A reader checked in the other day, and told us that the former Advance Auto Supplies at Girard & Marlborough was finally sold. The building has been on and off the market a few times over the years, originally listed at $1.5M back in 2007 when the store first closed. From what we can tell, the final sale price was around $725K.

The building

The sale includes the large building with eighty-five feet of frontage on Girard along with the adjacent home, which is in need of renovation. With no ideas about the identity of the buyer and no permits pulled (we’ll give them a break, as they only closed a few days ago), we can only speculate on what will come to this location. Will the new owners renovate the existing structure and seek a new retail tenant for the first…

A hundred years ago, 1917-45 E. Hagert St. was home to a gigantic hosiery mill. For the last several years, it’s been a vacant lot, like many other parcels in the immediate area. But this will not be the case for long.

Sure is vacant

Looking north

Months after EKNA gave their support to the project, the ZBA recently approved plans for the construction of forty new apartment units for low-income senior citizens at this site by an organization called Catholic Health Care Services. This is the same company that oversaw the adaptive reuse of the former St. John Neumann High School for Boys in South Philly into senior housing. As is the case at St. John Neumann Place, the units here will be available for lease, and they’ll…

If the State Gaming Control Board approves the SugarHouse expansion plan this May, it will mean more gambling and more parking along Delaware Avenue. According to Planphilly, the revised plan seeks $410M in financing for a project that includes a seven-story 1,500 space parking garage, instead of a ten-story parking garage as first proposed, with the second-floor being a conference room for various meetings and events. What this plan doesn’t include, however, is a hotel that was originally promised as Phase Two for the gambling hall.

Sugarhouse Casino. Image from the Somers Blog.

Renderings from back in 2006

The new expansion plan also calls for an expansion of the gaming floor from 51K to 90K sqft, which will include a poker room and a new high-limit room, a VIP lounge, and two new restaurants. The…

Less than two months ago, we wondered about a poured foundation and a Cease and Desist notice hanging at the corner of Dauphin & Amber. Checking back in on this East Kensington corner, we discovered two new homes, including one we weren’t expecting to find.

First, it looks like framing must have started on 2103 E. Dauphin the day after we snapped our photos in February. From what we understand, developers originally proposed a duplex for this address, but settled for a single family home after being shot down by the community and the ZBA. The home looks fairly standard and we can’t tell you whether it will be a rental or offered for sale, but it certainly

Weeks ago, we gave you the lowdown on Frank 2, a new mixed-use development from Postgreen. This development will include the construction of four apartments and a new restaurant space, which will fill a large gap on the 2000 block of Frankford Avenue.

Recent shot of lot

Rendering of Frank 2

Well, it turns out that the lots upon which Frank 2 will rise are a little deeper than the project needed them to be. As such, the rear section of 2032-34 Frankford Ave. is being snipped off and reoriented to become 2037-39 Blair St., where Postgreen will be constructing a couple of new single-family homes.

Blair St. side of the lots

These homes will be Postgreen “Signature Homes,” and will feature some of the most unique…

A couple of months ago, we told you about plans from Postgreen to construct FRANK 2, a new mixed-use building at 2032-34 Frankford Ave., currently a vacant lot. Today, we have a little bit of new information as well as some pretty new pictures to share. In case you’re forgotten, the lot currently looks like this:

A couple of months back

According to Chad Ludeman from Postgreen, Orange Concepts is doing the design work for this property, which will have four apartments and a restaurant space on the first floor. The double-wide building will provide for a dynamic restaurant space, and a rear yard area could potentially