PHILADELPHIA | uCity Square | 313 FT | 17x2 + 16 + 14 FLOORS

The University City Science Center and Wexford Science and Technology will build uCity Square on the old site of the University City High School. Total build out for the site will include 4 million square feet of office/lab/commercial, retail and residential space across 10 buildings. Four building will top 12 or more floors, the remaining six buildings will rise 4 to 10 floors in height.

uCity Square Office Tower 1: 17 floors-315 feet
uCity Square Office Tower 2: 16 floors-
uCity Square Office Tower 3: 16 floors-
uCity Square Hotel Tower: 15 floors-

From SSP

https://cdn.bisnow.net/fit?height=1200&type=jpeg&url=https%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fcdn.bisnow.net%2Fcontent%2Fimages%2F2019%2F08%2F5d55a569a3d9a-one-ucity-square-rendering-wexford-university-city-philadelphia.jpeg&width=1200&sign=lm0rJ_adgThokVATRB8YIM-XXZyjQ8OzkQKzPBaNkIQ


This is the first one to rise

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From SSP, "Walked by yesterday and there was a zoning notice for conditional use posted on the fence that runs along Lancaster between 37th and 38th.

I didn’t take a picture, but if memory serves right it was for 15-story, 225’ with 300+ underground parking spaces.

The dates on the notice were very recent. I’ll be back next weekend and will get a picture then."

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https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2019/08/19/new-building-to-rise-at-ucity-square.html

"Wexford Science & Technology expects to break ground by year end on One uCity Square, a 13-story, 400,000-square-foot building in University City.

Wexford has partnered with Ventas Inc. and the University City Science Center on the project, which is part of their bigger uCity Square campus being developed over the next decade in University City.

The development of One uCity comes less than a year after the opening of 3675 Market St., a $161.2 million, 14-story, 344,000-square-foot building that Wexford developed. That building is fully leased, underscoring the demand for new, high-quality office and lab space. Amicus Therapeutics, Cambridge Innovation Center, Drexel University College of Computing and Informatics, the University City Science Center and Carisma Therapeutics are tenants in the building.

Construction drawings will soon be finalized on One uCity and a ground breaking is expected by the end of this year, said Paul Garvey, an office broker with Cushman & Wakfield, which has been selected to oversee One uCity leasing. The building will have a mix of lab and office space similar to 3675 Market. Rents in University City have exceeded $40 a square foot but how much the new building will get isn’t clear.

“We are not quoting rates but underwriting based on each tenant and their needs,” Garvey said. “Because the building is being built to accommodate lab uses — a robust infrastructure — our rental rates can range significantly not only because of the typical reasons, credit, term and location in the building but also because of use. The landlord embraces lab uses and can provide commensurate tenant improvement packages reflecting a range of rents.”

The project is in a Federal Opportunity Zone and a Keystone Opportunity Zone, which provide tax benefits and other financial incentives to tenants who qualify.

One uCity was designed by ZGF Architects and will have several outdoor terraces overlooking a 1.5-acre plaza designed by Andropogon Associates Ltd. Construction of the building is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2021.

Wexford’s plans for UCity Square involves developing a total of 10 buildings that will have 4 million square feet of office and lab space as well as residential buildings with more than 700 apartments. When those projects are completed, it will grow the Science Center’s campus to a total of 6.5 million square feet."

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https://www.phila.gov/media/20191120093056/225-N-38th-Street_December-3-2019-CDR.pdf

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Love this super dense, mostly commercial cluster. Philadelphia is going through a radical transformation of its urban core. Exciting times ahead!

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https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2020/01/22/development-team-breaks-ground-on-280m-project-at.html?ana=TRUEANTHEMTWT_PL&taid=5e2e526e0f91f60001a2466c&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

One uCity Square groundbreaking

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“There’s an excavator and a pile driver onsite at the One U. City Square site now too.”
hammersklavier on SSP

PhillyEngineer on SSP

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https://www.instagram.com/p/CBTAAHvlqHT/?igshid=wrsvhpfrxr5l

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According to Skyscraper page, they are pouring concrete on One UCity Square. They also mentioned back in June that they may have been doing preparation for the low rise residential building. I’m hoping that this project kicks into full gear.

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I just walked by the site yesterday, and was pleasantly surprised to see tins of action. The school is finishing up and looks decent. Also, the Drexel Nursing school’s foundation is getting drilled, so it seems that tower is moving forward, and I can confirm that concrete is being poured and work is being done on One UCity square, although I don’t ave any good photos due to unfortunate and frustration fences spread around the site.


The drills are visible in this picture for the 185 foot Drexel nursing tower.

This is the only angle I could get of the new school, but it’s definitely finishing up now.

And lastly, though you can’t tell, work is being done on One UCity square in this photo.

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Early days in this development, but it is going to be transformative for the area. It should lead to further investment and infill thought University City in West Philadelphia.

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According to someone on skyscraper, drilling activity was happening in the site today, as well as this article:

Construction is also in progress on the low rise residential building, as well as the Drexel nursing tower.

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Permits filed for Two UCity Square, construction could start soon.

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https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf4Obccrod5/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=


https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2023/06/14/one-ucity-square-lease-university-city.html

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https://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/news/2023/09/21/one-ucity-square-capacity-penn-hotel-development.html

Some tenants at One uCity Square have already settled in and begun undertaking research, while others are anxious for their space to be fit out. At full capacity, tenants and developers alike anticipate the 400,000-square-foot building will foster interdisciplinary collaboration and scientific breakthroughs, something the developer will look to further with future area projects, including a potential hotel addition.

The building at 25 N. 38th St., which opened in January, is now 93% leased. Penn Medicine’s Institute for RNA Innovation has moved in and started conducting research. Come May, it will be joined by Penn Engineering’s Center for Precision Engineering for Health. Combined, Penn research teams will take up 115,000 square feet of space, or more than a quarter of the building.

This spring will mark the first time Penn Engineering and Penn Medicine will have operations under the same roof, Penn Engineering Senior Associate Dean David Meaney said.

Other building tenants include scientific consulting firm Exponent and Massachusetts-based Charles River Laboratories.

One half-floor and two ground-floor retail spaces — likely to be food and beverage concepts — are yet to be filled.

As they approach capacity for tenants in the building, Grady said Wexford will look to “convene a diverse audience, have it be connected to the neighborhood communities” as it relates to the ground-floor amenity spaces. In addition to what will likely be food and beverage concepts, there is a beer garden just outside the building.

Beyond the short-term agenda for One uCity Square, Wexford will continue building out the sprawling campus that stretches from 34th to 38th streets. The includes building out Two, Three, Four and Five uCity Square, though a timeline for those projects will likely depend on market conditions, Grady said.

In parallel with that influx of development, Grady said plans are in the works to build a hotel on the uCity Square campus.

“There is a scale of density that can support that amenity,” Grady said, adding that Wexford would look to partner with a company with experience operating a hotel.

https://www.jjjiv.com/one-ucity-one-ucity-square

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