We’ve spent plenty of time over the years covering the transformation of the 1500 block of Frankford Avenue, but have never written about 1500 Frankford Ave., one of the more controversial properties in this pocket of Fishtown. After years of racking up L&I violations, the local Fishtown BID moved to seize the old single family house under Act 135 to facilitate redevelopment of the blighted property. While the owners managed to sell the property before a decision on a potential conservatorship was reached, the move did succeed in spurring movement for this vacant, prominently located property.

The blighted home on the site was demoed earlier this year and a three-story mixed-use building will rise in its place. The new building, which will be dubbed Le’ Adrienne, will take up a much larger portion of the lot and will include frontage on Frankford Avenue. Thanks to the larger footprint for the new building, it will include four apartments on the upper floors, with commercial space downstairs.

Looking at the drawings from Ambit Architecture we can see the hard corner of Frankford Ave. and Jefferson St. will be totally dedicated to the retail space, with the residential entrance in the rear, on Lee Street. We can only speculate as to what type of business might open up here, but it’s Fishtown, so we’re going to conservatively guess another hip restaurant. That being said, the smallish sub-2,000 sqft commercial space might be a bit of a limiting factor in terms of potential tenants.

The design of the new building is very attractive, with some terrific architectural details that will really make the project pop. That being said, it’s a little disappointing that this building will only rise three stories. This project is moving forward as a matter of right, and we can appreciate why the developers are unwilling to go down the path of taking on the additional risk that comes with seeking a zoning variance.

Especially with taller neighbors next door, this feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. If only Frankford Avenue were slightly upzoned, we’d probably be telling you about a by-right four-story building, which would have felt like the perfect infill project at this location. But that’s how it goes sometimes, and though this project isn’t quite a ten out of ten due to its height, it will still be a terrific and long awaited upgrade for this corner on one of the best commercial corridors in town.