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Tue
Aug 14
2012

Blighted Bella Vista Property Could Soon Be Torn Down and Rebuilt

South of Bainbridge, 11th Street changes from the one-way, northbound street that you’ll find throughout Center City, into a fairly wide, two-way boulevard (with bike lanes!). This curious stretch extends all the way to Reed Street, where it stops entirely for a couple of blocks, interrupted by the former site of the Moyamensing Prison, now a neighborhood Acme.

Wide 11th St

At the northern end of wide 11th Street, 714 S. 11th St. has sat blighted for years, while numerous surrounding buildings have been restored and built from scratch. About a year ago, developer and restauranteur Haviv David purchased the property for $270K. And next week, he’ll go before the ZBA with a proposal to demolish the existing building and replace it with two single family homes with roof decks and garages. We’re assuming that one of the homes will front 11th Street and the other will front narrow Jessup Street.

Front of 714 S 11th St

Jessup St. side. Nice wooden bay.

We’d imagine that folks on the block will be thrilled to see this long-vacant property transformed into new homes. And just think about how lucky the new residents will be, with wonderful Hawthorne’s just a block away.

While we’re on the subject of this area, does anybody have a clue as to why 11th Street suddenly gets wide over here? Surely there was a reason for it at some point, right?

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COMMENTS
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Posted in Bella Vista | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments
  • phillyhicks

    I recall hearing that there was a market that ran through these blocks, maybe it was similar to the one that ran down Bainbridge from third to fifth street?

  • http://twitter.com/F1rstCitizen First Citizen

    I’m sure people will be thrilled to see the blight disappear, but I don’t know anyone who’s thrilled to see street parking disappear, especially since a curb cut on 11th will eliminate at least 2, possibly 3 street parking spots.  The blocks around there are curb cut galore to begin with.

    Jessup St. is a different story since you can’t park there anyway.  It doesn’t offer much of a turning radius though.

  • Guest

     Currently the garages need a certificate in the parking controls zone.  After the new zoning code comes into effect (in a few weeks) it will need a variance and should be impossible to do presuming the ZBA does its job.

  • Steve S.

     Yep. Same deal as Bainbridge in QV, Headhouse Square, and 2nd St. in Northern Liberties. There are probably some other examples as well.

    Remember those market sheds would have also been in the middle of the street.

  • Evenyc

    This is not in Bella Vista but Hawthorne.

  • http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/08/phillys-high-speed-rail-may-bypass-30th-street-station/ Philly’s High-Speed Rail May Bypass 30th Street Station | Hidden City Philadelphia

    [...] Philly reports that developer Haviv David is planning to redevelop two blighted homes along South 11th Street in Bella V… About the authorStephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. [...]

  • http://twitter.com/F1rstCitizen First Citizen

    Yeah because development can’t possibly happen without curb cuts.

  • Actrackman1

    While getting rid pf a blighted property is welcome, it’s too bad the developer can’t make an effort to at least preserve the facade on 11th Street. The second and thris floors, plus the cornice look intact, and already blend in with the block and the building to its right. Preserving it is better than some of the new bland architecture you see with new construction. 

  • http://twitter.com/F1rstCitizen First Citizen

    Oh I’m against curb cuts, hence my snarky response to what seemed to be a sarcastic dig at opponents of curb cuts.

  • Jay

    Remember, the original market sheds were on Market Street itself, starting at 2nd Street and going westward. When Benjamin Franklin arrived in Philly as a 17-year-old runaway, he immediately walked up to the corner of 2nd and Market, but the market was closed, because it was a Sunday. So he popped into the Quaker meetinghouse, then on the southwest corner of 2nd and Market, and fell asleep on one of the pews.

  • http://larrylevin4realestate.com/new-development-in-hawthorne/ New Development in Hawthorne | Larry Levin Realtor – Buy, Sell & Invest with Confidence

    [...] we soon see activity at 714 South 11th Street in Hawthorne? Naked Philly sure seems to think [...]

  • http://livelovephilly.wordpress.com/2013/04/25/new-development-in-hawthorne/ New Development in Hawthorne | livelovephilly

    [...] we soon see activity at 714 South 11th Street in Hawthorne? Naked Philly sure seems to think [...]

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