20th Street between Titan and Wharton has seen some big changes in the last few years. At the corner of 20th & Titan, a single family home sprung from the ground on a lot that had previously been vacant for decades. This home has been joined by other new construction and rehabs on the 1900 and 2000 blocks of Titan Street. All the way at Wharton Street, two duplexes were built in the last twelve months which are occupied as rentals. These buildings also replaced vacant lots.
As of a few days ago, this little stretch still had three vacant lots. But now that number has been slashed to one as construction is underway on two new homes at 1252-54 S. 20th St., immediately to the north of the new duplexes. When we passed by today, formwork was in place, suggesting foundations are on the come.
Immediately to the north of the future homes is a two-story house that's in really bad shape. It's had several violations open since the end of last year, and we wouldn't be shocked to see it demolished by the City at some point. The lot next door to the home is owned by the City so it might be some time before it turns over.
Further north are a couple of additional buildings that may or may not be in use, we couldn't tell you. Both properties were on the market last year, and they've apparently been combined into one. If we had to guess, it seems likely that the three privately owned properties will turn over eventually, with developers continuing to sniff out every opportunity in the area. And then we'll just be left with the City lot, waiting for its salvation.