It’s no secret that the nexus of Northern Liberties/South Kensington/Fishtown is the fastest growing section of our fair city these days. Thousands of units have come online here over the last several years, with a collection of businesses of varying sizes springing up to support all the new residents in the area. While many projects have been completed, others are very much under construction at this very moment.
As an example, let’s look at 130 W. Girard Ave., which we last visited about a year and a half ago. At that time, this triangular lot was occupied by a one-story building which had been home to a BB&T bank branch for a number of years. We told you that the bank building would be demoed and that a seven-story building would rise in its place, with 84 units over commercial and a few parking spots. We were absolutely tickled about this project, noting that a dramatic underuse was being swapped for a highly appropriate building, offering some density and retail, all proximate to mass transit.
With projects of this size and scale, it’s never a guarantee that they actually make it out of the ground. Especially in the interest rate environment over the last few years, it would not have come as a surprise in any way to see this project delayed or cancelled. Thankfully, the project is indeed moving forward. When we visited the property the other day, we found two floors of steel platform in place, topped by two floors of wood framing. While there’s still plenty of work to come, this project is definitely pushing forward.
Speaking of seven-story buildings, we simply need to turn our gaze to the other side of Front Street to see another mixed-use project progressing nicely. When we last checked in on 23-29 W. Girard Ave. in February, framing was just getting started on the 4th floor of this 107-unit apartment building. Looking at the property now, we see there’s been some terrific progress over the last half year, with framing approaching the finish line and windows getting installed. We suspect the building will be done sometime next year.
On a less exciting note, let’s come back across Front Street to look at 135 and 143 W. Girard Ave., across the street from the triangular project. Here, you’ll find… a whole lot of nothing.
These properties had permits for a pair of six-story buildings that would have included a total of 60 units over commercial. Alas, those permits are now expired, leaving us with little hope that we will see development here in the near term. That being said, it feels like it’s only a matter of time before something gets built on these vacant lots, given what we’re seeing in every direction nearby.