New 10-story condo project planned near Parkway

A 125-foot-high residential building is planned for a space just behind the Rodin Museum, feet from the the ever-bustling Parkway. But, while it may be a boon to residents hoping to move to the popular neighborhood, it could also conflict with nearby park project.

Tom Bock, developer of the 10-story project at 2100 Hamilton Street recently received a zoning permit to erect the building. It will see 33 residential units and 48 parking spaces, along with an underground parking garage.

The development may interfere with a highly-anticipated project by Friends of the Rail Park, who aim to convert Philly’s former Reading Viaduct Line into a three-mile park. The housing development would be erected along a sunken former railway passage, which the group had hoped to use as part of their project, according to Philly Business Journal.

The group, which has been working on the park since they broke ground in late November, 2016, and recently announced plans to open the first section of the park this spring.

Friends of the Rail Park responded to the news Thursday, with plans to continue discussing how the area can best be utilized.

“Friends of the Rail Park is engaging in meetings with the development team, and many stakeholders, including neighborhood organizations, area cultural institutions, and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, with the goal of seeing that the site is developed in a way that maximizes the positive impact that the storied assets of the future Rail Park; the Parkway, the Rodin Museum; and the Barnes Foundations can have on the development itself, while preserving those important assets for the enjoyment of all Philadelphians, and visitors from around the region and around the world,” they said in a statement.

• Zoning permit [Phila.gov]
• Condo project near art museum could derail park plans [Philly Business Journal]
• Rail park opening planned for spring [Curbed Philly]