We don’t make our way to Packer Park all that much, mostly because this neighborhood doesn’t see all that much construction activity these days. That’s a dramatic shift from the relatively recent past, of course. As you may or may not know, huge swaths of this neighborhood were occupied by Navy and Federal Defense housing. Hundreds of homes were built in the last thirty or so years, creating the Reserve and Siena Place communities on land previously owned by the government. Outside of these huge developments though, Packer Park hasn’t seen much in the way of smaller-sized projects. But every now and then, something comes down the pike. And that brings us to the property at 3320 S. 20th St., which was previously a low-rise office building and a surface parking lot.
If you visit this property today, you’ll see a very different scene. The office building has been demoed and fourteen homes have filled the sizable parcel. Take a look, if you will, at Renaissance Estates, from local developer and civic leader Barbara Capozzi. Capozzi, incidentally, had plenty of experience in this area, having built the Reserve project just behind this development.
There are a few things that we especially appreciate about this project. The first thing is that it has taken a small commercial building and a big surface parking lot and replaced them with homes. Hooray for getting closer to the property’s highest and best use! Also outstanding is the fact that the developers elected to build two rows of homes but resisted the urge to put a drive-aisle in between. Instead, a landscaped courtyard sits between the rows of homes, creating a communal space for the folks who live in the development. The homes still have parking though, with two drive-aisles running behind the homes.
Inside, the homes offer very much what you would expect in high-end new construction homes in this day and age. The homes include 3 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, Wolf and Subzero appliances, smart home tech, two-car parking, multiple roof decks, and elevators. We would imagine that, if this project was located in Center City, these homes would be listed at $2.5M+, but since they’re in South Philly, the starting price is $1.225M. You can get a more tricked out unit for about $100K more. We should also mention, only 6 of the 14 homes in this development are still available.
Meanwhile, if auto safety is important to you, a new roundabout is almost finished just a couple blocks to the north. The tricky intersection of 20th Street, Packer Avenue, Moyamensing Avenue, and Penrose Avenue has been unpleasant to navigate for as long as we can remember. It was confusing for drivers and downright dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. With the construction of the new roundabout, we believe that most of those issues have now been resolved.
We look forward to coming back here soon and seeing the roundabout and the surrounding area completed. Whether it’s for a ballgame (Go Phils!) or a trip to the Penrose Diner, we know we’ll be back sometime soon. And when we return, we’ll certainly appreciate the safer intersection, thanks to the roundabout.