We were meandering around West Philly last week and happened upon a new building under construction on a block of 46th Street we'd visited once before. You might remember, almost exactly a year ago we told you about 223 S. 46th St., a new construction single-family home that was doing an impressive job fitting in with the older homes on the block. This home, which sits in the Penn Alexander catchment and includes 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms, sold earlier this year for almost $650K. Not too shabby.
The aforementioned new construction is happening at 222 S. 46th St., a formerly vacant lot right across the street. Developers bought the lot this time last year, paying a reasonable $86K, and are now most of the way through the process of building a duplex. This property is zoned for multi-family use, so the project is entirely by-right. Check out the progress:
The photos speak for themselves, but we'll put a really fine point on it and mention that the developers here are not quite as successful as those across the street when it comes to fitting in with their surroundings. They deserve some praise, as they included a front porch with columns and a gabled roof, but the two-story vinyl bay speaks more to the style of Ocean City, NJ than that of West Philly. On the other hand, we might consider this building an upgrade over the two-story buildings immediately to the north, despite the bay.
It seems likely that these units will be student housing rentals, though we wouldn't rule out the possibility that they'll be offered up as condos. Considering the fact that the lot stretches over 2,000 sqft and the basement level is clearly usable for living space, both of the units will surely be quite spacious. Should the developers go the condo route, the units would be an attractive option for young families looking to move the Penn Alexander catchment that aren't looking for a huge West Philly abode and are looking to get into the neighborhood at a lower price point.