Here at Naked Philly, we have the chance to cover projects large and small, on streets wide and narrow. The 600 block of S. Delhi Street is one of the skinnier residential blocks you'll find in Philadelphia, with barely enough room for a car to make its way up the street. We actually visited this block, with its dangerous proximity to the South Street Whole Foods, once before, sharing news of a new home a couple of years ago.
Soon, the block will welcome another new home to the fold at 609 S. Delhi St., which is currently used as a parking space. But not for too much longer.
A few months back, Shimi Zaken from Atrium Design got approval from the ZBA to build a new home on this oddly shaped and lot that's in a slightly challenging location. The lot is quite wide, at 19 feet, but is very shallow, at only 40 feet deep. To build a home with a five foot rear yard required by code, you're already dealing with a shallower-than-desired home. In addition, the space immediately to the north is used for trash storage for the excellent Supper, and other nearby properties are built out very close to their property lines.
The building needed variances for height and various setbacks which were granted by the ZBA despite opposition from the community. Some near neighbors apparently weren't loving the overbuild. In a perfect world, we'd maybe like to see some rear setbacks on the upper floors to increase light and air for neighbors, but on the other hand we can appreciate the challenges inherent in the site. At the very least from an architectural standpoint, we think the building will add a new and interesting flavor to the block. And from a commerce standpoint, not to generalize, but we suspect that once this thing is built and sold, Whole Foods will be getting some new regular customers.