A reader tipped us off about a building under construction in Southwest Philly close to Baltimore Avenue, and we have a feeling that projects like this are going to become an increasingly common feature on this here blog. A few months ago, we brought a new triplex to your attention at 51st & Florence, and today we look at the corner of 50th & Pentridge, where a new duplex is getting built. A two story home stood here previously, though it seems it was in poor condition based on some old violations.
A developer bought the property at sheriff's sale in 2014, and their original plan called for a quadplex. Somewhere along the line, they modified their plan, removing two of the units. We have to imagine that these units will be offered to students and when considering student housing, the number of bedrooms, not the number of units, is typically the important consideration. So this shouldn't be nearly as much of an issue as it would be in other neighborhoods. You can see, the building rises high over the neighboring home and the homes across the street.
We can see this area south of Baltimore Avenue going in many possible directions in the future. We could see a ton of new student housing, as we've seen in the neighborhoods north of Penn and Drexel in the last few years. Alternately, we wouldn't be surprised to see the owner-occupant population grow in the area, as we recently saw a new home get built nearby on Saint Bernard Street and, in fact, the home pictured above is a rehab that was sold as a single-family home. Or perhaps it'll be a mix of new owners and transient students. Either way, look for increased construction activity in this part of Southwest in the coming years.