December 22: Investors bullish on Philly apartment market | Falls bridge to close | Vision Zero in DC

Eli Rosen of Gebroe-Hammer Associates tells Inquirer real estate columnist Alan Heavens that he expects Philly’s apartment market to keep going strong for the foreseeable future. “Investor appetite has been insatiable, and the tenant base of young professionals continues to absorb new product metro-wide at a historic pace.” Real estate investment services firm adds that investor activities “ignites in a dependable Philadelphia market” based on the “healthy economic indicators” of real job growth in the education and health services sectors.

Camden just changed water system operators, reports Alison Steele. “Camden City Council members voted Monday to hand over operation of the water and sewer system serving most of the city to American Water, the state’s largest private water utility.” American Water may also move their headquarters to Camden to take advantage of Grow NJ tax credits.

Alon Abramson gives Adjua Fisher at Be Well Philly the low-down on how an Open Streets PHL* event would be different than a block party, Night Market, or the Papal visit. 

The Falls Bridge will be closed to cars for emergency repairs for 4-6 weeks in January, reports Jason Laughlin, but cyclists and pedestrians will still be able to use it. 

Civil rights groups filed suited against Maryland Governor Larry Hogan for cancelling the Red Line transit expansion project and rededicating the funding to roads. Emily Badger explains the increasing interest in transit as a civil rights issue.

David Alpert at Greater Greater Washington is skeptical of DC’s push to raise traffic fines in their Vision Zero plan, pointing to evidence from criminology that certainty of enforcement is more important than severity. He’d rather see people who run stop signs have more certainty of getting a ticket than make the tickets cost hundreds of dollars. 

Michael Hinkelman at the Daily News interviews Edmund Klinek of KSS Architects about the firm’s recent projects like the Pennovation Center, and their efforts to create more collaborative work spaces. KSS Architects designed the WHYY building, where we work. 

*Disclosure: Jon Geeting is one of the founders of the Open Streets PHL campaign.