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16 July 2003, 05:01 PM
Old base loaded with possibilities
From shipyards and freight yards to, perhaps, suburban-style backyards, many uses are envisioned for the former Navy site's 1,300 acres.
By Henry J. Holcomb - Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/6297388.htm
With its shipyard about to deliver its first ship in 31 years, the city is now stepping up its efforts to revive the rest of the 1,300-acre former Philadelphia Navy Base.
There are hundreds of vacant acres, some on the riverfront, and dozens of architecturally significant and historic buildings, some on streets with 100-year-old trees. It is a part of Philadelphia that most have never seen because, as a military base, it was off-limits to the public.
"We've got to introduce Philadelphia to the old Navy Base," said John Grady Jr., senior vice president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., the agency in charge of converting the base to civilian use.
The base, which employed 11,000 shortly before the Pentagon announced in 1991 that it would close, was best known for building and repairing ships. Seven years after the Navy played Taps and lowered its flag for the last time, that area is well on its way to being revived.
The huge Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard at the western end of the former base, for example, now has two ships under construction. Also, Metro Machine Corp. has set up a high-tech ship repair and scrapping yard, and CP Rail a modern rail facility that, among other things, transfers bulk cargo between truck and rail tank cars.
But the sprawling area from Broad Street east, once home to major Marine Corps units and the Mustin Field Naval Air Station, has until now not received much attention.
The planning process, which includes a high-profile team of experts, is well under way.
Obsolete buildings are being cleared away. Several buildings are already restored and being used in new ways.
Two new facilities are under construction. Norfolk Southern railroad is building a high-tech freight yard in the area that abuts the Greenwich Yard, largely controlled by the rival CSX Corp. rail unit. And Liberty Property Trust of Malvern is building a biopharmaceutical laboratory and manufacturing center for AppTec Laboratory Services Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., that it said would initially employ 200, many of them with doctorates.
The AppTec campus is next to a proposed nine-building, 70-acre office park that Liberty, along with Synterra Partners Ltd., plans to develop over the next decade.
And there is a proposal to build a harness-racing track, with slot machines, at the far eastern corner of the site.
But all that covers only a small part of the eastern part of the base.
The planning team of architects, land-use planners and interior designers working for the PIDC and Liberty Property Trust includes Robert A.M. Stern, a New York architect noted for skyscrapers, academic buildings, planned communities, and homes for the wealthy. The others are EDAW Inc. of San Francisco, Nicholas Grimshaw & Associates of London, and Kelly/Maiello and Daroff Design, both of Philadelphia.
The eastern portion of the base is perhaps the largest and most attractive urban development opportunity in the United States, and the city wants to do it right over time.
"The base does not need a single savior. It is a very special place... an opportunity to build a new town," said John Gattuso, a senior vice president of Liberty Property Trust. "To create long-term value, we will need to create a mixture of uses - residential, retail and support amenities will make it more attractive for offices.
"Our goal," Gattuso said, "is to have activity there 24/7."
The architectural firm Vitetta Group Inc. was among the first to see the potential of the base. Three years ago it converted the old Marine Corps Barracks, overlooking the former parade grounds on Broad Street, into modern offices and studios.
More recently Peter Shaw, a partner in the real estate development firm of P&A Associates, bought the former base headquarters on Broad Street, a stone building with a circular driveway where admirals used to reign. He has leased 65 percent of its space, including his own office, in that building and taken preliminary steps to acquire others.
"We're here because we're developers who like to make money. We thought if we started early, more and better opportunities would develop for us," Shaw said.
"This is going to be a very strong area," Shaw added. "I've been saying for years that to be competitive, the city needed something like the beautiful office parks in the suburbs. Well, here it is! Only here many of the buildings have much more character that you'll find in the suburbs."
Grady and Gattuso want to study extending the Broad Street subway line, which now ends a short distance away at the South Philadelphia sports complex, into the base. That would link it to the offices and apartments of Center City.
Carl Dranoff, who has converted 72 old buildings into modern loft apartments, has looked at several buildings at the Navy Base, including the architecturally significant former Marine Corps receiving station.
He sees "fantastic buildings" for apartments, as soon as there are enough other activities and amenities - like the restaurants and, possibly, a marina, envisioned by Grady and Gattuso.
The Navy still has a major presence on the base, including a 1,600-person engineering unit that does design, research and problem-solving on issues ranging from propulsion systems and problem-detection through vibration analysis to air quality aboard submarines.
Shaw said this had helped him attract engineering firms to his building. The base is next to the Port of Philadelphia, so maritime businesses are finding the site attractive, he said.
"People like the location, just off Interstate 95. It is close to the airport. From the base you can serve Center City and the suburbs," Shaw said.
The planning process for this future town, where people can walk to work or to a game at the nearby sports complex, will continue into the fall.
"We want to create a long-term vision that's realistic," Grady said.
"And," Gattuso added, "think big in a sensitive way."
