Cecil B. Moore Avenue near Temple has seen a tremendous uptick in development in recent years. Student housing has exploded on this street, with new apartment buildings replacing vacant land, collapsed churches, and shuttered schools. With much of this new development residential in nature, it might surprise you to know that Cecil B. Moore is actually zoned to be a commercial corridor. That’s why some of the developments we’ve covered have had “vacant retail space” on the first floors of their apartment buildings which could never realistically house a successful business.

That could soon be the fate for 1630 and 1632 Cecil B. Moore Ave., mixed-use buildings that have been blighted for years. These properties were purchased back in August by Perivale LLC for $175K.

The middle buildings

These new owners have proposed demolishing the two buildings in question and replacing them with two new structures with five apartments and “vacant commercial space” on the first floor. We couldn’t tell you whether they’re intending to create usable retail space or are simply setting the commercial space aside to satisfy the demands of the code with an intention to repurpose the space for residential use in the future. Either way, it would be a win for the block, since the building on the right looks like it got punched in the face.

Closer look

While the Columbia Deli is still in operation next door, that building also looks pretty awful. We wonder whether Cecil B. Moore can support additional or upgraded retail at this time or if it’s kind of stuck in neutral for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, as more people move into the area, demand for retail will increase, and some semblance of a commercial corridor can be preserved. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing these two structures safely demolished and replaced with something new.