Back in June, we told you about a project planned for 731 N. 20th St., a little home built as part of a PHA homeownership program a few decades back, that was to involve the home’s demolition and replacement with a quadplex. One possible hiccup that we brought up at that time was the existence of a blighted PHA home immediately next door, and the presence of a couple others on the block.
Whelp, the project that we originally told you about appears to be on hold for the time being, but there is something interesting to share about the blighted PHA homes on the block- they appear to be on the outs. For example, 725 N 20th St. looked like this just a few months ago (it’s the one on the left):
The other day, we noticed that it looks like this:
Though public record hasn’t yet caught up, the property has clearly been sold to a private developer. In fact, two condo units are already listed for sale at this address. Both units will have three bedrooms and three bathrooms, with the upper unit listed at $385K and the lower at $350K. With the listing advertising parking spaces, we’re guessing that the home will be set back from the street like so many other homes on the block, leaving the surviving PHA home next door floating by itself on a bit of an island.
It’s wonderful to see this long-blighted home finally turned into a productive property in a growing neighborhood. We’re a little bummed that the original home (one of the very few left on the block) wasn’t preserved, but we’re guessing that years of neglect precluded that possibility. At least one more blighted PHA property remains on this block, next to the home we told you about over the summer. But according to the demolition notice posted, it looks like it won’t be there for long…
Now, if only PHA would be so kind as to sell off its neglected, blighted properties in other neighborhoods that it seems to have no interest in or ability to fix up…