We don’t typically have much to say about construction in Queen Village, as the neighborhood mostly completed its development boom a couple decades ago and there simply isn’t much happening. Compared to Francisville or East Kensington, the flow of projects in Queen Village is but a trickle. With the number of development opportunities quite low in the area, the ongoing saga of 718-24 S. 2nd St. becomes all the more noteworthy.

We first brought these properties to your attention way back in 2011 (yes we’ve been at this blogging thing for quite some time), noting the stalled project owned by a developer out of New York and wondering if and when it would be finished. New developers purchased the properties in 2014, hoping to resume construction on the unfinished project, but nothing came to pass. Roughly two years ago, we spied demolition notices, and thought that something could finally be moving forward, but still nothing. Finally, just about a year ago, demo work got started. As you might expect, that demo work is now long finished. As you also might expect given the history of the properties, nothing else has happened since demo ended.

When we last checked in on the property, we told you that the owners were hoping to get together with the community and figure out what people would support. We don’t know how those conversations went, but we do know that public record indicates that the property changed hands back in January, trading for just under $2.5M. The new owners aren’t wasting much time, and will go to the ZBA later this month with a plan to build a pair of buildings with a total of eight units and five parking spots. These units will surely be incredibly high-end, given the price the owners paid for the property.

Also in keeping that acquisition price in mind, the new owners are surely chomping at the bit to get something moving here. We suspect the ZBA will approve the project, but even if they don’t, we believe the owners will find some way to get some project built posthaste. From a distance, we’ve watched as this project has lingered in limbo for so many years. Surely, for the people living near these properties, it will be quite satisfying to see something finally come to fruition at this address.