There’s a zoning notice posted on the northeast corner of N. Howard Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue that we foolishly assumed, at first glance, meant that developers were planning a new home at this corner. Immediately to the north are a pair of homes that were built in the last few years by Postgreen, and another home to cap off the block seemed entirely reasonable.

But we were entirely off base! It turns out that 1701 N. Howard St. isn’t a small residential lot, but in fact it stretches all the way to Hope Street. Developers bought this 4,500 sqft parcel last summer for the low low price of $140K and are now planning to subdivide it into five lots and build five new homes. The property is only zoned for single family use and it’s got an unusual shape, so the project will be getting numerous refusals and will need to go to the ZBA (hence the zoning notice). Still, this project seems entirely reasonable to us.

Oh by the way, assuming these homes are built, they will sit directly across the street from one of our favorite buildings in town, the South Kensington castle. Remember also that this intersection is just a quick walk under the El away from Frankford Avenue and Palmer Park, making this a very desirable location. A few other developers have built projects around this intersection in the last few years, and another project will be a fine addition. And let’s agree, five homes will be a great improvement over the one story warehouse that’s currently covering most of the lot.