While we were in Fishtown the other day, taking in the construction progress happening close to the waterfront, we got greedy. Even with steel rising on large projects on either side of us, we couldn’t help but think “what if” when we glanced around the area. In fact, there are four “what ifs” that are in this immediate vicinity, and we decided that an exercise in positive manifesting was needed with the first Game Seven in the Phillies’ long and (occasionally) illustrious history later this evening. So, let’s revisit that aerial view and check out these four potential crashers of the development party.

We start first by peering immediately to the north across Marlborough St., where 1212 N. Delaware Ave. sits somewhat inauspiciously. Similar to the project just to its south, this furniture warehouse had plans for a mixed-use future, with 48 units rising above ground-level commercial space. The current building would be demolished, with a six-story structure rising in its place. A look at the property today, however, reveals it looks nearly as it did several years back. Even though there have been no recent sales or new permits, we’d imagine that this site is still extremely appealing given all of the action next door.

Immediately across the street are two of the most infamous stalled projects in the area. We start first with 1145 N. Delaware Ave., a long, skinny strip of land immediately to the south of the wonderful Penn Treaty Park. Plans here called for nineteen luxury mansions, with front doors literally leading out onto the park. Those homes started but the project stalled and then caught fire. Next, we move immediately south to 1121 N. Delaware Ave., formerly a low-rise warehouse building just to the north of the Rivers Casino parking lot. A 116-unit project was pitched here, with 28 rowhomes and two mixed-use buildings activating this riverfront site. As you can see from the view today, neither of these proposals moved forward, as the owner of both sites filed a lawsuit against their lender. As such, the shell of the partially-built homes and the weed-strewn site next door sit empty today.

The last of our properties is the most speculative of the bunch and is actually a collection of properties near the corner of Shackamaxon & E. Allen. Most notable as being the former 7-11 and its parking lot, these oddly shaped properties are zoned CMX-3, a permissive zoning that would allow for some decent density along with additional commercial space. While there are no plans for this collection of lots at the moment, we can see how this could be an intriguing development parcel.

So, will we see 200 or so new units in the coming years, or will we remain frustrated with lots that are screaming out for a higher and better use well into the future? Given the current lending environment, we hesitatingly lean towards the latter. But we have been bracing for the development slowdown in this area since Orion Kerkering was in middle school, so who knows! Fishtown seems to buck every trend and downturn possible, so perhaps we’ll see a late victory as Philadelphia comes out on top in the end. That’s the type of manifesting we like to see.