January 23: Snowplow shortage | Bakers Centre investigation | Millennials likely to leave | Curtis Center could sell, $135M | South Philly neighborhoods on hot list

Good morning, Eyes on the Street! We hope you’re staying safe and warm despite massive power outages and cold temps that mean this snow will be sticking around a bit longer than the season’s past snowfalls. 

Has your street been plowed yet? City officials say Philadelphia has enough snowplows, but a report from The Atlantic Cities finds that New York City has nearly three times as many plows per square mile, and Washington, D.C., which gets less snow than Philly, has nearly 40 percent more plows per square mile.   

Investigations are underway at Bakers Centre, the shopping plaza that opened this summer only to be flooded by 13 million gallons of water when a water main ruptured on Jan. 11. In the parking lot alone, damage is estimated at about $3 million, but Pennsylvania law caps the city’s payout at $500,000 per incident. The break is being investigated to determine if this was more than just a cold weather snap. 

A new Pew report cautions that about half of the 100,000 millennials who have flocked to Philadelphia in the last several years admit they will probably leave the city in the next five to 10 years. The study finds that these populations are pulled and/or pushed away due to job prospects, schools, crime and public safety. 

Center City’s Curtis Center could potentially sell for $135 million or more. The 13-story, 886,000-square-foot building at 601 Walnut Street was building between 1909 and 1921 by the Curtis Publishing Company. It’s home to “Dream Garden,” a 49-foot long, 15-foot high glass mosaic created by Louis C.Tiffany in 1916. 

A new list of the hottest neighborhoods in the region ranked East Passyunk Crossing and Newbold third and fourth, respectively. The rankings were determined by the number of homes viewed and favorited on real-estate company Redfin’s website. According to Passyunk Post, the number of page views on Redfin’s site jumped 513 percent for East Passyunk Crossing and 435 percent for Newbold in 2013.

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