Keep an eye on North Broad, folks. Restauranteurs extraordinnaires Marc Vetri (Vetri, Osteria, Amis) and Stephen Starr (please don’t make us list them all) and catering whiz Joe Volpe (Cescaphe, the Atrium at the Curtis Center, opening-soon Tendenza) have all signed on to open new venues at 600 North Broad Street, just north of Spring Garden. Chatter has been coming down the line all week (here and here and here) about EB Realty Management Corp.‘s proposed $50M transformation of the former Wilkie Buick/Subaru Dealership and Showroom into a mixed-use development, anticipated to open next Fall. The complex sits between Broad & 15th Streets and between Green & Mount Vernon Streets. The three eateries will take over the single-story portion that fronts on Broad, and the residential portion of the development will go into the former showroom at the 15th/Mt. Vernon corner of the site, whose seven stories will be renovated into loft apartments.

Current plans for the new restaurants:
Starr: “[A] casual New England fish house with a wood grill and picnic-style seating” tentatively named Route 6; seating for around 150 in +/- 6,000 sqft.
Vetri: An Italian-themed gastropub “inspired by trips to Rome and visits to neighborhood bars and eateries” tentatively named Birreria 600; serving some 50-70 beers on tap (!); +/- 3,500 sqft.
Volpe: A catering/event space with a 8,000 sqft. commissary for up to 700 guests – so far unnamed.

EB Realty Management Corp. is responsible for the redevelopment of the building at 640 North Broad that houses Vetri’s Osteria on the ground floor, so that already successful business relationship certainly bodes well for this new venture. Additionally, Philadelphia Business Journal tells us that no additional zoning/planning approvals are required since the proposed use for the property is allowed under its current zoning restrictions. Assuming financing and the ever-so-cumbersome Pennsylvania liquor licensing procedures fall into place, this deal seems like a go. We’ll be watching this one closely.