From shipyards and freight yards to, perhaps, suburban-style backyards, many uses are envisioned for the former Navy site's 1,300 acres.
By Henry J. Holcomb - Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/6297388.htm
With its shipyard about to deliver its first ship in 31 years, the city is now stepping up its efforts to revive the rest of the 1,300-acre former Philadelphia Navy Base.
There are hundreds of vacant acres, some on the riverfront, and dozens of architecturally significant and historic buildings, some on streets with 100-year-old trees. It is a part of Philadelphia that most have never seen because, as a military base, it was off-limits to the public.
"We've got to introduce Philadelphia to the old Navy Base," said John Grady Jr., senior vice president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., the agency in charge of converting the base to civilian use.
The base, which employed 11,000 shortly before the Pentagon announced in 1991 that it would close, was best known for building and repairing ships. Seven years after the Navy played Taps and lowered its flag for the last time, that area is well on its way to being revived.
The huge Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard at the western end of the former base, for example, now has two ships under construction. Also, Metro Machine Corp. has set up a high-tech ship repair and scrapping yard, and CP Rail a modern rail facility that, among other things, transfers bulk cargo between truck and rail tank cars.
But the sprawling area from Broad Street east, once home to major Marine Corps units and the Mustin Field Naval Air Station, has until now not received much attention.
The planning process, which includes a high-profile team of experts, is well under way.
Obsolete buildings are being cleared away. Several buildings are already restored and being used in new ways.
Two new facilities are under construction. Norfolk Southern railroad is building a high-tech freight yard in the area that abuts the Greenwich Yard, largely controlled by the rival CSX Corp. rail unit. And Liberty Property Trust of Malvern is building a biopharmaceutical laboratory and manufacturing center for AppTec Laboratory Services Inc. of St. Paul, Minn., that it said would initially employ 200, many of them with doctorates.
The AppTec campus is next to a proposed nine-building, 70-acre office park that Liberty, along with Synterra Partners Ltd., plans to develop over the next decade.
And there is a proposal to build a harness-racing track, with slot machines, at the far eastern corner of the site.
But all that covers only a small part of the eastern part of the base.
The planning team of architects, land-use planners and interior designers working for the PIDC and Liberty Property Trust includes Robert A.M. Stern, a New York architect noted for skyscrapers, academic buildings, planned communities, and homes for the wealthy. The others are EDAW Inc. of San Francisco, Nicholas Grimshaw & Associates of London, and Kelly/Maiello and Daroff Design, both of Philadelphia.
The eastern portion of the base is perhaps the largest and most attractive urban development opportunity in the United States, and the city wants to do it right over time.
"The base does not need a single savior. It is a very special place... an opportunity to build a new town," said John Gattuso, a senior vice president of Liberty Property Trust. "To create long-term value, we will need to create a mixture of uses - residential, retail and support amenities will make it more attractive for offices.
"Our goal," Gattuso said, "is to have activity there 24/7."
The architectural firm Vitetta Group Inc. was among the first to see the potential of the base. Three years ago it converted the old Marine Corps Barracks, overlooking the former parade grounds on Broad Street, into modern offices and studios.
More recently Peter Shaw, a partner in the real estate development firm of P&A Associates, bought the former base headquarters on Broad Street, a stone building with a circular driveway where admirals used to reign. He has leased 65 percent of its space, including his own office, in that building and taken preliminary steps to acquire others.
"We're here because we're developers who like to make money. We thought if we started early, more and better opportunities would develop for us," Shaw said.
"This is going to be a very strong area," Shaw added. "I've been saying for years that to be competitive, the city needed something like the beautiful office parks in the suburbs. Well, here it is! Only here many of the buildings have much more character that you'll find in the suburbs."
Grady and Gattuso want to study extending the Broad Street subway line, which now ends a short distance away at the South Philadelphia sports complex, into the base. That would link it to the offices and apartments of Center City.
Carl Dranoff, who has converted 72 old buildings into modern loft apartments, has looked at several buildings at the Navy Base, including the architecturally significant former Marine Corps receiving station.
He sees "fantastic buildings" for apartments, as soon as there are enough other activities and amenities - like the restaurants and, possibly, a marina, envisioned by Grady and Gattuso.
The Navy still has a major presence on the base, including a 1,600-person engineering unit that does design, research and problem-solving on issues ranging from propulsion systems and problem-detection through vibration analysis to air quality aboard submarines.
Shaw said this had helped him attract engineering firms to his building. The base is next to the Port of Philadelphia, so maritime businesses are finding the site attractive, he said.
"People like the location, just off Interstate 95. It is close to the airport. From the base you can serve Center City and the suburbs," Shaw said.
The planning process for this future town, where people can walk to work or to a game at the nearby sports complex, will continue into the fall.
"We want to create a long-term vision that's realistic," Grady said.
"And," Gattuso added, "think big in a sensitive way."