The amount of development happening in Northern Liberties is astounding. There are currently thousands of residential units under construction and in the pipeline. It seems like every part of the neighborhood has a major project underway. The two sections of Northern Liberties that are seeing the most development currently are around 2nd Street and Germantown Avenue, where the new Piazza Alta is being built, and the area surrounding the strip between Delaware Avenue and 4th Street along Spring Garden Street. We won’t be long-winded and list every project happening in these pockets, but go check them out on our map page.
Unsurprisingly, we have another major development to tell you about in Northern Liberties. This one is located just northwest of Delaware Avenue and Spring Garden Street at 901 North Front Street. The site is just across Canal Street from the 462-unit project that is currently under construction at 918 Delaware Avenue.
Up until about 5 years ago, 901 North Front Street was a nondescript, lowrise industrial building with a vacant side yard. Then, in 2018, work began on a 2-story addition to the Front Street side of the building. Today, that part of the property holds 14 residential units along with a doggie daycare and swim club. The back end of the property remains industrial, housing a parking garage and a surface parking lot.
However, that will all change. Development plans for the property were released recently in anticipation of this month’s Civic Design Review (CDR) meeting. The owner plans on building a 7-story, 73 foot tall, 76,033 square foot building on the back end of the property at the corner of Canal Street and Poplar Street. The development can proceed by-right on the 15,814 square foot, CMX-3 zoned lot.
The building will include 96 residential units, 24 automobile parking spots, 37 bicycle stalls, a loading zone, and a roof deck. The residential lobby will be located on Poplar Street while the parking garage access will be located on Canal Street. The facade will be clad in grey brick, cement panels, and cast stone. It also looks like there are plans for murals along the ground level of the building.
We’re excited to see plans in place to develop this property and to bring 96 new homes to one of the most desired neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The site is located a short walk from the Spring Garden El Station and a ton of other retail and amenities. So, we think this is a perfect place to build this kind of project.
As this pocket of Northern Liberties has developed over the last decade, industrial structures are becoming outliers as more and more of these type of properties are redeveloped into residential mixed-use buildings. We think homes for people are definitely a better use of this transit-oriented property.
What do you think about the project? Are you happy to see plans in place for this corner parcel?
Kyle is a commercial real estate agent at Rittenhouse Realty Advisors, a homeowner, and a real estate investor in Philadelphia. Kyle uses his extensive Philadelphia real estate market knowledge to help his clients buy and sell multifamily investment properties, development opportunities, and industrial sites.
Email Kyle@RittenhouseRealty.com if you are looking to buy or sell a property
Instagram: @agent.kyle