Almost two years ago, we drew your attention to a surface parking lot on the northeast corner of 8th & Thompson, having heard about a plan to redevelop the parcel with a total of 71 residential units. We weren’t sure about the nature of the new development- would it be a market rate project, representing another western push of South Kensington development? Or could we expect something affordable, given the presence of the 9th Street viaduct and the Girard Medical Center across the street? It wasn’t long before we learned that Project HOME was the developer, cementing the expectation of an affordable project.

We checked in on the property a year later, though construction had not yet started. Projects get delayed for all sorts of reasons, but this one was a doozy. North Philadelphia Health System, owner of the property in question and also the Girard Medical Center, had filed for bankruptcy, creating a potential scenario in which the property would be purchased by a party other than Project HOME. In the end, Ironstone Real Estate Partners bought the NPHS assets in the area with the exception of the parking lot, which went to Project HOME. This cleared the path for the affordable development to move forward. Checking in now, we see that the project has indeed proceeded, with a new apartment building mostly framed out.

This building represents the first phase of the project and includes 30 one-bedroom rental units. The apartments will be “targeted to young adults (age 18-23) who are homeless, have experienced homelessness, or are at risk of homelessness (including those aging out of foster care),” and the building will be LBGTQ-friendly. The people living in the building will have access to a variety of services, including housing, employment, education, and healthcare, and there will be a variety of activities relating to case management, life skills, and community-building. Applications for the units were due earlier this month and demand was clearly high, as the application period is already closed.

As you can see in the rendering, the building will be named the Gloria Casarez Residence. Gloria Casarez was the first director of the Mayor’s Office of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs after years of activism for the LGBTQ community. She sadly passed away in 2014, and her memory will live on with this building, which will provide crucial resources and services.

This is only the first phase for this property, as we mentioned, with another forty units coming in a future project. Speaking of the future, we wonder what will come of the former NPHS properties across the street, owned by Iron Stone. For this year, we know that the City is leasing the buildings from Iron Stone for $2.2M, allowing NPHS to continue to operate. As for next year, we haven’t seen any news about that, but we imagine the status quo will be maintained as long as NPHS is able to keep things going. Has anyone heard about a longer term deal with Iron Stone, the City, and NPHS?