The 1700 block of N. Bodine Street is pretty rough. The western side of the street has two homes, and the rest of the properties on that side of the street are seemingly used as rear yard space for homes on 3rd Street. The east side of the block is actually the rear of a property on N. American Street which is sitting vacant and overgrown, though it does get some solid use as an illegal parking lot. While there’s quite a bit of development happening to the south, east, and west, one would think that this block would fall pretty low on the opportunity list for most developers.

But someone clearly sees something on this block, as 1704 N. Bodine St. has some zoning notices posted on its front fence. Developers are looking to combine three lots, 1704-08 N. Bodine St., into two lots, and build a pair of duplexes. The location may not be ideal, but the concept of a couple of duplexes seems reasonable enough to us.

But maybe these developers are onto something. Just around the corner to the west, there’s a row of new homes under construction at 3rd & Cecil B. A little further in that direction, we told you recently about plans for a mix of homes, duplexes, triplexes, and a couple of retail spaces at 5th & Cecil B. In the other direction, an apartment building is on the horizon for 2nd Street, just south of Cecil B, replacing a body shop. Looking even further east, or to the south, there are too many projects to mention. So maybe renters or buyers won’t mind that the 1700 block of N. Bodine Street is on the iffy side because it’s so close to Cecil B. Moore Avenue.

One more thing to keep in mind is that the large parcel across the street could get developed at any time. As it’s zoned ICMX (it’s on N. American Street, after all), it could shift toward any number of industrial uses, which could be another strike against new development on Bodine Street. That being said, we wouldn’t expect heavy industrial, so maybe a building with light industrial use would still represent an upgrade over the vacant lot. Still, it introduces some uncertainty to the situation, and therefore, some additional risk.