A mixed-use proposal that would have directly competed with a similar project at the nearby South Philadelphia Sports Complex seems to be off the table after Comcast Spectacor spoke out against it.
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Hines and Philadelphia Suburban Development Corp. had teamed up on plans to build 1,367 apartments, 125K SF of retail and 393K SF of office space on the corner of Packer Avenue and Seventh Street in the shadow of Citizens Bank Park.
But Hines quietly backed out of the project last summer, according to Council President Kenyatta Johnson.
Johnson, who represents the neighborhood, moved to repeal ordinances that were passed to enable the project dubbed Stadium Square, The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported.
"Since the plans that were presented to me at the outset of the partnership with Hines and PSDC have significantly changed, I feel it is in the best long-term interest of the residents in the Second Council District to introduce new legislation this year that repeals the original 2024 zoning legislation," Johnson said in a statement to Bisnow.
Hines declined to comment.
Philadelphia Suburban Development Corp. President Mark Nicoletti railed against the zoning changes.
“I’m honestly scratching my head. This makes no sense,” he told Bisnow in a statement.
The developer said he asked Johnson to postpone the change by one month so he and other stakeholders, including registered community organizations, could brainstorm potential paths forward.
“Unfortunately this kills thousands of jobs and a very important economic development project,” Nicoletti said.
Johnson said he is eager to hear new proposals for the site from anyone, including Nicoletti and PSDC. He said such proposals would need to be supported by community organizations and the Philadelphia Planning Commission.
The apparent demise of the Stadium Square project came after Comcast Spectacor and its allies with the Eagles and Phillies shared their distaste for PSDC’s plans during a 2024 city council meeting.
At the time, Phillies Vice President of Marketing and Government Affairs Michael Harris panned it as an “unprecedented introduction of people, use density and vehicle circulation impacting the sports stadium district in a new 24/7, year-round property use.”
Comcast has its own plans for a mixed-use development that would bring hotels, apartments and new entertainment venues to some of the neighborhood’s vast parking lots.
For Hines, this comes after the Tampa Bay Rays backed out of a $1.3B plan to build a new stadium in March — a project the builder was slated to lead. Severe damage at Tropicana Field wrought by Hurricane Milton led the team’s leadership to reconsider.
Still, Hines has ramped up its work in other parts of the country.
In December, the real estate giant was tapped to manage the 1.1M SF Baltimore Peninsula mixed-use project, and Bisnow reported it was in talks to partner on the future phases after the prior developers handed back the site to lender Bank OZK.
In April, Hines partnered with life sciences REIT Healthpeak Properties to build the multifamily component of a 40-acre mixed-use complex outside Boston in Cambridge.
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