PHILADELPHIA | Lowrise/General Developments Thread II
Philadelphia | Lowrise/General Developments Thread
This thread is for any project under 12 floors high or any minor development within the City of Philadelphia.
When we last visited here a year ago, the old building on-site was demolished, and we knew that a 37-unit building was on the way from developers Constellar and Donovan Architects. This building is a privately-owned affordable housing development, with all units earmarked for folks making between 20-60% of the local area median income (AMI) – a huge victory for affordable housing advocates. Steel is now above ground and things are in full swing on site.
4200 Lancaster Ave. is making a turn to residential. Formerly a brick building that wasn’t turning any heads, a 15-unit building to be named Nova Commons is rising on this CMX-2 zoned lot. The development team is also utilizing the green roof bonus and a payment to the affordable housing fund to get to their current unit count. Things are well underway for this design from DesignBlendz, which will also include ground floor commercial space on the corner.
Formerly a one-story CVS, the corner building is now demolished, with plans now calling for 201 units along with 44 parking spaces rising seven stories. Hightop Development brought in CosciaMoos to design a modern building with ground floor retail, forming a striking new space at this prominent spot. Immediately to the south, another mixed-use building from Canno Design will add yet another 49 units to this increasingly buzzing intersection.
The property at 1201 W. Girard Ave. was a low-rise Rite Aid and a massive parking lot for years. It was almost exactly two years ago when we last checked out the site, when plans for 168 units designed by Landmark Architecture went to Civic Design Review. Since then, the site has been cleared and construction is well underway for this four-story building. This exclusively residential building with 31 car parking spaces will bring even more residents to this transit-friendly area. As you can see, the design has been switched up a bit, now featuring a stately brick facade along the entirety of Girard Ave., with recessed black windows and masonry helping break-up the length and adding to the traditional material palette.
Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit discovered that the construction site has been cleared for a seven-story, 220-unit residential building at 417-25 Callowhill Street in Northern Liberties. Designed by Bernardon, the building will be situated just to the north of Old City and will offer apartments ranging from studios to two-bedroom apartments, 29,980 square feet of amenities, and an expansive roof deck. Parking for 71 vehicles will also be provided.
Construction Underway At 741 Spring Garden Street In Poplar
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A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has revealed that construction is underway at a seven-story, 146-unit mixed-use building at 741 Spring Garden Street in Poplar, Lower North Philadelphia. Designed by JKRP Architects and developed by Arts + Crafts Holdings, the project will span 99,114 square feet, which includes retail, as well as car and bicycle parking. Permits list Camfred Construction as the contractor and a construction cost of $4.95 million.
Construction Advances At 1306-14 Callowhill Street In Callowhill
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Philly YIMBY’s recent site visit has noted considerable construction progress at a seven-story, 181-unit rental development at 1306-14 Callowhill Street in Callowhill, Lower North Philadelphia. Designed by Bernardon, the project will span 184,679 square feet and feature retail space measuring 3,208 square feet on the ground floor as well as 51 parking spaces. Permits list a construction cost of $18 million.
Permits Issued For 1924-32 North Front Street In Norris Square
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Permits have been issued for the construction of a five-story, 32-unit mixed-use building at 1924-32 North Front Street in Norris Square. The development will replace a three-story church on the west side of the block between West Berks and West Norris streets, next to the elevated Market-Frankford Line and across Front Street from Fishtown. Designed by Square Architects, the development will span 32,605 square feet and feature ground-floor commercial space, elevator service, bicycle storage, and a roof deck. Permits list Baltimore Select Properties (alternately Select Redevelopment) as the contractor and specify a construction cost of $4.215 million.
Foundations Underway At 1000 Spring Garden Street In Callowhill
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A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has discovered that foundation work has largely been completed at an eight-story, 21-unit mixed-use development at 1000 Spring Garden Street in Callowhill, Lower North Philadelphia. Designed by Harman Deutsch Ohler Architecture and developed by KT Investments, the building will span 19,504 square feet and feature commercial space (likely at the ground floor), elevator service, bicycle storage, a roof deck, and full sprinkling. Permits list LIU Construction as the contractor and a construction cost of $2.25 million.
St. Laurentius Church in Fishtown can be replaced with an eight-story residential building, judge rules
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A Philadelphia judge has ordered the city to reinstate a zoning permit that allows a developer to replace the Fishtown landmark St. Laurentius Church with a multifamily building.
The city violated the law last year when it rescinded zoning permission to allow the construction at the site of an eight-story multifamily residential building spanning more than 45,000 square feet with 49 residential units, Common Pleas Court Judge Joshua Roberts ruled Thursday. The judge’s order reverses the decision by the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The board exceeded its authority when it disregarded a provision in Philadelphia’s zoning code that allowed the issuing of the permit in favor of a similar but less strict zoning rule that applies to all other counties through the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code that did not allow it, Roberts said.
The decision marked the latest stage in the years-long fight by neighbors to preserve the 19th-century deconsecrated church and by developers to redevelop the landmark, which is on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places.
In 2021, the city gave permission for the brownstone Roman Catholic church to be demolished, saying the building at Berks and Memphis Streets was structurally unstable and in danger of collapsing. Demolition of St. Laurentius started last August with the removal of its skyline-defining twin spires and is ongoing. The framing of the roof has been exposed.