It's been almost three years since we first visited the 1100 block of N. Hope St. in Northern Liberties. Back then, it was a miserable block highlighted by a collection of empty lots and a vacant and blighted warehouse. NLNA Zoning Committee chair Larry Freeman said at the time, “You’re not gonna walk down Hope Street at night. It would be nice to have some houses over there.” Indeed.
As the years have passed, this block has undergone an incredible transformation. Twenty homes as part of the Residences at H3 sprung up on the block's western side. The vacant warehouse burned down two summers back. In its place, a thirty home development stretching from Hope to Front Street started construction last spring. When we passed by this block recently, the project looked to be done or darn close to it. Just look at what Hope Street looks like now:
But it's not just on Hope Street that things have changed. It's quite a new scene on Front Street as well.
One item that's got us a little hung up- we seem to remember that this project was going to involve a commercial component on Front Street. Could it be that the retail element has been taken out of the project? Or is it just part of a future phase that will replace the grass in front of the parking area pictured above? Does anyone in the area have any insight into this?