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MagnusUnda t1_iyfzx4j wrote

I’m not a preservationist zealot, but maybe they should’ve cleared all the stuff before, knocking everything down and making a gaping hole in the ground?

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IThinkImLovely t1_iyhtfqh wrote

The reason people put up with Philly is because though it can be rough around the edges it’s one of the largest affordable cities. These and other developers are investing solely in luxury housing (parking will get worse, schools will still be trash but become even more overcrowded, landlords will do less to accommodate their renters, etc). Philadelphians will get fed up and this city will either become Detroit or Aspen. Both of those cities have little character left. I really hope I’m wrong but if I’m not and nothing gets done the Philly we come to love will no longer exist. My true home is Miami. My chosen home is Philly. I really want true Philly to thrive.

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AbsentEmpire t1_iyiw41m wrote

Luxury is just a word for new at this point.

When me make building housing as difficult and expensive as possible, the only thing developers will be able to build is high end construction.

Parking is only an issue here because we give it away for free. Some of the schools are over crowded because we don't fund the school district. Landlords do nothing when they have no competition or reason to, because lack of housing supply gives them effective monopoly power.

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Sir-Jawn t1_iykabea wrote

Most buildings that are affordable today were once built as “luxury”. When it costs $450k per unit to build a building and years of bureaucratic red tape, you need to charge a certain rent level or else the whole project loses money.

More housing units is what keeps housing prices down. We should welcome more. It’s supply and demand.

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AbsentEmpire t1_iyivmqr wrote

They rushed to clear it because the anti development zealots who want to poor amber over the city and never let it change, were rushing to block them with historic designation. Resulting in the worse of both worlds, an empty hole in the ground.

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lordredsnake t1_iyk8fyh wrote

Most people, including preservationists, would have been fine with an overbuild there. It was absolutely possible and the development would have taken a nearly identical form except the podium cladding would've been original walls instead of new materials.

Toll wasn't willing to waste any brainpower on that. Ironically Pearl, on the other hand, has done overbuilds with at least one more planned near Rittenhouse.

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