It isn’t often that we find ourselves on the Port Richmond-Kensington border, having last been to the area all the way back in 2017 to report on a small townhouse project that is long since completed. However, we find ourselves back in the area again as a big project that went to Civic Design Review last year is getting slightly larger and appears on the verge of moving forward. The lot at 2202 E. Allegheny Ave. is one you might not be familiar with, as it sits between the elevated train tracks and the small Witte Street to the southeast. As you can see below, the lot where this project is planned isn’t adding much ambiance to the area, unless you’re a fan of chain link fence.

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But oh, are there major plans for this currently sad lot. Thanks to a recent zoning document, we have some new details on these plans from Volumetric Building Companies. Plans originally called for 189 apartments and two commercial spaces in a larger mixed-use building, with an additional 70 townhouses on the other half of the site. While the 70 houses will remain as is, the plans for the mixed-use building have been altered. 197 dwelling units will be provided now, with an additional 21 artist studio units bringing the total unit count up to 218. The commercial spaces have been replaced with artist studio spaces, while the parking count has dropped from 87 car spaces to 68 spaces, with bicycle parking also decreasing slightly. Let’s check out the renderings to see what’s coming for this game-changing project.

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View for Allegheny & Witte shows the empty lot
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An aerial of the project shows the multifamily building along Allegheny, with the townhouses in the background
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View of the courtyard in the multifamily building
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The view from Allegheny of the multifamily building
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View from the other side of the project shows the rows of townhouses

This is quite the project for this location, which is further out there than we’ve seen for other similarly scaled projects in development. Seeing an empty lot along the train tracks and Allegheny Ave. turn from a weed-covered lot into homes for hundreds is a very exciting proposition for this neck of the woods. Look for modular construction on this one, as the developers have a track record of modular construction across the city. Will market rate housing work this far off from the typical offerings of Fishtown/Kensington or this close to one of the epicenters of the opioid epidemic? Time will tell, but it is quite exciting knowing that developers are bullish on this generally neglected part of town.