Yesterday, we told you about Soko Lofts, a rather larger (three-hundred-plus units!) mixed-use development planned for the corner of 2nd & Thompson. Today, we have some preliminary info on a proposed project that should rise just a few blocks away.

At the intersection of 7th & Thompson, one immediately notices the Spring Garden post office and the Temple Presbyterian Church. Also notable here is a large vacant lot on the southwest corner. From what we can tell, the land has been vacant for years now, and has changed hands a few times in the last decade.

Post office

Church

Southwest corner

Last week, developers went before the ZBA with plans to build five structures on 1222-26 N 7th St., the three lots closest to the corner. The proposal includes four single-family homes, and a corner mixed-use building with a vacant commercial space and a couple of apartments upstairs. The project received approval from the ZBA, with the requirement that the commercial space only be used for professional office.

This development will be huge news for an area that doesn’t get much love from developers at the moment. It’s a little west of the action that’s taking place in South Kensington, a little north and west for Northern Liberties, and a little south and east of all the student housing construction that’s been going on near Temple. Still, we have seen some isolated projects in this area, and perhaps this is a sign that the development community will pay a little more mind to this pocket moving forward. With proximity to Tiffin and plans for batting cages nearby on Girard, we can see the beginnings of an infrastructure that would make this area more and more attractive for potential residents to consider. Time, of course, will tell.