Former Inquirer Building To Be Rezoned
The former Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad St.
The City Planning Commission passed a vote on Tuesday to rezone three Center City properties. Bills to rezone the former Inquirer building at 400 N. Broad, the Philadelphia School District Headquarters and a parking lot owned by the Community College of Philadelphia at 15th and Hamilton were recommended by the Committee, PlanPhilly reports.
The rezoning will change the three properties from industrial zoning to CMX-4 commercial zoning. The CMX-4 zoning is for Center City commercial buildings that can be used for “household living, commercial offices, professional services, retail, groceries, convenience stores, sit-down restaurants, educational facilities, government offices and visitor accommodations,” per the city website. The CMX-4 zoning is for large scale uses.
According to the PlanPhilly article, CCP is hoping to build a 500-bed student housing complex that will also have commercial and retail spaces on the first floor. Noted Philadelphia developer Bart Blatstein plans to turn the Inquirer building into apartments and a 125-room hotel. He had previously tried to turn it into a casino but was not able to get the necessary gaming license.
