Last week, a couple of folks who work at the still shiny JBJ Soul Homes tipped us off about some new construction activity at the northwest corner of 15th & Swain. It took us a little while to get to this Francisville corner, which was a vacant lot for years and often home to some pickup trucks. When we finally visited yesterday, we discovered a new hole in the ground.
The lots were purchased by developers earlier this year for a combo price of $220K. They've hired Harman Deutsch to design a mixed-use building for the site, making this a by-right build. Plans are for a four-story building with a commercial space on the first floor and an apartment on each floor above. No idea what the commercial tenant will be, though we don't know what kind of retail will be the right play here.
When this thing gets built, it won't be the only new kid in town. As we mentioned earlier, JBJ Soul Homes is right across the street and was completed earlier this year. Also nearby, a condo duplex got built last year on this block of Swain Street, also replacing a long-vacant lot. And up 15th Street, on Parrish Street, there's a couple of different projects ongoing including the renovation of an old warehouse that we've had an eye on for years. More and more, it seems that the epicenter of development in Francisville has moved eastward. And you know there's more to come.