There's some development brewing on and around the 4600 block of Sansom Street. Last summer, we visited this block to check in on a row of prefabricated apartment buildings. It seems that development has been something of a catalyst for other projects in the neighborhood which have begun construction since. The most newsworthy is a whole range of vacant properties in the immediate vicinity, including 4611, 4612-4620, 4613, 4619, and 4621 Sansom Street as well as 125-129 and 133-135 S. 46th Street. That's fourteen vacant tracts of land, all told. All of these properties were owned by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and were sold to Sansom Street Development, LP, which is a moniker for Charles Lomax of Lomax Real Estate Partners, for a sum of $499,500. That breaks down to roughly $36K per lot. According to a few details published in meeting notes for the PRA, the developers plan on building a triplex on each lot consisting of 2 bed/2 bath apartments. Beyond that, we're not sure what these buildings will look like, but we can show you what the lots look like now.
128 S. 46th St. is the last lot next to the prefabricated housing that we mentioned was completed last year. At the time we wrote that post, we were really hoping that the end lot would hurry up and get built to cover up the ugly party wall that the prefab houses left. We assumed that it was owned by the same people. It's actually set to be part of this new development. As you can see in the picture, the foundations are currently being poured, despite this inhospitable weather for such a task.
We mentioned earlier that the original modular construction propelled two new projects in the immediate area to break ground. The second one is a fairly large building (4525 Walnut St.) being developed by University Realty, which, by way of the company's name, we assume will be marketed toward local students. We mentioned it last year when the sale happened and permits were pulled. The building is now fully framed and windows are almost finished being installed.
This building will contain 40 units and… well, you can read the rest below:
We're really glad that the lot is being filled in and we hope the facade of the building will be somewhat agreeable. A parcel that was once 80% parking lot will soon become a building which will house people most likely walking or taking transit to their school or jobs. Certainly seems like a step in the right direction.