We've visited the 1700 block of N. Howard St. a couple times before, and today, for our latest visit, we bring news of the largest project we've seen on the block to date. Previously, we've covered the First Steel project from Postgreen, a two-home project at the corner of Howard & Cecil B. You may also remember that there was a plan for a co-living house called K'House for this block but after the ZBA denied the application a single-family home was built in its place. We're pretty sure a scaled-down K'House was eventually built around the corner on Hope Street.
But just because some projects have happened on this block over the years doesn't mean there isn't room for more. 1723-29 N. Howard St. was sitting vacant for a long time, languishing as one of thousands of City owned parcels in town. We don't quite know how it happened, but developers were able to purchase this roughly 8,000 sqft parcel earlier this year for a mere $150K. Once again proving that the City should not be in the real estate business, this street-to-street property would have sold for at least four or five times that price on the open market. Oh well, as you're well aware the City's coffers are bursting so this is no big whoop at all.
This week, the developers presented plans for eight homes with seven garages on this property at a South Kensington Community Partners meeting. We were not in attendance so couldn't tell you how it went, nor do we have specific details for the project. We'd assume that the project will mean four homes on Howard Street, three homes on Hope Street, and a carriage house above a drive-aisle entrance, also on Hope Street. You can see, the property is very close to the El but it's also got tremendous access to Frankford Avenue, so people will certainly be interested in these homes.
For those worrying that industry is dead in South Kensington, the Columbia Silk Dyeing Company operates out of the building across the street from this project. That being said, we have to suspect that developers have been calling and that the property will eventually turn over in favor of some more residential development. Unfortunately for the developer that someday buys that property, it'll surely cost more than $150K.