At the risk of sounding redundant, we’ve got two Francisville updates for you regarding two projects close enough to one another for any high-school starting third basemen to heave a ball between the two.

The first, is 1900 Poplar Street, a project from TBM Group. What was last summer a large stone church, and this spring a vacant rectangular lot, is now five (according to plans approved by the neighborhood association) completely framed out brick duplexes spanning 1900-08 Poplar St. The bi-level condos are for sale ranging from $297K to $340K.

Some are already finished

The second is the mixed-use Loonstyn development about a half-block to the south on a plot of land that runs the length of the block along 19th Steet between Perkiomen and Parrish Streets. Old structures on the parcel were demolished this spring. When we last wrote about the project, demolition was still ongoing. As of last week, a few of the structures were almost entirely framed out.

Poplar and Perkiomen

Looking down 19th St.

Eventually

This area of Francisville is hooting like a hillbilly at a heehaw. There’s these two aforementioned projects, plus two coming to the 900 block of 19th Street between Poplar and Girard Avenues, plus two projects on Ginnodo Street, which is situated between 19th and 20th Streets for one block only between Ridge Avenue and Nineteenth. Those are a ten-unit new home project, and new construction on the middle of the block.

With all the new housing, there will come the need for new neighborhood retail space. That need will be at least partially addressed by the mixed-use Loonstyn project at 19th and Perkiomen. And one thing that is becoming more certain, or at least might when and if these units are occupied, is that Franciscville, once considered as beyond the fringe of greater Center City’s neighborhoods, might soon be in company with the Graduate Hospitals and Northern Liberties of the world. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it seems like it does.

–Lou Mancinelli