Point Breeze has seen quite a bit of redevelopment over the last several years, but some blocks have mysteriously dodged the wave of construction. But it's often those blocks that are poised for the most dramatic transformations. Take for example, the 1300 block of Chadwick Street. One year ago, the eastern side of this block was 80% vacant, and empty lots dotted the west side of the block as well. Visit the block today and you'll find a bushel of new homes that have been constructed in the last twelve months and several others still under construction. Yes, that's a little bit of self promotion, as OCF Realty, the company that owns this blog, is the broker for many of those homes. But it's relevant self promotion!!!
Now it seems a similar situation is unfolding a couple blocks away on the 1300 block of S. Cleveland St., a block that looked somewhat bleak until recently.
To be fair, this block was in better shape than Chadwick Street, as most of one side of the block has remained relatively intact. But you can see, the east side of the street was entirely vacant. We stopped by this block earlier today, and the situation is quite different.
By our count, we spied six foundations in addition to a newly framed home. Looking at the L&I Map, there's plans for at least one more home on the block that still hasn't gotten moving as of yet. Interestingly, it appears to be multiple developers getting in on the action here instead of just one. According to public record, V2 Properties owns the bulk of the vacant lots on the block, but others are involved, notably with the home that's already been framed.
Also of note, some of the homes under construction received variances, ostensibly for open area, while others are getting built by right. It bears watching to see just how much of a difference in price results from the extra few feet afforded by the variance. If we lived on the block of course, we wouldn't be so concerned about that- we'd be far more pleased to see these long vacant lots redeveloped at last.