Shortly after New Years, we discovered work had begun on six new homes just off the corner of 2nd & Laurel in Northern Liberties. We first told you about this project in the fall of 2012, after the NLNA had given the project their support. Back then, a rough-looking cinderblock building stood on this site. Now, the ugly building is long gone, and six new homes are taking shape.
As we told you previously, the architects for this project are Atrium Design, the same team behind the mansions now rising on Church Street. Like those mansions, the new homes on Laurel Street will possess the typical high-end contemporary look we've seen in other Atrium projects.
As you can see from the renderings, the homes that actually front Laurel Street will hover over a drive-aisle that provides parking access (and probably any other access) to the homeowners in the rear. That's why the homes in the front go up four stories and the homes in the back are a more traditional three stories tall. Though if they were taller we would not care. Some of the homes will have two-car parking, others will have parking for one car. They'll range in size from 2,800 sqft to almost 4,000 sqft, and all will have roof decks, clearly.
When we first told you about the project, we expected the pricing to start at $725K. It seems prices have gone up, with one of the units under agreement at a list price of $1M, and another listed for $815K. We often lament projects that move slowly, but this seems like a case where a slower speed is resulting in higher prices for the developers. Surely just as they intended from the start.
As you've perhaps noticed from photos of the construction site, the corner of 2nd & Laurel is vacant. This property has been owned by the same party for a decade, though they tried to sell it a few years back for like half a million dollars. Hopefully, the success of the project next door will compel the owner to either develop or sell his property to someone who will. It would really be great to see this corner fully redeveloped.