PHILADELPHIA | Ultra Labs University City | 160 - 185 FT | 11 FLOORS

Yet another Life Sciences high rise coming to University City! The $190 million tower will feature lots of square footage for office and lab space. The tower will be crammed between SEPTA’s Powelton Yard and 32nd Street, and will thus really stand out on the University Skyline since it will be so highly visible. I’m a fan of the unique shape of the building, should look really cool when under construction and completed. It seems as though the developers (Scheer Partners out of DC), will break ground on the project soon, because the tower is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2023.

Also, on a side note, I’m really disappointed with Brandywine Realty right now. Their Schuylkill Yards was supposed to be a massive, ground-breaking Development, but absolutely nothing has happened with it yet except for a small park and a new façade in one side of a building. Since they are hogging the valuable real estate, many competitors are grabbing undesirable and worse parcels of land and are actually making it work, as they know the construction process takes years, and with a light now visible at the end of the tunnel in terms of COVID, are relatively confident that their developments will be released in a post-pandemic world, one that is hopefully better. Because of the new competition, I wouldn’t be surprised if Brandywine, who seems to be very scared to take even the smallest of risks, further downsizes their project or delays it even more. Sorry for the negativity, just me sharing some worried thoughts.

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