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Thu
Aug 16
2012

Yet Another Large Northern Liberties Project is On the Horizon

You’ve likely noticed that we’ve been paying quite a bit of attention lately to the Northern Liberties and Fishtown neighborhoods. Well, if you live someplace else and crave a little more attention, don’t be offended, it’s nothing personal. All’s we can do is report about where the action is taking place, and these days it seems like a disproportionate quantity of action is going on in these areas. But worry not, Brewerytown! Fear not, Francisville! Don’t sweat it, Point Breeze! We’re sure your month in the sun is just around the corner.

But we digress.

Yesterday, developers presented a proposal to the ZBA to build twenty-two new homes at 913-931 N 5th St., just a half a block south of a seven-home development we told you about a few months back. This parcel is currently a parking lot, a warehouse, and a rather nice looking building that’s been home to Live Arts for the past few years.

The building in the middle, the lot on the right, and the warehouse on the left

The plan, which was approved last month by NLNA, calls for the demolition of both the warehouse and the building that houses Live Arts offices. The new homes on this site will front both 5th Street and Orkney Street, with a common parking lot with deeded parking spaces. From what we can gather from the meeting notes, entry to the parking lot will remain on 5th Street, with a gated pedestrian entrance on Orkney Street. To start, it seems the developers intend to rent these homes in the $2,500/mo range, but hope to convert the development to condos within five years.

While more residential units are certainly a welcome sight in this neighborhood, it’s a bummer to hear that this building will be coming down. One of the best things about Northern Liberties is the architectural diversity that’s borne out of its history- it’s a shame to see one more building with character removed from the equation.

We just hope that this amazing sign down the street doesn’t disappear anytime soon.

Need a place to get your foam rubber

12
COMMENTS
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Posted in Northern Liberties | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments
  • veggie

    destroying a nice building to put up rentals = idiotic. why not convert that building to rentals for the time being, eventually condos, and build what i am sure will be bloated cookie cutter townhomes on the rest of the site?? why did the NLNA approve this?

  • http://philaphilia.blogspot.com/ GroJLart

    For all the smack NLNA talks, it looks like they can still be bought. I’ll remember this the next time they don’t approve some development for goofy reasons.

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

    I’m all for preservation when possible, but I can see how 22 houses would trump that building.  It’s nice looking, but not so historically significant as to warrant a major battle over it.  With that said, if they’re going to demolish it they better build some gorgeous houses to replace it with.

  • veggie

     i don’t see how 22 homes trump changing the zoning and destroying a building already in use. they could make money off that building by converting it into very desirable lofts. developer greed is the only answer.

  • veggie

    … not to mention the hoops they make some fairly mundane projects jump through to get approval. but something like this gets approved with little fanfare.

  • carloss

    That building dates from 1916. Up theirs.

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

    No, generally the people complaining about it have no idea what they’re talking about and just rail against “developer greed.”

  • veggie

    it is (or at least quite recently was) in use. does the photo above looks like a decrepit building in danger of collapse, like the one near the el that recent burned? it looks like it’s had some upgrades since it was first built, too, probably would not have been a total guy job.

    some conversions in NL: tendenza.  tower’s hancock apts. the church at the end of liberties walk. capital flats. 3rd ward just north of girard.

  • veggie

     yes, because developer greed is something that totally does not exist, especially in this neighborhood. *eyeroll*

  • Fecteau03

    Well, that’s nice, but if a government agency hasn’t certified something as historic, then it’s simply not historic.  Any neighborhood groups have never had any power to approve anything.  They simply give their opinions to the ZBA. 

  • Anonymous

    It all depends on who shows up at the meeting that week. Some neighbors don’t care to attend if the construction is not right next to their house. The NLNA doesn’t even send you a flyer unless the development is very close to your property.

  • http://nakedphilly.com/northern-liberties/update-project-at-5th-poplar-is-moving-along/ Update: Project at 5th & Poplar is Moving Along | NakedPhilly

    [...] in August, we first told you about a plan for twenty-two new homes on 5th Street in Northern Liberties. We were in the area the other day, and can tell you that there has been quite a bit of progress on [...]

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