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Thu
Jun 14
2012

More Student Housing Coming Near Temple, Way on the Outskirts

According to this week’s ZBA docket, TU Ventures has a plan to build five buildings on five vacant lots on the 1900 block of N 7th St., between Berks and Norris. We’ve covered plenty of development of student housing in the neighborhoods surrounding Temple University, and just this week told you about Paseo Verde, a mixed-use project with market-rate and affordable housing immediately next to the Regional Rail tracks.

We’ve seen relatively few student housing projects east of 9th Street, but this project will go up farther east than any we can remember to this point. The block clearly has room to improve, and five new buildings at 1921, 23, 25, 33, and 35 will fill in a small chunk of the currently vacant land here.

Southern end of the block

The three southern parcels

Then two existing homes, and two more lots

Make no mistake, there’s still plenty of vacant land on the west side of the block as well.

Still more vacant land

What’s unclear about this project is the number of units that will be included in each new building. The zoning applications don’t specify a number of units, and the developers can build duplexes by right. But if they were planning on building only duplexes, why go to zoning? Once the new zoning code comes into effect in August, the developers will be permitted to build quadplexes by right. Kind of surprising that the developer is in such a rush, but who can say why anybody does anything these days?

We’ll be interested to check back in on this block in a year to see whether the buildings get built, and if they do, whether students are willing to move in. Should be interesting…

 

12
COMMENTS
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Posted in Temple | Tagged , , , , , | 12 Comments
  • Vieux Pays

    There are four maybe five rehabs on the block with student renters; so it’s an established location for student housing.  The most recent rehab is 1931; and I believe 1929 is going to be sold 6/30 according to the MLS.

  • Blewfeather

    no! Keep the green space! I’m sure there are other spaces avail or places needing rehabed. these type of projects don’t think about the actual neighborhood..keeping green spaces good for the health of the people

  • Guest

    What is the need for a variance on an open piece of land?  Just build by right.

  • Stephen Stofka

     Trees aren’t THAT expensive–and, much like people griping about murals being covered by new development, that’s kind of missing the point. The point was prettying up the vacant land to make it more desirable FOR development.

  • Fecteau03

    If you want to keep open land as a garden, orchard or any other green space, then you need to buy it.  Guerilla gardening has its place but it cannot and does not trump private property rights.

  • veggie

    no one’s saying keep the trees in the empty lot and don’t build. but maybe the trees can be replanted someplace else (street trees for this development, even?).

  • thegreengrass

    What’s the deal with the block that’s almost *all* vacant land, bordered by 8th and Franklin, Montgomery and Berks? I don’t think I’ve ever seen a block *that* barron…

  • Vieux Pays

    It’s being reserved for the expansion of the Partnership School (a little elementary school whose current building is at 8th & Cecil B. Moore).

  • http://twitter.com/phillyrealty Christopher Somers

    It will be interesting if students do flock and feel comfortable living in some of these barren blocks of 19122.  If so, that will be extremely positive for the area.   This is my top zipcode of all of Philadelphia to own / invest for the future.  But west of 5th/6th st (similar to No Libs) have been tough sales as the demand to purchase there has not been as high.

  • thegreengrass

    Ohh, interesting. Thanks!

  • http://nakedphilly.com/temple/another-remote-temple-student-housing-development-on-the-way/ Another Remote Temple Student Housing Development on the Way | NakedPhilly

    [...] have been perhaps a little further from campus than we’d have otherwise expected, like the planned homes on the 1900 block of N 7th Street. Today’s projects are on the northern fringe of campus, on the 2300 block of North Park [...]

  • Vieux Pays

    These five homes are now under construction. Excavation was completed last week and they are beginning to pour foundations.

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