Sant Unveils NewMarket Condo Plan for Society Hill

The condo plans, developed by locally based Daroff Design and its affiliate DDI Architects, originally called for a high-rise building of between 31 and 40 stories with from 161 to 173 residential units along with a garage, and open space of from 15,456 sf to 29,456 sf. One plan included a garden and a 20,000-sf St. Peters School Performing Arts Center. Another included an indoor garden and a 35,000-sf bookstore.

All of the alternatives exceed the 11-story height that was approved for the hotel, but use less of the land. "The smaller footprint and orientation toward Front Street came from negotiations with the building's Society Hill neighbors," Charles Naselsky tells GlobeSt.com. Naselsky, a partner in the locally based law firm of Cozen O'Connor, serves as Sant's spokesman.

Following the meeting with the neighborhood civic association, Naselsky also says, "we'll probably stay below 30 stories. There have been at least 40 iterations of the plan, and, for now, they're all architect's dreamings--just sketches."

Asked if published reports of an estimated $100-million construction cost were accurate, Naselsky says, "we don't have an estimated cost. It will depend on the size of the building, number of units and potential economic return." He says the property will contain one-, two- and three-bedroom units, "priced at the high end of Philadelphia condo pricing," and adds that he did not expect them to come close to $900 per sf.

The property will also contain "in excess of 300 underground parking spaces to accommodate building residents as well as the parking needs of other area residents who will lose the parking space they now have." He also says the property will contain landscaped gardens. "Whether that space will be public or private will depend on our ongoing negotiations." He expects the approval process to be complete in the next few months, but provided no timeframe for groundbreaking or completion.