North Broad: Philly’s new hot spot?

In recent years, Symphony House and 777 South Broad have become pretty well-known addresses along the Avenue of the Arts South, but North Broad Street may be the new hot spot for residential development.

The stretch of Broad Street between City Hall and Temple University has been in the headlines of late. EB Realty Management will build a 97-unit apartment as part of a $43 million development that includes restaurants from Stephen Starr and Marc Vetri at the site of the former Wilkie Buick dealership. Tower Investments is also set to open luxury apartments at the former state building site at Spring Garden Street.

“If you look on both sides [of Broad Street], residential development has increased so dramatically [that] other people are looking at Broad Street as a more viable corridor. Thirteenth Street east of Broad has been developed,” said Councilman Darrell Clarke, who represents the area. Clarke noted that the projects, and the new student housing being built on Cecil B. Moore near Temple University, will feature first-floor retail to generate pedestrian activity.

A multi-million dollar streetscape project and renovation of the Spring Garden and Girard subway stations is also expected to improve the corridor. There are still some gaping holes (the Divine Lorraine building comes to mind), but last month Mayor Nutter declared North Broad as “the next great corridor.”

“It [previously] was a roll of the dice for people to come up to North Broad,” Nutter said at an event last month, adding: “Now we’re ready, please come.”