NorthStar Realty Group

Two great ideas don’t always play well together. That’s certainly true in the urban design realm, at least as a practical matter. Building on an infill lot avoids waste and the fragmentation caused by scattering houses into the countryside. It leads to a compact city with a clear identity and pedestrian-friendly streets. And a beautiful dwelling inspires everything around it. But can the twain meet on a tight trapezoidal plot?

They can, and do, thanks to the collaboration by builder Charlie Overholser, of McCoubrey/Overholser, and Qb3 Design partners Stephen Mileto, Kevin Angstadt, and Patrycja Doniewski. Located in the eclectic Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia, this house adds a bright domestic presence to an awkward site while strengthening the neighborhood’s ties to its industrial past. But its forward-thinking stance belies the often extraordinary challenges of building on a remnant lot.

Read full story: This Philadelphia home with a split-floor layout perfectly fits its corner lot location – Infill, Urban Design, Projects – Custom Home Magazine.

Here is an opportunity to buy some of the Philadelphia vacant property stock.

400 Philadelphia properties for Auction.

Seven Deadly Sins: Sloth
By:Chris Wood

Scott Duckett is the executive vice president and chief business development officer for Austin, Texas–based Campus Advantage and has 35,000 beds under management in and around university and college campuses in 18 states, putting him in a somewhat qualified position to handicap the multifamily market-rate winners and losers of the next decade. Expecting droves of those 80 million Gen Y renters? He’s already got communities full of them, and here’s what he knows: Having a green-certified community isn’t going to cut it. If you want the renters of tomorrow, green might help you get there, but it’s technology that will put you over the top.

via Gen Y Renters Want Green, Hot-Wired Apartments – Technology, Green Building, Resident Life – Multifamily Executive Magazine.

Wait, what? I thought Philadelphia wanted MORE Development.

Darrell Clarke and the Temple Dilemma

SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 BY STREAMLINE SOLUTIONS

The recent legislation introduced by Council President aspirant Darrell Clarke to put a moratorium on new student housing in the Temple area has many of us in Philadelphia’s development community up in arms.

Certainly, none of these developers live in the Temple area and thus are not affected by the alleged rampant displays of public drunkenness and boorish behavior. Yes, the area appears to be experiencing growing pains, and neighbors are justified in not wanting to endure the type of hijinks exhibited by the students.

However, the proposed solution to halt development is at best ill-advised and at worst potentially damaging not only to the fledgling community redevelopment, but to property owners (including long-time residents) whose properties could experience wild swings in valuation should Councilman Clarke’s proposal pass City Council.

Suggesting that landlords are responsible for their tenants’ behavior is akin to holding the chairman of General Motors responsible for highway deaths.

We advocate a saner, less intrusive, market-driven approach. Assess the owners of multifamily units an additional tax to cover the costs of a special services district and beef up enforcement. Get Temple to work together with the special services district to develop policies to deal with the behavior and tie disciplinary actions to continued school enrollment. Fine the miscreants for their illegal behavior and demand they stop disturbing their neighbors’ quiet enjoyment. There are many ways to solve this problem, but putting the brakes on development is not one of them.

via Darrell Clarke and the Temple Dilemma « Streamline Solutions.