If you’ve been through the Riverwards at any time over the last several years, you might have noticed some of the extensive construction taking place along I-95, which cuts through the eastern edge of the neighborhood. Now that the highway construction is finished, however, we keep finding ourselves winding our way near 95 as development pops up closer and closer to this elevated highway. And for the 800 block of Aramingo Ave., there are three projects in various stages of progress on this previously auto-centric stretch.

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Looking southwest down the 800 block of Aramingo Ave.
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Another view shows how this strip directly faces the recently finished 95 overpass
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An aerial gives a better look at the three projects on our radar today

We start today at the western-most project at 801 Aramingo Ave., which we visited back in the summer of 2019. Plans called for 11 units and some parking for this acutely-angled corner, and as you can see, construction is now complete. This design from HDO Architecture took the place of a surface lot that was mostly used for car storage where Aramingo Ave. merges with Girard Ave. to the south.

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Looking across Aramingo at the completed 801 Aramingo Ave.

Next up is the oddly-shaped property outlined in orange in the above aerial. Construction is in full swing at 817-23 Aramingo Ave., which actually faces both Aramingo to the east and E. Fletcher St. to the west. After originally calling for 45 units and a commercial space for this CMX-2 zoned property, the developers went to the ZBA to get approval to remove the commercial space to make room for two more residences, bumping the new total to 47 units. This design also comes to us from HDO Architecture, with windows and facade work now moving along. Both a green roof bonus and a mixed-income bonus were utilized here, allowing for additional density on this cleverly arranged layout.

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The view of the progress from Aramingo
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The view from the E. Fletcher St. side
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A look at the site plans shows how this will wrap around the adjacent building

The final stop on the block is a project we covered back in October 2022, when yet another multi-family building was proposed. This project at 850-56 Moyer St. also fronts Aramingo, with the design from Gnome Architects offering three single-family homes along Moyer, with a five-unit apartment building along Aramingo. Plans have shifted ever so slightly since we last checked in, but a variance approval issued earlier this year means things could start shortly, though we didn’t see any activity on-site when we visited the site.

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The "beautiful" frontage along Aramingo Ave.
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A rendering of the past plans for the Aramingo Ave. facade

For those counting along at home, that’s 66 new units for what could understandably be something of a forgettable block. While close to some of Philly’s hottest neighborhoods, we wouldn’t look for this type of density, even with the tease of a return of the trolley line just steps away. It just goes to show that folks are still clamoring to find a spot anywhere they can in this wonderful city.