Oh Frankford Avenue. Yes, it's something of a refrain here on Naked Philly. Our latest tale is more work from developer Roland Kassis, who has done more than his fair share of development on Frankford Ave. over the years. Kassis oversaw the Frankford Hall development just above Girard Ave., which was one of the early projects in this wave of Frankford Avenue revitalization. He's also poised to develop another Starr location, which recently hung its liquor app at 1526-30 Frankford Ave., which we covered last week.
But our subject today is Kassis' upcoming project next door to that planned restaurant, at 1532-36 Frankford Ave., currently a fenced-in vacant lot. There, a three-story story structure designed by MAKE with ground-floor commercial space and four apartments above will be constructed. We’re happy to see the mixed-use project on a street where some developers have opted for only residential.
So as the transformation of Frankford Ave. continues, we now wonder again whether the commercial space in this recently renovated building at Frankford & Oxford will soon catch the eye of an interested and capable business owner. It seems likely.
The development and new retail along Frankford Ave. is popping up block after block, spearheaded by numerous efforts by developers like Kassis. Frankford Hall started the rise of the 1200 block, new businesses opened along the 1300 block, a La Colombe mega cafe is also joining the 1300 block, and almost everywhere you turn along the corridor one can see buildings constructed in the past few years.
Soon, Frankford Ave. might have as many options as Passyunk Avenue or South Street. Time shall tell.