(I needed a good chuckle this morning... and got it from this article and
totally absurd statements like:
1. "prices, per bed, from $975 to $1,250, which is slightly higher than
the estimated averages provided by the university's Off-Campus Living Office"
2. " '[The Radian] will be an economic boom for West Philadelphia,' said
Penn's Gutmann."
3. "the Spruce Hill neighborhood around campus [is] as a 'sort of
undergraduate ghetto' "
4. "The 40th street corridor that borders the building is already home
to a vibrant commercial district"
Al Krigman
____________________________________
Home
One More Piece Of The Mosaic
By: Adam Paul, The Bulletin
07/27/2007
Philadelphia - As a tractor scooped up a huge mound of dirt, another group of
workers, preferring a set of shining shovels, moved just a few yards of dirt.
With a couple of scoops, University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and
City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell contributed their small part to the rising
construction site on the 3900 block of Walnut Street in West Philadelphia
just over a week ago.
The building, known as The Radian, is a joint project between the University
of Pennsylvania and the student-housing firm University Partners. The $50
million building will stand 14 stories tall and hold more than 150 apartment
units
with 500 beds.
Beyond student housing, the building will include street and mezzanine-level
retail stores. These lower floors will have a capacity for 40,000 square feet
of retail space - another welcome element in the evolving mosaic of University
City's continuing re-birth.
According to University Partners, leases have yet to be executed for firms
that will occupy the retail space. Scott Erdy of Philadelphia-based Erdy
McHenry
Architecture, was not surprised. He explained that architects rarely design
now with a single retail tenant as a permanent occupant. "Spaces have to be
flexible," he said.
"The building will add energy to 40th and Walnut," said Craig Carnaroli, the
executive vice president at University of Pennsylvania.
The 40th street corridor that borders the building is already home to a
vibrant commercial district that includes restaurants, a grocer, and a movie
theater. Carnaroli hopes the new apartment complex will encourage the corridor
to
expand further.
"We tried to create a sequence of public space," Erdy added. He said the
building takes into account the other architecture in the area. For example, by
a
creating new two-story retail space the whole project will fit in with already
existing one- and two-story buildings along Walnut Street. The overall effect
is to enhance the sense of "neighborhood."
The architects derived the building's name from the mathematical unit used to
measure angles.
"I used to be a math major for a while," joked Penn's Gutmann at the
groundbreaking, "so I get it."
Erdy McHenry Architecture previously worked with nearby Drexel University to
build a dormitory on their campus. While The Radian will offer several
different floor plans for Penn students, all of the Drexel units followed the
same
four-bedroom layout.
"The Drexel building was a student dormitory. The Radian has some features of
a dormitory, but it gives more freedom for students," said Erdy.
Carnaroli explained that enrollment at Penn has been stable in the last few
years and that the new building does not indicate pressure for on-campus
housing. Carnaroli added that Penn is currently able to accommodate a large
portion
of the need for student housing with existing structures. He does not envision
The Radian as competing with on-campus housing but instead sees it as a new
alternative to rented, off-campus housing.
Penn's Office of Institutional Research estimates that around 4,300 students,
both undergraduate and graduate, live off-campus in the 19104 zip code, where
The Radian sits. The area runs from the Schuylkill River west to 45th Street
and from Baltimore Avenue north to Girard Avenue. About 7,000 students live
on-campus, either in dormitories or in Greek housing.
"We hope to encourage connections between University City and the vibrant
communities to our west," said Carnaroli.
Penn sees its students as ambassadors to the community. Penn's housing Web
site even reminds students that "your behavior has a direct impact on how the
West Philadelphia community views the university" and presents students with
guidelines to avoid excessive noise or illegal drinking.
The Radian plans to attract students with amenities including a fitness
center, clubrooms with HD TVs and gaming stations, and a 24-hour coffee bar.
The
building will not offer parking on-site, but promoters are advertising the
nearby Penn parking structure as an alternative.
University Partners is also promoting green design aspects to draw students.
The building's terrace level will include outdoor plants that will maximize
water retention and control the release rate for water into underground storm
water management basins.
Philadelphia-based Pennoni Associates, the consulting engineering firm that
designed the roof, won a statewide storm water best management practices award
for this design.
Erdy explained that about an inch of rainwater could be absorbed by the
plants, and the rest will slowly filter into the city's water system. The
design
will also reduce heat on the building, said Erdy. "It's great for the
environment. It will reduce the heat island effect" that occurs when sunlight
radiates
off large areas of concrete or brick.
The Radian will feature apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms with
prices, per bed, from $975 to $1,250, which is slightly higher than the
estimated
averages provided by the university's Off-Campus Living Office. Nonetheless,
the Radian rental prices are not above the existing range of prices on record.
"We hope for a conversion of homes that students are currently living in to
single family housing," Carnaroli told The Bulletin. He explained that some
costs would be incurred in converting the often sub-divided or worn-down houses
students currently occupy in order to attract families, but he believes there
will be enough demand to fill the residencies that students vacate.
Lindsay Johnston, a broker for Common Grounds Realtors, explained that
realtors would convert rental properties to single-family homes only if a
profit can
be made. And, at the moment, keeping the Spruce Hill neighborhood around
campus as a "sort of undergraduate ghetto" yields the highest returns. Yet, if
students begin to move, that could definitely change.
"When Penn started a lot of housing initiatives, say about eight years ago,
there was the beginning of neighborhoods losing owner-occupants," explained
Johnston. "It was a potentially precarious situation." Since students rent
property for a short span of time, they rarely invest in their properties or
their
communities in the way long-term residents do. However, Johnston pointed out
that Penn's continued presence in the neighborhood has kept the housing market
stronger than those in other, comparable areas. That could make re-sales more
likely. If and when more families move into student areas, Johnston hopes it
will "stabilize the neighborhood."
"[The Radian] will be an economic boom for West Philadelphia," said Penn's
Gutmann.
She believes that, even if the building does not affect the housing market,
it has already created local jobs.
"Nearly a quarter of the craft and trade jobs created by this project have
gone to minorities, exceeding our goal of 18 percent," Gutmann said.
Councilwoman Blackwell, though, expressed some reservation about the level of
community involvement.
"We are looking forward to seeing the Radian built, but after checking the
figures for community involvement we will make a plea to those involved to do
better with community participation; you have to do better with minority
participation," Blackwell said. She also discussed the long-standing
relationship
between the university and the local community, explaining that the
relationship
has been beneficial but that more can be done.
Mark Riley, the managing director of investments at Inland American
Communities/University Partners, appeared happy with the attainment of
community
involvement.
"Most of the professionals are local Philadelphia professionals: the
architect, the contractor, the civil engineer, and a local law firm. This is
the first
time we have worked with all of them, and we are thrilled with their effort,"
Riley told The Bulletin.
The building is scheduled for completion in September 2008. This will allow
students to move in for the start of the 2008-2009 school year. At the
groundbreaking ceremony, speakers seemed convinced the project would conclude
on time.
Looking up at the crews working on the building's base, Riley smiled and
said, "We are on schedule as of today."
Adam Paul can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Radian's Amenities
Housing costs at the Radian are above the average reported by the University
of Pennsylvania's Office of Off-Campus Housing. The following amenities may
make up for the extra expense:
* Breakfast Bar
* 24-hour Coffee Bar
* Club room with HD TVs including X-Box and Play Station
* Fitness center
* A lobby design that will accommodate a range of retailers
* Terrace level roof with plants and a view of park space south of the
building
* Outdoor terrace on the building's east side with a view of downtown.
* Security features including secure card entry to the building for all
residents
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