Maybe six weeks ago, we told you that developers had purchased a surface parking lot and a building on the southwest corner of 10th & Spring Garden, and were planning to build an eight-story mixed-use building. This was exciting to us in a few different ways. First, we’re always pleased when a surface lot disappears and a building rises in its place. More important though, is the potential impact on the area. We’ve followed, with some interest, the slow and steady growth of the commercial corridor on this stretch of Spring Garden, with Union Transfer as the major anchor and a handful of restaurants popping up nearby over the last several years. The addition of a building with a sizable retail space and a bunch of apartments above be a one-two punch for the corridor, but in a good way.

The project went to the ZBA last month, but was continued. Recently, it was presented to a community meeting hosted by the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, and following this meeting we imagine it’ll make a return visit the ZBA at which point its fate will be decided. Following the community meeting, architects Harman Deutsch were kind enough to share a rendering of the project, so we can have a sense of what to expect, assuming the building gets approved.

This building looks like it would be a great addition to a corridor that hasn’t as far as we can remember, seen any new construction development of this scale in a long time. Looking at the rendering, we see a first floor retail space with high ceilings, which would seem like a great fit for a restaurant operator. As you move up the building, the 2nd and 3rd floors use different cladding materials than the upper floors, adding some architectural interest to this contemporary building. A slight change from a previous application, the project now calls for 21 units on floors 2-8, down from 23 units.

As we said before, it’s pretty unusual to see a new construction 8-story building in Philadelphia because of construction costs and union considerations, so this building will be a bit of an unusual sight. Still, with some taller buildings nearby, especially with 990 Spring Garden right across the street, it seems appropriate for a taller than usual building at this location. And don’t forget, the Rail Park is coming soon just down the street, so some of these units should have some great views. Here’s hoping the developers are able to build it.