New Construction in Philadelphia

Though Philadelphia's considered to be one of the more traditional and historical US cities, new construction is still vibrant within its borders as the city maintains a modern feel. Growth in Philadelphia is rampant with new construction going up throughout the year in various neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods are growing more quickly then others enforcing the perception that Philadelphia is a city of neighborhoods, better yet blocks, with some blocks being more desirable then others. Similarly to fashion it seems one neighborhood undergoes a sustained period of popularity, then overnight the area seems to Plateau as costs catch up to demand and supply becomes constrained. Then, just as quickly another neighborhood becomes hot and new construction, renovation, places of business and other modern additions pop up throughout the area. This keeps Realtors on their toes. The best Realtors set themselves apart because they keep up with the trends in the market and put their clients in the best situation possible market conditions considered.

Currently arguably the hottest neighborhood in Philadelphia is Northern Liberties. A few years ago a shell in Northern Liberties would be priced closer to about $40 000 today, a similar shell can now be found in Northern Liberties at $79 000 which is still a great deal. The point I am trying to emphasize is that, as demand in an area increases so to does price. Correlating with this the supply. Supply usually decreases as demand increases. The idea being that if you invest in an area before or during its growth the opportunities for you to make money are great. This is the strategy many developers in Philadelphia are trying to adopt. 'Buy cheap, build, sell for a profit.' Because of the increased competition in these neighborhoods the consumer benefits as each developers craftsmanship is an attempt to upstage their competitors at a more attractive price. Lets take a look at a couple of developments coming up in the Northern Liberties area.

The Hope Street Development.

Hope Street Development

This development's located on the 1100 block of N. Howard St, it includes the construction of 9 European-styled townhouses in the heart of Northern Liberties. Each home will feature 2000 sq. ft of detail-orientated living space, there will also be parking on location. Optional upgrades include indoor/outdoor fireplaces with a fiberglass full roof deck. The outdoor area has two levels. Each unit's scheduled to have 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms, the average price for similar units in the area about $401 715. Currently two units, unit 5 and unit 6 are listed at $449 000 and $464 900 respectively. 

Four Squared Development.

Four Squared Development.

This development's located on the 800 block of North 4th street. A model unit can be found at 819 North 4th Street. Each unit has 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms that are measured out to be about 2600 sq. ft. Each unit has a 2 car garage with rear access, within the property you'll also notice roof deck skyline views. The exterior of the property is comprised of commercial - grade jumbo brick, pro-line low aluminum clad windows and heavy gauge siding. Units are listed in the region of $789 000, one of the units is already under contract. 

These are a few examples of some new construction projects going up in Northern Liberties, but this is only the tip of the iceberg as the Northern Liberties Development Plan, forecasts many developments.To learn more about the development plan for Northern Liberties click this link: Northern Liberties Development Plan.

There are a few experts on new construction in Philadelphia. Philadelphia continues to grow day after day, preserving its historical aspects while embracing the characteristics of a modern day city. Philadelphia maintains its position as one of the top 10 cities in the country and with the incentives and opportunities the city offers developers the city should maintain this position for sometime to come.

Contact your local realtor and get in on the action while its still hot. 

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The Philadelphia School System.

Summer's almost over and its back to school season, i thought that this would be a great time to review Philadelphia's school system.

School District of Philadelphia Emblem.

The school district of Philadelphia is governed by the The Philadelphia School District. Currently the Philadelphia school district is the eighth largest school district in the nation by enrollment. The school district is based in the Philadelphia Education center, that includes all public schools in Philadelphia established in 1818. In 1850 the board was created to oversee the schools of Pennsylvania. Years later in 1867 the Act of Assembly designated that Controllers of Public Schools were to be appointed by the Judges of the Court of common pleas. There would be one controller appointed from each ward, this was done to eliminate politics from the management of schools. Eventually the mayor appointed a school board to manage the school district, this continued until 2001. Following that the district was taken over by the state and the governor was given the power to appoint a majority of the five members of new School Reform Commission. This system has remained in place to this day.

The Philadelphia school districts mission statement's as follows: 

"The mission of the School District of Philadelphia is to provide a high-quality education that prepares ensures and empowers to all students to achieve their full intellectual and social potential in order to become lifelong members and productive members of society."

There are 291 public schools in the Philadelphia school district.

174 Elementary schools, including Lamberton (K-12)
39 Middle schools
45 High Schools
5 Vocational/Technical Schools
9 Special Schools
19 Programs

There are 55 charter schools in the Philadelphia school district.

29 Elementary Schools
6 Middle schools
16 High Schools
4 Special Schools

Philadelphia School district map.

The school districts facility map is an interactive map search detailing the property locations of all the schools within the Philadelphia School district. The map includes the address, facility type, year built, current status, grades, 2010 school enrollment, % increase in enrollment, 2005-2010, % of school capacity in use, AYP status in 2010 based on state data and the Keystone Achievement Award Winner. This is a great resource that one may use to become more familiar with Philadelphia and the school system and do research.

Center City Region Map

One of the most sought after schools in the Philadelphia School district is the Independence Charter School of  of Philadelphia. The school held  lottery for incoming students earlier this year. This lottery was to assess which students they would be able to enroll for the upcoming year. The lottery, which was held on March 10th, consisted of thousands of applications for a very limited number of spots. Many of the spots were already taken by siblings of other already enrolled students, so the chances of winning a place were extremely low. This is what the school system of Philadelphia has become. Very few excellent schools mixed in with an abundance of mediocrity and inferiority so the possibility of getting a into one of the top schools is drastically low.

The most popular schools in the school system include:
Masterman Julia R Secondary School
The Ad Prima Charter School
Central High School
Laboratory Charter School
Carver High School

The school district of Philadelphia is currently governed by the five-member School Reform Commission, created in December 2001 the Governor appoints three members and the Mayor appoints two members of the commission. The breakdown of leadership includes a superintendent, a deputy superintendent, three associate superintendents, chief of talent & development, chief finance officer and an associate superintendent.

Currently the school district is in the mist of a five year plan refereed to as 'Imagine 2014'. The goal of the plan is to achieve:

"a great city system of schools in which teachers, principals, parents, staff, policymakers, and the entire community collectively focus all energy, efforts, planning and development, resources, and initiatives on building a 21st–century culture of achievement … where children come first, excellence is the norm, talent is nurtured, opportunities are made equal, and success is measured by the steady improvement of teaching and learning in classrooms system-wide … resulting in accelerated student progress … a school system in which all students succeed, families have many quality choices, the staff is great, adults are accountable, and world-class operations support the entire enterprise."

The school system in Philadelphia is very much  work in progress. Due diligence must be taken when researching the right situation for your family. There are many resources out the there to help you achieve this. Contact your local realtor for information on zip codes that a specific school may fall into, they are a great resource to ensure you put yourself in the right situation.