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Cira South Parking Structure - Philadelphia, PA In Philadelphia, one of the city’s most groundbreaking projects is taking shape near its “University City” district. The development known as Cira Centre South is seeking to create an enhanced connection between University City and the rest of the city. Plans for the Cira Centre South project include the addition of two high rise buildings and a new parking garage. Already complete is the full adaptive reuse of the site’s historic Main Post Office building, as well as the Cira South mixed-use parking garage. The renovated Post Office building accommodates office space for over 5,000 employees of a tenant of the General Services Administration (GSA). The building required a significant interior renovation to re-creating it as a high-level office building, as well as the restoration and maintenance the building’s historic façade. An important component of the Cira South development is the new 1,660-space mixed-use parking facility. TimHaahs worked with developer Brandywine Realty Trust to provide prime design for the new parking facility. The mixed-use garage includes significant street-level retail and office space, which has helped to increase activity along the streetscape, while exhibiting a more pedestrian-friendly appearance, and generating street-level activity. The parking facility also includes provisions for a future green roof.  The parking facility is located near Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, and a significant portion of the garage footprint spans over two sets of AMTRAK railroad tracks. Part of the demolished Postal Annex building remained in place to provide a protective “cocoon” around the tracks. The site’s proximity one block from AMTRAK’s 30th Street Station is important, as it features convenient access to AMTRAK, Philadelphia’s SEPTA public transit system, and New Jersey Transit rail lines. The facility is also located near the parks and bike path along the Schuylkill River, which serve as inviting gathering places for the public.  The new parking facility is an attractive complement to the rapidly expanding Cira South development and will be important to the future success of the area as it continues to grow. The mixed-use parking facility will not only help to contribute additional street-level activity through the integration of retail, but the parking will be extremely important in supporting the continuously growing parking demands for the future of the development.  |