It may not be as exciting as the four-story mixed-use development currently being built a block away at 19th & Fairmount, but a six-unit residential project is set to go up in short order at the corner of 18th & Olive in Francisville. A couple of weeks ago, the ZBA gave its approval to this project, which will be four stories tall, and include five-car parking and solar panels. It will replace a long-vacant lot that’s been used informally for parking over the years.

Development site

This land has been owned for decades by the Redevelopment Authority, which put out an RFP for this lot and several others on the block at the end of last year. A developer called Equinox Property Group II was awarded the lots, with plans to ultimately build twenty-nine new residential units…

We were on our way to snap some photos of the new Penn Street section of the Delaware River Trail the other day, and as we headed east on Brown Street some new homes caught our eye. Circling back around, we realized that three separate projects we’ve previously told you about on the 800 block of N. Lawrence St. are all in various states of construction.

From the north

Back in September, we told you that 837 N. Lawrence St. would soon be demolished, and replaced with a new home from Fusa Designs. Apparently the existing home was in terrible condition, with significant structural damage, which necessitated the demolition. Framing has commenced for the new home, and we were able to wrangle

Last August, we told you about some interesting construction activity on the 1300 block of S. Howard St., as a warehouse picked up an additional two stories and the warehouse next door got torn down. You can see, the change on the block has been fairly dramatic.

In the past

Current view

In the photo above, you may notice the presence of zoning signs which relate to a zoning hearing that took place last week. At the hearing, developers were given approval for the construction of six new homes on this lot, which stretches from Howard to Hancock Street. From the looks of it, three homes will front each street. Each home will have a roof deck and garage parking.

Looking through to Hancock

The other sign on the property indicates the possibility…

When we last checked in on the 800 block of Opal Street in January, two new homes separated by a garage had just been framed out. In case you’ve forgotten, these homes were designed by David Traub Architects and were inspired by the Schmidt’s carriage house a couple of blocks away on Cambridge Street. A reader checked in recently and suggested we come back to Opal Street to check on the progress of the homes.

Looking south

Closer look

As you can see, the new homes are sheathed, with some exterior work still remaining. We’d guess that the interiors are getting finished at this time, and that they should be done in the next couple of months. One of the homes, 875 N Opal St., is currently listed for sale at just shy of $390K.…

An old warehouse at 5th & Poplar has been razed to make way for twenty-one new homes in Northern Liberties. Developers pursued a somewhat lengthy process with the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association (NLNA) before the group agreed to support the project this spring. The fact that demolition has now taken place gives us a good sense that the ZBA has given their approval as well.

In the past

Demolished

This winter, the developers first proposed 24-units on the site, acquired for just over $1M in March of 2012. But NLNA members found the plan uninspiring. Some preferred a loft type renovation that preserved the warehouse. After many adjustments and discussions, NLNA and the developers agreed on twenty-one homes with roof decks and 2:1 parking, according to Larry Freedman, NLNA zoning chair. Thirteen of the homes will front 5th…

A reader shot us an email the other day, wondering what’s going on at 1218 N 30th St., a corner property which recently had its facade removed. Because it’s what we do, we made our way to Brewerytown over the weekend to check it out.

In the past

Current view

As you can see from the liquor license application in the first photo, this space was once home to a bar. According to a listing for the property from back in 2005, a bar made its home here for at least a couple of decades. Names that we found doing some perfunctory online searches included the Sultry Lounge and Dwayne’s Lounge. Apparently the second floor was also a dance venue at some point. Has anyone out there visited this place in any of these incarnations?

Anyway, a…