The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Philadelphia released a report capturing the conclusion of the Technical Assistance Panel (TAP), which convened on January 25-26, 2018 to study the potential redevelopment of the area surrounding the North Philadelphia Rail Station. The panel consisted of volunteer architectural, planning, development and design professionals, including ESI Principal Peter Angelides as co-chair of the panel and ESI Senior Advisor Catherine Timko. For two days ULI’s panelists interviewed stakeholders, reviewed plans and other public documents and prepared their recommendations.
The main purpose of the project was to evaluate with a long-term perspective the market conditions and community impact of the proposed design, transit and improvement possibilities. The rail station is considered a major growth opportunity and a catalyst for broader community development for the surrounding neighborhood and region by the City of Philadelphia, one of the study’s sponsors.
“The North Station District site sits at the intersection of the Amtrak Northeast Corridor Line, the SEPTA Broad Street subway line, and four separate SEPTA regional rail lines. With a level of transit-richness not seen elsewhere in the region, the site has strong long-term opportunity” said Peter Angelides, Principal with Econsult Solutions and TAP Co-Chair, “but investment should not be tied to the reconfiguration of the train station(s). Engagement with partners and stakeholders will direct future development.”
The assessments and recommendations provided by the Technical Assistance Panel, which are outlined in this report, will be useful to the North Station District, LLC (the development team) when moving forward with their vision for the rail station.
Read the report and the press release.
More information about ULI’s TAP.