Headlines: Boyd Site to Get TargetExpress; Tower Request Withdrawn

Plus: Water main breaks on the rise in Philly, positive changes in the Promised Zone, and more!

By Angelly Carrión· 6/16/2015, 7:00 a.m.

Early rendering of the redevelopment plan

Target, Tarjey, whatever you call it — at least one is coming to Center City. According to the Inquirer’s Jacob Adelman, Target spokesperson Erika Winkels has announced that a portion of the Boyd Theatre development site will include a 21,000-square foot TargetExpress store.

Adelman writes the spot reserved at 19th and Chestnut — anticipated to have a July 2016 opening — will cover “over two floors” of the historic Raymond Pace Alexander building, which, per the latest plans, is slated to be “enlarged through construction of an adjacent three-story retail building.” Said building is part of the recently approved redevelopment plan for the project. From the Inquirer (emphasis ours):

The building is a piece of the redevelopment plan partially approved Friday by Philadelphia’s Historical Commission. It also includes the restoration of the Boyd’s 1950s marquee, with a restaurant to be set in the space behind the facade.

At that hearing, developer Pearl Properties withdrew a plan for a 341-foot-tall apartment tower where the Boyd’s Art Deco auditorium once stood, to seek more neighborhood input.

Target announced in January that they were looking to bring as many as four of the smaller grab-and-go TargetExpress stores to the Philadelphia marketplace in an effort to reach urban baby boomers and millennials. Yesterday, the Minneapolis-based company announced that CVS Health has agreed to buy Target’s in-store pharmacy and clinic business in a deal worth $1.9 billion.

Center City Philadelphia’s growing population density appears to have attracted Target as Winkels was quoted as saying, “It’s a block from Rittenhouse Square. There’s a ton of existing retail, lots of pedestrian traffic,” noting, “we’ve got a greater opportunity to serve those guests who are maybe not as able to drive to a full Target store in a suburb.”

Rumor has it Target is already sniffing around for a second Center City location.