Demolition crews were finishing off the University City High School building last week as plans for “uCity Square” were announced.

As demolition crews finish off University City High School along 36th Street between Filbert and Warren, officials from the University City Science Center and developers Wexford Science and Technology unveiled the planned office and lab complex “uCity Square” that will take its place.

The 4-million-square-foot project will include a cluster of glassy lab and office buildings with commercial and retail space that will border 37th Street to the west and Lancaster Avenue and Market Street to the north and south. The site will also house an “urban grocery store,” fitness center and parking, according to the announcement made earlier this week. 

The development will be called uCity Square, take 10 years to complete at a cost upwards of $1 billion, and bring the “eds/meds” footprint literally to the door step of Powelton Village residents. The first stage of the plan is set to be completed within two years, officials said.

University City Science Center President and CEO Stephen Tang said the site will be similar to Mission Bay in San Francisco, where office and research buildings are connected to a nearby residential neighborhood. In Mission Bay, those residences are largely luxury condos.

Developers have consulted with members of the community and have included plans for an elementary and middle school on the site.

Meanwhile, some residents of Powelton Village and other nearby neighborhoods have voiced concerns about expansion of student housing and other development in the area. Earlier this week, the city’s Committee on Historic Designation recommended that the entire south side of the 3600 block of Lancaster Avenue be added to the Historic Register, making it more difficult for developers to demolish the block of historic commercial storefronts.

– Mike Lyons

Artist’s rendering of uCity Square.