A massive mixed-use plan for the former Parx Race & Sportsbook site in South Philadelphia’s stadium district has come apart, leaving the parcel at 700 Packer Ave. in limbo. The development partnership that paired international builder Hines with the Philadelphia Suburban Development Corp. (PSDC) dissolved last summer, and recent moves at City Council to roll back the zoning that enabled the project appear to have finished it off. Local developers, union leaders and neighborhood groups are now watching to see whether a new proposal can secure both community support and council approval.
How it unraveled
Council President Kenyatta Johnson told colleagues that Hines withdrew from the deal last summer and has introduced legislation to repeal several ordinances he previously backed to allow the development, saying the plans have “significantly changed.” PSDC president Mark Nicoletti told city officials the rescind would effectively end the project and lamented the loss of construction jobs. These developments were reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
What the proposal would have built
The plan, often referred to in coverage as Stadium Square, would have replaced the turf club with six buildings, including an office tower, an entertainment complex and roughly 1,367 residential units. Reporting shows the proposal called for about 1.3 million square feet of residential space, roughly 393,000 square feet of offices, 125,000 square feet of retail plus restaurants and more than 1,200 parking spaces. Those totals are laid out in coverage by The Real Deal.
Teams, unions and neighbors pushed back
From the beginning, representatives for the Phillies, the Eagles and Comcast Spectacor flagged concerns about dropping dense, around-the-clock uses next to the sports complex and the traffic headaches that could follow. Bisnow reported that Phillies officials described the proposal as an “unprecedented introduction of people, use density and vehicle circulation” in the stadium district, while Comcast has been developing its own ideas for nearby parking-site redevelopment.
City moves and zoning notes
The Department of Licenses and Inspections updated its zoning-legislation table in early February to reflect recent council action that would undo the overlay and reverse an earlier change from industrial to mixed-use rules for the site. Council materials and reporting show Johnson advanced the repeal at a Rules Committee hearing in early February after Hines’s exit, a legislative step that would remove the special zoning PSDC relied on to advance the plan. For the official record, see the zoning updates from the City of Philadelphia.
What’s next for the site
PSDC president Mark Nicoletti urged a pause so stakeholders could brainstorm alternatives and warned the zoning rollback would “effectively end” the project and cost thousands of jobs, while Johnson said any new plan will need neighborhood backing before he would support rezoning. Local outlets have rounded up the official statements from both sides, including a summary at PHILADELPHIA.Today. Meanwhile, Comcast Spectacor and other developers continue to eye opportunities in the stadium district as the market recalibrates.
For now, the stadium district remains a patchwork of competing development visions and political caution, and the future of 700 Packer Ave. will depend on whether PSDC, local teams or a new developer can present a scheme that wins both community support and City Council approval. Neighbors say the next proposal will face the same scrutiny that sank this effort, and the parcel is likely to stay on developers’ watch lists in the months ahead.
