In terms of development, it's been anything but quiet over in West Philly lately. Consider, we've seen consistent institutional building in University City by big names like Drexel, Penn, and the University City Science Center; driving through University City, one can see a bunch of big new buildings sprinkled around, especially on Chestnut and Market Streets.
Now University Realty is joining the fray, with plans for the redevelopment of a long worn corner at 45th & Walnut that last hosted a Halal shop that has since been demolished. The shop closed three years ago, leaving a vacant building and a large parking lot. The developers are planning a 40-unit apartment building for the site, per West Philly Local. This would make sense for these guys, who specialize in student housing rentals.
Once plans become more solid here, we'll have additional info. For now, consider the context: this is one of several projects proposed in this immediate area. First, is a proposal from Orens Brothers (who completed renovations on the long fire-ruined Croydon at 49th & Locust last-year) to build a five-story 150-unit on the 4400 block of Chestnut. After that comes plans we recently shared for redevelopment on a vacant building at 46th & Spruce that caught fire a few years ago. That project, which would bring twenty-four affordable housing units, is in limbo, with the Spruce Hill Community Association, developers, and neighbors working on a final plan. Oh and we almost forget, there's a string of new modular triplexes that were recently delivered to 46th & Sansom.
The past few years in this area of West Philly it was all about instituational development and Baltimore Avenue. Considering the aforementioned projects, it seems that the next few years should see various projects take shape in this part of the neighborhood. If history is any indication, even more should be on the way.