Plans presented for proposed mixed-use development at 9th and Washington
Last week we told you about plans that would be presented for the 32,000 sq. ft., long-vacant lot at 9th and Washington in the Italian Market.
At last night’s Passyunk Square Civic Association zoning meeting, conceptual plans were presented for a 5-story mixed-use building that would have 18,000 sq. ft. of commercial space, 70 apartments, 8 single-family trinities and approximately 150 parking spaces in an underground lot.
Midwood Investment and Development, the group that is responsible for the recently-completed Cheesecake Factory location on Walnut Street, is behind this development. Though don’t worry, they called this project the “anti-cheesecake project.”
In order to blend with the existing retail on 9th Street, there would be awnings on the street-level to mimic the historic style of the Italian Market. Having those awnings would mean that the retail locations that would be tenants of this building would be able to bring some of their merchandise out onto the street, just like the other vendors in the Italian Market. During the presentation, they expressed that they’d like to keep the street level “alive” and “interactive.” A total of 18,000 sq. ft. of retail space along 9th Street and Washington Avenue is currently in the plans.
Anastasi, the seafood restaurant currently on the corner of 9th and Washignton, would need to be relocated temporarily, but John Usdan, president of Midwood, says that they would plan to have the restaurant occupy one of the retail spaces in this new building once it is completed.
The development includes 70 one and two bedroom market-rate apartment units on the upper floors of the development. These can be accessed through an entrance on Darien Street.
Since Darien Street is a quieter, more residential street, the project includes 8 single-family trinities to better blend with that part of the neighborhood. Each of these single-family homes would include a backyard space.
As far as the parking situation goes, a below-grade parking garage would be accessible off of 9th Street and would include a total of 150 space, with approximately half of those being accessible to the community.
In order for this development to move forward, the property would need to be rezoned from CMX-2 to CMX-3 to accommodate for the height of the building and commercial use being planned.
If this project is approved, Usdan says it will take approximately 18 months to build.
Seems to tick all the boxes. Density, Blends in mostly with existing structure, Retail, Apartments AND Residences, and most of all, plenty of parking for the car obsessed NIMBYs.
I agree! Seems to fit the fabric of the neighborhood pretty nicely!
@IAN – You are such a fool ! You create an “us against them” atmosphere – NIMBY — just plain stupid.
You still are oblivious to major issues and always seem to come down on the side of wealthy developers who swoop in and swoop out of the neighborhood with huge profits. After all, they are not doing this because they are good people.
Do you really live in South Philly?
I think it looks great and blends into the existing neighborhood. Thumbs Up
They’re making a huge effort to please the neighbors. Build it!
Got parking? Hells yeah! Build it!
though, as we all know, driving through the intersection of 9th and washington is always a challenge and surely adding to the density will only intensify the problem. this development needs to be considered with the long term plan of washington ave.
That would mean a park, if anything. Any development whatsoever is going to make that intersection more than a cf.
PS. sure would have preferred a Philly based developer to get this project.
I agree — Philly people first!
Was the architect present or mentioned during this presentation? Looks like there’s a titleblock on that board… It would be nice to give credit to the designer of the renderings that you have posted. Architect’s get no love!
Stray observations:
Rendering looks like an old grainy photograph. Nice!
The building looks like a department store from the last century. Nice!
150 parking spaces will snarl the streets with more traffic.
A large part of the traffic problem at 9th & Washington is that Anastasi and Giordano use the street for dumpsters and loading. The street is for the public, not for adjacent business owners.
this is a wonderful idea…………am looking for studio only space and would appreciate a notice when space is available…………
(Darien st) I lived on Darien st for 60 years it’s always been a parking lot I have always had plenty of air and Sun then what about my garage will I be able to get in an out with my car with new homes built across the street. Please reply or have someone contact me about this matter
lol… it’s a toss up between Paul and johnny b for the Loon of the Month Award.
Some people don’t understand that Philadelphia’s population has decreased by 500,000 people in the last 60 years. There is NO density issue.
I am a long time resident of the 1100 block of Darien st. Can someone please let me know if and when this project will be green lighted and when construction would begin if it goes through?
Thank you!
JimmyC
Lou…what exactly qualified you to call anyone else a loon? Take a look at street photos from decades past. Even when the population was much larger, the streets weren’t packed with cars. So there is a density problem now that didn’t exist in, say, 1950.
But apparently in the universe that you and Ian inhabit, only bad and inferior (car-obsessed!) people have cars (or maybe it’s that they have cars and aren’t rich enough to have garages?). It must be a universe where no one has to commute to a remote suburban job, no one has ailing family members in places without public transit, or any other life demands that require access to a car. In case you hadn’t noticed, down here in the real world there’s been a huge increase in reverse commuting in the past 20 years or so. Car-shares are great but don’t work for everyone. Same with bicycling.
People who need cars in the reality of here and now didn’t create this problem. We aren’t the oil companies and developers and government officials who colluded in the post-WWII years to make this a car-oriented and car-dependent country…or the aspirational citizens who eagerly drank the kool-aid and followed them. We aren’t the business leaders who decided that they needed sprawling exurban campuses.
We also aren’t the sanctimonious and self-appointed elites (most of whom seem to have moved here fairly recently) who perceive themselves as qualified to judge everyone else because, of course, they know better than everyone else–never mind the penchant for adolescent name-calling–without ever having walked in ANYONE else’s shoes; or driven around in anyone else’s 15-year-old car at 1 a.m. trying to park.