Back when we lived in South Philly, the 1200 block of Peters Street had quite a reputation. You probably wouldn't expect tales of drugs and violence for this little block just below Washington Avenue, but that's what we were hearing less than a decade ago. Fast forward to today and we don't live in the neighborhood anymore, but we're pretty sure that Peters Street has calmed down quite a bit and we can tell you that it's seen a little development in recent years. Back in 2013, for example, developers built a new home at the corner of 12th & Peters.
Looking down the block, you can see it's generally dominated by two-story homes, though a handful of three-story homes and vacant lots dot the block.
Earlier this year, developers built a new home at 1233 Peters St., a former vacant lot. It looks like the home is nearly finished, though a chain-link fence leaning against it tells us that there's still work to be done. Next door, other developers are planning three more homes at 1227-1231 Peters St., which have also sat vacant for a long time. The three-home project came before the Passyunk Square Civic Association at the beginning of this year and got a vote of non-opposition. They go to the ZBA today, we imagine for an open-area variance.
We don't see much of this kind of infill development in this part of South Philly, mostly because there aren't so many vacant lots to be found. Considering the changing fortunes of this block of Peters Street and the ongoing mixed-use project around the corner at 12th & Washington, this seems like the right project at the right place at the right time. And, of course, easy access to Nam Phuong will be a nice touch as well.