April 10: 205 Race design to maximize billboard view | Snøhetta on 21st century libraries | homeless carnival | Fishtowners back Wynn | red light fines

Good morning Streeters. Philly could hit record-high temperatures again today, and these summery days could mean a summer-like storm.

Brown Hill reworked the design of their 128-unit, mixed-use development at 205 Race Street to avoid opposition from Keystone Outdoor Advertising, which owns a huge billboard on an adjacent lot that would be less visible from some angles. PlanPhilly’s Jared Brey explains that the tower will be raised while the height along Race Street side would be lowered. “[Deputy Mayor Alan] Greenberger said the design changes will—and our fingers resist even transcribing the phrase—‘open up the view corridor to the billboard.’” Will the billboard be there as long as the building?

It’s too early to know what Snøhetta’s designs will be for Temple University’s new library on Broad Street, but Hidden City Daily caught up with Snøhetta’s Craig Dykers to discuss the firm’s thinking about creating libraries to serve 21st century needs. “A library is a place for people to interact and allow for diversity in thinking. It’s about creating useful and viable spaces for people,” Dykers said at a lecture at Temple last week. Think more community hub, less quiet repository.

A carnival to raise money for NAACP scholarships was planned to open in Hunting Park on Thursday, but organizers never obtained proper permits, the Inquirer reports. Parks and Rec denied a permit request on Friday  – parks may not be used for carnivals in part because of the potential for damage through heavy use – and organizers must find another site.

At a community meeting Monday Fishtown residents voted in support of the Wynn casino proposal 3-1, Jared Brey reports. Some neighbors asked for a more thoughtful design for the hotel tower – one saying it “looks like a Hilton in Topeka.” A.J. Thomson, a Fishtowner in favor of the Wynn plan, “told attendees that the thing to keep in mind is that the site has been empty for decades and that someone with lots of money plans to pour a billion dollars into the neighborhood—rather than what some people who get ‘paid to advocate for planning’ have to say about it.” Oh really.

PennDOT shares revenue generated through Philly’s red light cameras with other municipalities, NewsWorks reports. Of the $3.2 million being spread across the state, $1.5 million will go to Philadelphia for “low-cost safety improvements.”

The Buzz is Eyes on the Street’s morning news digest. Have a tip? Send it along.

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