A couple weeks ago, we told you about a church on the 1500 block of Cambridge St. that will soon get torn down and replaced by five triplexes. At the same time, we wondered whether this project might result in the renovation of some rougher looking homes on the street.
When we took those photos, we also noticed a demolition notice at 1522-24 W. Girard Ave., a building around the corner. Interestingly the property the building sits on extends all the way back to Cambridge Street. According to an old listing, this property was most recently used for medical offices and a day care.
This building changed hands earlier this year, as did the parking lot next door. The parking lot parcel is even larger than the parcel the building sits on, with about one and a half times the squarefootage.
With both parcels now under new ownership and demolition forthcoming for the building pictured above, it stands to reason that development could be in the cards sometime soon. Alternately, the owners could be putting a project in place and looking to sell it off to another developer. Interestingly, the corner property is zoned for commercial use and the interior property is zoned for residential use. We're not confident that a retail operation would succeed here, but it would seem like a reasonable location for an apartment building, possibly targeting Temple students. Remember, a seventeen unit building went up on this block of Girard just a couple years back.
If some kind of significant development were to occur here in the near future, it would represent a logical extension of the development we've seen in Francisville, and it would also bolster this block of Girard Avenue. Along those lines it could encourage development at the corner of 15th & Girard, another large lot on the block. And finally, perhaps the good vibes will trickle to Cambridge Street, and a few blighted homes could see some needed TLC.