycare, which I'm actually pretty excited about with a newborn.

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ten-million t1_jdwry01 wrote

That used to be a brown field junk yard. I wonder if it ever got cleaned up.

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ykcin978 t1_jdwrnj4 wrote

We're looking like D.C.

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the_sun_and_the_moon t1_jdwsvki wrote

You’re right. D.C. has a height limit that makes housing much more expensive by reducing the supply of homes. This complex should have been taller.

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givemesendies t1_jdxrr6n wrote

IMO the barrier right now is the fact there are still so many empty lots around the city. People were asking why a building on Spring Garden wasn't taller the other day, without considering there were two empty lots about a block away. Why take the risk on a taller, more expensive building the the area still as empty land?

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the_sun_and_the_moon t1_jdy4ww3 wrote

There are height restrictions. See Philly’s zoning quick guide here

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persolb t1_jdzsezh wrote

Anybody have a good reason for that ‘height max is 350” of floor area’? (also… units?)

Best I can assume is some assumption about blocking out the light of neighboring units…. But we have electricity now. Alternatively, you could just tax a building over that amount and distribute it to the neighbors on the east, north and west of the building.

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aarrtee t1_jdxt3z0 wrote

What is the name of that neighborhood????

I lived and worked in Old City from 1984 until 2006. At the time we had a very active Old City Civic Association. I was asked to be on the board of directors.

There were some folks who liked calling our neighborhood Olde City. One day at a meeting of the OCCA I suggested that it would be nice if our organization could do something to get rid of that spelling. To me it seemed that it was an affectation: phony and pretentious. The president of the OCCA at that time said "Excellent idea!!" pointed at me and said "YOU are now the chairman of the 'lets get rid of the e' committee." Basically.... I was the committee.

Among the achievements: go down into the Market Frankford line station at 2nd St. Look carefully at the words "Old" on the walls. You will see little blue squares covering over the hated 'e's. At least they were there the last time I visited.

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KenzoWap t1_je2adng wrote

JUNOGI

JUST NORTH OF GIRARD

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aarrtee t1_je2yvhj wrote

that sounds like the kinda thing they do in NYC....

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KenzoWap t1_je4jni3 wrote

It was a real laughable suggestion from years ago.

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kmac0825 t1_jdx7grs wrote

108 units and 27 car parking garage lmaooo

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Plumbfitter-215 t1_jdxoonl wrote

Why aren’t we using union labor to build all these lowrise and midrise developments around the city? Why isn’t anyone up in arms about that?

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Dryheavemorning OP t1_jdyevv4 wrote

At least some of them are using union labor. I know the Clay Studio used union and Ray Philadelphia a couple blocks up from this I'm pretty sure is too.

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persolb t1_jdzsnke wrote

Many people aren’t in the union, and don’t want to pay more for those who are.

It’s an unfortunate coordination problem.

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Lawlington t1_jdx9c09 wrote

As a new homeowner in this area I feel like I bought at just the right time before things will start getting out of control

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nowtayneicangetinto t1_jdxd9xw wrote

It depends on who you ask, some would argue it's been out of control. A lot of units going in around here and the prices are only trending upwards. When I first moved here around 2010, there were places that I'd never go because of how sketchy it was but are now littered with million dollar homes.

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-One_Eye- t1_jdyp6hn wrote

My wife and I bought in Olde Kensington in 2019. Love the area.

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youre_all_dorks t1_jdwrlmc wrote

There’s no such thing as “Olde Kensington”. It’s either Kensington, or it’s not. Stop trying to fancy it up.

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Dryheavemorning OP t1_jdwt6e0 wrote

Yeah, the Olde Kensington Pavilion for Section 8 senior housing built in 1986 must have just picked that name out of thin air to fancy up the place./s Olde Kensington has been distinguished from the rest of Kensington for a long time. The OG Kensington District was only what is now Olde Kensington south of Cecil and Fishtown/East Kensington. Everything else was a later addition. Using Olde or South could be up for debate but it's just stupid to argue it shouldn't be and isn't distinguished from just Kensington.

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youre_all_dorks t1_jdwtwsv wrote

The Olde Kensington pavilion is in NoLibs, but ok.

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Dryheavemorning OP t1_jdwzsu4 wrote

Reading "The Fires of Philadelphia" right now about the Nativist riots just before the Consolidation Act. It includes historic maps and north of Girard (then Franklin St) at 3rd , where the Olde Kensington Pavilion is, was 100% in the Kensington District. NoLibs didn't extend north of Girard/Franklin until 5th St and doesn't at all today.

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owl523 t1_jdx8v7s wrote

I always thought of Girard as the No Libs boundary, and above that Old or South Kensington

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Loud-Policy t1_jdx4mcm wrote

It’s both. Olde Kensington is in Kensington. West/east Kensington are in Kensington.

Turns out East passyunk is in south Philly

Bustleton is in northeast Philly.

Kensington is a region that spans like 8 el stops. Subdividing it into neighborhoods makes sense

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