A few years ago, we told you about a sizable new development in the Allegheny West neighborhood, on the edge of East Falls, at 34th & Commissioner. At that time, there were seven units at various stages of construction, and we’re pleased to share that there are now eight quadplexes on this site. We also noted that this construction was only the tip of the iceberg, and that there were plans for a couple hundred additional units on the land to the south of these buildings, in a combination of triplexes and a seven-story mixed-use building. Alas, the rest of the project has not yet gotten started, as you can see.
Just up the street, another project is upcoming which appears to actually be moving forward. 3120 N. 34th St. was once a one-story commercial building, home to a business called Star. But the ‘S’ fell off the building and it looked, for some time, like the business was called ‘Tar,’ instead. Bonus points to anyone that can tell us what Star did. But you won’t get many points, because it doesn’t matter, because the old building is now gone, demolished in favor of an upcoming development.
Said project is being called Zero Six and will entail half a dozen new homes which will be offered up for sale. The homes are being built by Argo Property Group and are designed by Bright Common, and these homes will look quite different from the homes nearby, and will honestly be different from any other homes we’ve seen built in Philadelphia.
The first floors of the homes will be red brick, with a 3-story slate-clad mansard on the upper floors. We’ve seen plenty of one-story mansards, and an occasional two-story mansard, but a three story mansard is something new entirely, at least for new construction. Not only will the homes themselves cast a unique shadow on the street, but the sidewalks will also be something atypical, taking the form of a woonerf. That’s essentially a planted sidewalk which has no curbs. Also worth noting, these homes will have solar arrays on their roofs and will strive for zero energy draw- hence the name Zero Six.
When we covered the project to the south of here back in 2017 it was especially notable, as we hadn’t seen much other development in this part of town at the time. Things have definitely changed here in the intervening years, as we are seeing several other projects of various sizes appear around here, from rehabs to new construction. The developers of Zero Six are calling the area Paradise Hills, and the local RCO is calling the area RAH, after the triangle formed by Ridge, Allegheny, and Hunting Park. As we’ve seen in other parts of town, you know the gentrification is about to go into full swing when you have different groups calling a neighborhood by new and different names. So stay tuned, there should be some more stories about this area, coming soon.