2008 wasn't so long ago. But in parts of East Kensington, it seems like it's been a lifetime. Take, for a small example (and there are so many others), a small stretch of E. Susquehanna Avenue just past Trenton Avenue. Back in 2008, it was a vast wasteland.
Slowly, the infill came along. By 2009, one home sprang up. Within a couple of years, there were two more. And now, at 2128 E. Susquehanna Ave., another home is under construction. We passed by last week and spied the foundation.
You may (but probably don't) recall, we told you about this project over two years ago. Developers PS Property LLC, builders of LEED certified homes, purchased the lot back in 2010 and are now finally getting around to constructing a home here. The wait has probably been a profitable one, given the unprecedented prices we're seeing in the area of late. As for the remaining lot on this block, it's owned by NKCDC, who acquired it from the PRA in 2010.
This block is just a microcosm of the wave of development in the neighborhood in recent years. Just a block away, a former soap works was converted into apartments a couple of years ago. And who can forget the restoration of the former 26th Precinct Police Station, and the homes that recently went up next door? And what must be over a hundred additional single family homes have appeared, greatly reducing the number of vacant lots in the neighborhood. Amazingly, there are still lots to be developed here, though like the corner of Trenton & Susquehanna, development now has the upper hand. Quite a change from 2008.