Passengers at five busy transit stations may face detours
when the Gallery shopping center in Center City closes for renovations.
But frustrated officials at SEPTA and PATCO can't alert
riders to coming changes, because, they say, they've been unable to get
information from Gallery manager Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust
(PREIT).
"We really don't know anything," said PATCO
spokeswoman Fran O'Brien, who said PREIT officials had said only that they were
in the process of finalizing development plans.
"It's not clear at this point if there definitely
will be a disruption for SEPTA passengers, or what it might be," said
SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch. "We'll stay in contact with them moving
forward to keep riders up to date."
PREIT spokeswoman Heather Crowell said, "By
mid-February, we'll have some information to share publicly."
As PREIT prepares to remake the Gallery as a high-end
mall - or at least a higher-end mall - businesses and fast-food eateries are
closing almost daily.
So far, though, the transit stations haven't been
affected.
Shops at the Gallery flank an underground concourse
beneath Market Street between 8th and 11th Streets. The concourse is a major
thoroughfare for passengers using five transit stations:
SEPTA's Jefferson Station (formerly known as Market
East), which is the second-busiest Regional Rail station, with about 26,000
trips a day.
SEPTA's Market-Frankford subway stations at 8th and
Market (10,830 boardings per day) and 11th and Market (9,600 boardings daily).
SEPTA's Broad-Ridge Spur subway stop at 8th and Market,
with 3,110 boardings daily.
PATCO's 8th and Market subway station, the second-busiest
on that line, with 5,491 daily boardings.
"Access to mass transit is extremely important to
us," said Crowell at PREIT. She said she did not know if the underground
concourse would be off-limits to transit users during the reconstruction, which
could take several years.
"Our thought is that we'll be able to say more by
mid-February, which will be in advance of any potential disruptions," she
said.
PREIT owns the anchor buildings housing Burlington Coat
Factory and Century 21, but the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority owns most
of the Gallery, having spent $101 million on it in the 1970s. PREIT leases the
mall from the city.
PREIT and partner Macerich Inc. are now seeking financial
help from the city to help pay for the redevelopment of the complex.
PREIT has been tight-lipped about its specific plans for
the mall, other than to describe the redevelopment as a major upgrade.
Last fall, chief executive officer Joseph F. Coradino
told financial analysts that the opening of the new Century 21 store
"marks the first step in the renaissance of the Gallery . . .. We're
poised to deliver a world-class project."
Mayor Nutter's spokesman, Mark McDonald, said at the
time:
"The mayor is strongly supportive of the efforts to
transform Market Street, and clearly the renewal of the Gallery is a key part
of that effort.
"In broad strokes, we hope for more doors onto the
street and more activity on the street, a more exciting and inviting place for
Philadelphians and visitors."
The Gallery is actually two commercial developments, completed
six years apart.
The Gallery at Market East opened in 1977, buttressed by
the adjacent Strawbridge & Clothier and Gimbels department stores, both of
which have long since closed.
Gallery II opened in October 1983, with the completion of
SEPTA's new Market East (now Jefferson) Station
Source: Philly.com
No comments:
Post a Comment