For many years, the large open lot at 1430 South St. served as an outdoor space for the Jamaican Jerk Hut restaurant next door. Though some people didn't appreciate the noise generated by this space, most people agreed it was a nice touch for the neighborhood, and a far better look than the large unimproved vacant lot to the west of the restaurant.
Over the last couple of years though, there have been some significant changes to this block of South Street West. PHS turned the aforementioned vacant lot into a pop-up garden last year and it was so successful that they brought it back again this summer. And as we first told you about two years ago, the former Jerk Hut lot is getting redeveloped.
As we mentioned previously, the project is split into two parts. On South Street, a five-story mixed-use building is currently under construction. When it's done, it will have a large retail space on the first floor and thirty-two rental apartments. On Kater Street, three homes will rise, along with a carriage house that floats above an entrance to a small parking area. For the last several months, scaffolding has obscured the face of the building on South Street, but it came down pretty recently and now you can get a pretty good idea of what the building will look like when it's finished.
As for Kater Street, foundations were poured last week for the homes.
The South Street building should be finished at the beginning of 2016. The homes should wrap up a couple months later.
It's unfortunate that this project came at the expense of the Jerk Hut's outdoor area, but we'd wager that the pop-up business over the last two summers has been a major boon for the restaurant. With any luck, PHS will elect to reopen the pop-up at this location in the years to come, further helping the Jerk Hut and giving neighbors a great place to hang out all summer. If not, we had heard previously that the restaurant owner was negotiating with property owner Kenny Gamble for permission to use the lot in the future, but we're not sure about the status of those negotiations. Given the groundwork that's been laid here by PHS, it would indeed be a shame for the parcel to return to vacancy.
Note: OCF Realty, parent company of Naked Philly, is the broker for the 1430 South Street project