Philly Live! will live next spring

Like the weather, the employment picture in Philadelphia may look a bit gloomy, but at the South Philadelphia sports complex, construction is under way for a project expected to create 400 permanent new jobs.

Mayor Michael Nutter and city officials highlighted the progress of PhillyLive! yesterday, at the former site of the Spectrum. In addition to permanent jobs, the future dining and retail development will generate 500 construction jobs. Comcast-Spectacor and The Cordish Companies are partnering on the project, which is expected to be complete next spring.

“The next time you do these [renderings] you will need more people. It’s going to be packed down here to see this.” Nutter half-jokingly told the developers. The event was one of several economic development announcements the mayor has planned for this month.

The first phase of PhillyLive! will feature nine shops and restaurants in roughly 60,000 square feet indoors and offer about 40,000 square feet of performance space outside. Subsequent phases are expected to include retail and possibly a hotel or residential component. An announcement on the tenants is expected to come soon.

Developers have also committed to providing 25 to 30 percent of construction contracts to minority businesses and hiring 50 percent local residents for permanent jobs.