Counterintuitively, the 2200 block of Fernon Street isn’t visible from 22nd Street, thanks the the diagonal orientation of Point Breeze Avenue. Coming down Point Breeze Avenue, however, this block is quite obvious to anyone. The block particularly sticks out these days due to the three new construction homes currently under construction, all of which are rising on lots that were previously vacant. A fourth home is under construction closer to 23rd Street, where a third floor addition has appeared atop a formerly vacant building. We expect that all four homes will soon be listed for sale.

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Three new homes and a recent rehab
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We see an addition at the end of the block

As we told you a couple years back, this immediate area is seeing increased apartment building development as well. Back then, there were five different apartment projects at various stages, ranging from pre-construction all the way to recently finished. All of those buildings are now seemingly finished and occupied, adding new residents and vibrancy to a previously desolate stretch of Point Breeze Avenue. And there’s more to come.

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Apartment buildings across the street on Point Breeze Avenue
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Former beer garden to the south

There’s a big project on the horizon for this block, and it’s coming just across the street from those new homes on Fernon. The huge vacant lot at 1622 Point Breeze Ave. was once the Point Breeze Beer Garden, but that stopped operating several years ago in the face of zoning issues. The property changed hands last year and a large apartment building is in the works for the site. Plans came around earlier this year that showed a by-right 60-unit apartment building, designed by JKRP Architects. Here’s a rendering, cribbed from the Civic Design Review packet:

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Old rendering

With COVID shutting down the City, that CDR presentation hasn’t taken place yet. Given this delay, the project is now being reworked some, so look for a slightly revised project, coming “soon” to a CDR near you. Certainly, once this project is able to move forward, it will eliminate one of the largest vacant lots in Point Breeze, and it will dovetail with the other new construction nearby to reinvigorate a formerly depressed part of the neighborhood. Let’s hope that the soon on the CDR presentation will be in the next couple months- though we are optimistic, as signs are pointing in the right direction for the City’s gradual reopening.

Disclosure: The owner of 1622 Point Breeze Ave. is affiliated with OCF Realty, the parent company of Naked Philly.