Just yesterday, a reader gave us the heads up that a new construction fence had appeared on the 1000 block of Mount Vernon Street. As is our way, we decided to check things out posthaste.
Well wouldn't you know it, that is indeed a construction fence. And there's some heavy equipment on the site as well. So you're probably wondering what's happening here, huh?
It turns out this project has been in the works for almost a decade. New Urban Ventures LLC bought the property from the City back in 2006 and actually got zoning approval for the construction of ten homes with a parking lot a couple of years later. And then, nothing. The lot has been sitting vacant ever since, waiting for redevelopment. This story felt very familiar to us, and then we made the connection. This is actually part of the Spring Arts Point project!
Remember, the Spring Arts Point project got started several years ago, took a few years off, then started up again in 2012. As the years have rolled off the calendar, additional homes have gone up, slowly filling out this ambitious project. If you'd like some proof, check out this site plan to see what's still to come.
It's awesome to see that this project continues rolling along, filling in once vacant land in this growing neighborhood. Despite the wave of development that's washed over these blocks in recent years, there's still some vacancy and blight to contend with. Right at the southwest corner of 10th & Mount Vernon, for example, a large building has been sitting vacant for as long as we can remember. We even wrote about it a couple years back!
The City sold this property to its current owner over ten years ago. Maybe it's time to take it back and sell it to someone that will do something productive with it.