If you’ve tried to travel down 2nd Street in Northern Liberties at any point in the last little while, you’ve probably had a hard time. It’s a mess just south of Girard, where the street is closed as three sizable projects are all under construction at the same time. At 1115 N. American St. and 1102 N. 2nd St., Streamline is moving well with two condo projects, the South and North Liberty Triangles. East of 2nd Street, the second phase of the Piazza is progressing as well. And if these aren’t enough for you, there’s yet another project coming soon to this immediate area.

This project may feel like a bit of a retread, because we covered something at this location a little over two years ago. At that time, we told you to expect the aforementioned South Liberty Triangle project, with its condo buildings along N. American Street and a small pocket park at the angled corner of Germantown & N. American. We also anticipated a second building in this development, a mixed-use project on the eastern side of the property with 24 units and parking. What we didn’t expect was that Streamline would sell off this portion of the project to a different developer, who would in turn propose a revised project at the site. Nor did we consider the strange building that would be produced by the original plan, which subdivided the property into a rectangle with a pointed top and a smaller triangle.

Stamm Development now has control of this property and has increased the density to 50 units and shifted from condos to rentals. Given the underlying zoning, we believe the project has maintained the retail on the first floor, but we’re not sure about the parking. We do know that the new owners have punched up the design, and will be constructing a sharp looking and unique edifice which fully embraces the unusual shape of the property. Check this out:

We don’t know where this project is at in terms of construction timeline, but we’re generally delighted by the shift in plans due to the increased density and the sweet design. Everyone was so excited when the Piazza opened fifteen years ago, but it’s important to note the struggles of the businesses there, due to the lack of density in the immediate area. With the three projects currently under construction and with the addition of this one, not to mention the hundreds of apartments that have appeared on the southern end of South Kensington in the last couple years, we have to think that retail is set to thrive in this section of town in the very near future. Let’s just hope that by the time these projects are wrapping up, COVID isn’t looming over everything in the same way it does at present, and that customers are able to feel safe walking into local shops and restaurants.