A former South Philadelphia sportsbook site may soon be ticketed for one of the neighborhood’s largest projects in recent memory.
City Council President Kenyatta Johnson introduced legislation to rezone the site at 700 Packer Avenue in the neighborhood’s stadium district, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The rezoning would clear the path for Houston-based Hines to develop an expansive complex.
The proposed development spans six buildings. There would be 1.3 million square feet of residential space — enough to hold 1,367 residential units — 393,000 square feet of office space, 125,000 square feet of retail space and another 65,000 square feet for restaurants. The project would also entail more than 1,200 parking spaces.
“The project will create jobs and important economic development … and will serve as the catalyst for the stadium district as it begins to transform,” Johnson said, a nod to the $2.5 billion housing and entertainment project Comcast Spectacor has in the works to the west of Hines’ proposal.
East of the Live! Casino and Hotel, Hines’ project would be constructed on land owned by the Philadelphia Suburban Development Corporation.
“The collective partnership between Hines and PSDC … will finally give Philadelphia an opportunity to live, work, and play in the stadium district,” Johnson said.
Johnson introduced legislation pertaining to the site nearly two weeks ago. It calls for the site to be rezoned from industrial use to allow for dense residential and commercial development. The legislation also requests an overlay for details like roof decks on nonresidential buildings; the overlay will expire two years after the bill’s passage if zoning permits aren’t issued by then.
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That sunset clause has created confusion about what expires and what doesn’t when the two years elapse. There are also concerns about spot zoning, which is when land-use rules are altered for a specific project and could open the process to impropriety.