Back at the very beginning of the year, we made our way to the corner of 6th & Moore in East Passyunk to check in on a project that was taking the place of an old industrial building. As we mentioned at the time, this project called for 25 townhomes along McClellan Street and a 52-unit apartment building on Moore Street, bookended by 3-unit, mixed-use buildings on 6th & 7th Streets. The townhouses were close to completion back then, but as you can see below, plenty of progress has been made since our last visit.

This Canno-designed project will feature retail spots on the northern corners, activating a block that wasn’t the most inviting in the past. Rough framing is done for the apartment building, with nearly all windows installed. It appears that progress is starting on the facade at the western end of the block, where red brick is already up on the corner building. It looks like an aesthetic redesign has taken place, as the formerly all-brick facade now features a first floor with stone instead.

We also had a peek around the corner to see how things were looking on those aforementioned townhomes along McClellan. As you can see from the 7th St. side, a shared driveway bisects the block and provides parking access to both the townhomes and the new apartments. We love seeing this, as it creates only two curb cuts for the 83 total units across both projects. Things look wrapped up for this phase of the project, with landscaping out front providing a very homey feel to the block.

We have to say, we appreciate the fact that over all these new units are in the works as this property pivots away from an industrial use, moving to something more consistent with the surrounding neighborhood. There are plenty of other development opportunities close by, so we wouldn’t be surprised to find ourselves back in the area sooner rather than later. Who knows? Perhaps Moore Beverage across the street will receive an offer it can’t refuse for its large, one-story footprint. While we imagine the neighbors would be sad to have to go a bit further for a cold one, nobody would make the argument that the beer distributor is the highest and best use for the property, especially in light of what’s going on right across the street.