Last week, we wrote about a couple of new homes going up on Mount Vernon St. in the West Poplar neighborhood. Things are really hopping in this area, and another residential building is going up at 622 N. 12th St., right around the corner.

In the past

Current image. Boarded up PHA-owned house next door

View from Mt. Vernon St. This place is huge.

The developer, Carmel Developments Inc. acquired the lot earlier this year and is in the process of building out three very large, high-end condos. According to the developer, Amit Azoulay, there will be a couple of parking spaces available for purchase as well. Carmel has a track record in the area, having done several rehabs and new construction projects in Francisville, including 1727 Francis St., a recently sold-out condo triplex, and 1712 Folsom St., a single family home that sold in May.

1727 Francis St. exterior

Interior shot from a condo at 1727 Francis St.

While Azoulay hasn’t settled on a price for the condos at the new building, he assured us that it will be more high-end than those on Francis St., which were listed in the low $200K range. With tons of residential development going on in the immediate area, and plenty of commercial development two blocks to the south on Spring Garden St. and two blocks to the west on Broad St., this area seems well positioned to be the next “it” neighborhood.

Hey, maybe PHA will want to take advantage of this new energy and sell off some of its underused properties in area! How ’bout it, Mr. Kelly?

A beauty hidden behind a tree