Developments
Passyunk Square
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11/14/12 8:18pm

Annunciation apartments – aka Wharton Street Lofts – moves one step closer

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5 Comments

The developer of the upcoming Wharton Street Lofts in the former Annunciation school, which we told you about last month, went before the Passyunk Square civic’s zoning committee last night with an updated proposal.

So many new people for the hood. Woohoo!

Though there was initially some trepidation from neighbors about parking issues, the tweaks were enough to convince the committee and community to support the proposal, said developer Leo Addimando. The next step is a hearing before the Zoning Board of Adjustments on Dec. 5 at 2 p.m..

Addimando sent us an email that lists the changes in plain English, so why bother improving upon it:

1. Reduced unit count from 48 to 45 by eliminating six (6) one-bedroom units and replacing them with three (3) two-bedroom units.
2. Removed car share spaces from street parking.
3. Adjusted location of roof deck from 12th Street to Wharton Street side.
4. Added a bathroom on the first floor near the gym for public use.
5. Added three (3) on-site parking spaces for motorcycles/scooters.
6. Added a waiting/seating area for visitors.

Would a roof deck mar the view from the park? We don’t get it.

Most of those seem perfectly reasonable, but we wonder about two things:

1) The part about the bathroom for public use, does that mean people who use the park? We know there’s a rec center across the street, but it’s often closed. Is this the solution to that?

2) Why was the deck moved away from the park across 12th? Since it’s now going to be along Wharton, doesn’t that mean there could be more noise to nearby neighbors?Addimando says the changes were made at the request of the civic and neighbors, so we’re checking in with our contacts at the civic to find out the answers to those questions. Until we hear back, are there any near neighbors who know the answers? Comment away!

Previous coverage:

Hey, South Philly Co-Op, You Wanna Open At Annunciation? 10/17/12
Annunciation Plan Sings To Civic, Neighbors 10/11/12
Annunciation Building Sold; Developer Presenting First Proposal 10/8/12

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5 Comment

  • Anonymous

    Great. I’m hoping the same thing will happen with that big building (whatever it is–part of the hospital or something?) on Mifflin between Broad and 15th.

  • P'unk

    And the Tolentine building on Broad around, hmm, Wharton?

  • Ian Toner

    Mr. Addimando said he preferred the view from the Wharton Street side for his tenants (better view of the center city skyline). Since the parapet wall up there is 5′ high and the deck will be back 8′ from the edge, no one will be able to see the deck from the ground (Sam Sherman confirmed that there’s no view from the PARC building across the street). With the deck that high up, there’s also little chance of noise becoming a problem.

    With the deck on that side, there’s more open roof space (just was more efficient with exits, roof vents, ect), leaving a larger area for what Mr. Addimando hopes will be a green roof.

    Overall, the project looked pretty nice. The usual concerns about parking and the cost of the rentals, but no overwhelming opposition on any of the major design elements.

  • P'unk

    Thanks so much for the info, Ian. Maybe you can become a correspondent? You’re already an entrepreneur with the South Philly Co-op Workspace. http://www.passyunkpost.com/2012/09/south-phillys-1st-coworking-space-opens.html

  • Ian Toner

    Sounds like a plan, P’unk. I’ll correspond when I can.

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