Earlier this year, we told you that lumber yard J.T. Riley Lumber Co. had closed its doors at 3rd & Girard and that the massive property was for sale. It seems it didn't take long for a buyer to step forward, and now a major mixed-use project with fifty-three new apartments and ground-floor retail is planned for the site.
The project will mean the demolition of all the buildings currently on the site, and the construction of a five story building fronting Girard Avenue with twenty apartments and 3,100 sqft of commercial space. On 3rd Street and Orianna Street, the building will be flanked by four-story triplexes which will stand in architectural contrast to the Girard building. Thirty-six parking spots are included in the project, though they'll be covered by a second floor courtyard that's accessible to residents. KJO Architecture did the design work on the project- check out these renderings:
This area has already seen plenty of redevelopment, and it's kind of crazy to see how much more is coming. Two blocks south near Poplar, at 836-50 N. 3rd St., there are plans to demolish a shopping center replace it with twenty-six homes and retail. Just north of Girard Ave., SoKo Lofts and Liberty Square are mixed-use projects that will mean hundreds of new units, provided they get off the ground. Last spring, a new dentist occupied a formerly vacant storefront at 246 W Girard. It's like Girard Avenue and its mixed-use opportunities are the final act in the redevelopment narrative of Northern Liberties. And it's an important chapter in the South Kensington story too.