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Thu
Feb 9
2012

Update: Croydon Construction is Coming. And we Have Renderings!

Back in December, we told you about the possible restoration of a long abandoned but could-be-good-looking building located at the intersection of 49th & Locust Sts. in West Philly. That project has gone from having legs to putting on clothes, if you will, as the ZBA approved it on January 4th.

Now, a structure that’s been an eyesore, home to drugs, squatting and murder (oh fair Philly how kind you can be) is set to be transformed into an apartment building with 127 one, two, and three bedroom (it was first reported as only 1BR’s) market-rate rental units. With a 24/7 doorman. Ooh la la!

Help is on the way

Construction could begin within 90 days, according to Matt Barrabee of Orens Brothers, the developers and owners of the site. Barrabee says plans are to for tenants to occupy the building by September. That timeline is subject to change, of course, depending on construction. New to this story is the fact developers are trying to purchase an old and dejected city parking lot at 49th and Spruce Sts. to be used for resident parking.

According to Marty Cabry, director of zoning Jannie Blackwell, the city wants to sell said lot and he says that he envisions the deal will go through. Cabry said developers in the past had trouble agreeing with the neighborhood. There was once a move to sell the building for the school district with the vision it could become the new West Philly High. This development is a step forward, he says.

Rendering! With creepy rendering people!

We wonder if this project might draw some new folks further west in the neighborhood, or from other parts of the city. There’s definitely a new energy in West Philly, and some big new developments are on the horizon. Soon, we’ll have news for you about the Apple Lofts development, coming to the intersection of 52nd St. & Willows Ave., in an old warehouse three blocks south of Baltimore Ave.

–Lou Mancinelli

14
COMMENTS
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Posted in University City | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments
  • Cam

    with baltimore getting new retail and improving seemingly by the second, the new chop facility on market, the new culinary place, and the possible (hopeful) relocation of police headquarters, id sure say west philly is on the up, slowly but surely.

  • Rich

    Why is the architecture so generic. this is west philly, surely we can tolerate/expect something more contemporary. New construction should be of its time, not some watered down derivative of century old buildings.

  • guest

     Umm what do you suppose they do with a historic structure that’s already in place? …ruin in by modernizing it?  then tie the project up for two years in front of zoning and historical ,and  art commissions and then neighborhood associations……..?   why not just cancel the project then

  • Cam

    this post screams i’ve never been to west philly. new construction? do you know the first thing about this project?

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1728525103 Suzanne Banning Anderson

    that “old and dejected” city parking lot is HEAVILY used in the summer by the members of the university city swim club. if that parking goes, there will be almost NO WAY  for members who live too far to walk to get to the pool. 

  • http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/02/dont-feed-the-homeless-on-the-parkway/ “Don’t Feed The Homeless!” (On The Parkway) | Hidden City Philadelphia

    [...] Philly tracks the progress of West Philadelphia’s notorious Croydon, being approved for a 127-unit apartment building in early January. Renderings [...]

  • http://nakedphilly.com/spring-garden/laying-odds-whos-buying-the-divine-lorraine/ Laying Odds: Who’s Buying the Divine Lorraine? | NakedPhilly

    [...] adaptive reuse, like 1027 Arch St., 2200 Arch St., and 444 N. 4th St. Just starting work on the Croydon in West Philly. Also have a stake in future of North Broad Street, with their involvement with Legendary Blue [...]

  • http://nakedphilly.com/university-city/apple-lofts-on-the-way/ Apple Lofts on the Way? | NakedPhilly

    [...] police headquarters to the Provident Building in that same area, and the recent approval of the Croydon restoration at 49th and Locust Sts. If someone comes out and redevelops the old West Philly High, we’ll really be in [...]

  • Suzanne

    People who live in Mt Airy or Germantown can’t exactly get them and their stuff to Uni City on a unicycle, etc. Do you have kids?  Have you ever tried to get your family to the beach or a pool?  You have a LOT of gear.  And why do you have to pay for parking to have a voice in the use of a public space?  It sounds like you have some resentment about the swim club.  It’s  not a snotty place at all and people who scrape up the money to be members mostly don’t have money to pay for parking on top of it. 

  • http://nakedphilly.com/university-city/apple-lofts-project-on-the-ropes-or-out-of-gas/ Apple Lofts Project on the Ropes? Or Out of Gas? | NakedPhilly

    [...] Now one wonders, what is the deal with the Croydon? [...]

  • Robin

    See, Suzanne’s husband works for the city so she obviously wants the city to have money to keep the paychecks coming but she ALSO wants the city to continue providing free parking available to the private club to which her family belongs. If the municipal parking lot mattered to the swim club so dearly, they should have been trying to buy the lot from the city all these years instead of undergoing the recent expensive renovation. What’s the point of a newly renovated pool if all your members apparently have broken legs and cannot possibly be asked to park a block or two away?

    Really could not make this stuff up. It’s exactly what’s wrong with Philly.

  • walnuthill

    There have been signs of life inside the Croydon this week–some lights on, a chainlink fence that went up on the Locust St side of the building, and “NO PARKING” spray painted on Locust St. Let’s hope this means work has finally begun in earnest.

  • http://nakedphilly.com/university-city/update-work-getting-started-at-the-croydon/ Update: Work Getting Started at the Croydon | NakedPhilly

    [...] posted across the street from the site said workers had been in and out since early fall. When we reported on the development before Valentine’s Day last winter, Barrabee said construction could begin within 90 days. He also said tenants might occupy [...]

  • http://nakedphilly.com/university-city/should-a-new-building-in-cedar-park-fit-in-or-stick-out/ Should a New Building in Cedar Park Fit in or Stick Out? | NakedPhilly

    [...] and community planning than smaller scale new construction projects. Think Apple Lofts and Croydon, or the unique West Philly stories about projects about the Dirt Factory and saving Saint [...]

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