August 12: Toll Brothers to demolish part of Jewelers’ Row | Moving Rizzo | PA leading on autonomous vehicles

A Toll Brothers subsidiary applied for a permit to demolish five buildings at the southeast corner of Jewelers’ Row to make way for a 16-story, 80-unit residential building, Jacob Adelman reports. “Demolition can begin any time after Aug. 26 – 21 days after the permit application was filed – if the permit is granted, [L+I spokesperson Karen] Guss said. L&I inspectors are scheduled to begin reviewing the application by Sept. 1, she said.” The Preservation Alliance is exploring options to stop the demolition, and they’ve launched a Change.org petition asking Anne Fadullon, the city’s Director of Planning and Development, to intervene. 

Jim Kenney is leaving the door open to discussing moving the Frank Rizzo statue, reports Kristen de Groot. “I’m happy to have a dialogue about the future of Rizzo’s likeness in relation to its location, but that dialogue won’t be started and finished over a few days,” Kenney said.

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware all saw the percentage of homeowners with “seriously underwater” mortgages increase in the second quarter, according to a new report from RealtyTrac. The report speculates that the uptick could be “attributed to a lagging foreclosure process that recently picked up. As more foreclosed homes are sold below market-rate, he said, the values of their neighboring properties will also drop, but mortgage payments will remain the same,” writes Joe Hernandez.

PennDOT says Pennsylvania is leading the way on autonomous vehicles, reports Maria Panaritis. “A new state task force that includes industry heavy hitters General Motors and Uber has been meeting with state officials and transit trade groups to prepare Pennsylvania for arrival of the still-experimental twist on transport.”

Developers Hillel Tsarfati and Kfir Binnfeld presented plans to the Garden Court Community Association for a 160-unit apartment building of mostly below-market rate units, for a parking lot at 49th and Spruce, says Melissa Romero.