1527 Callowhill Street. Building rendering within its broader urban context. Credit: Designblendz Architecture via the Civic Design Review by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and the Department of Planning and Development.

A Call for Greater Density in Lower North Philly via Case Study at 1527 Callowhill Street

After five decades of population loss, when Philadelphia saw its resident count drop from 2.07 to 1.52 million between 1950 and 2000, the City of Brotherly Love has undergone a revival since the turn of the millennium, notching its resident total back up to 1.53 million by 2010 and 1.58 million by 2019, a relatively minor yet still much-welcome gain. The ensuing construction surge brought life-affirming, progress-heralding sounds of hammers and buzzsaws even to far-flung blocks that have not seen new development since the prewar era. Despite the building boom, however, some centrally-sited, transit-accessible districts remain surprisingly underdeveloped, such as Lower North Philadelphia, which extends roughly from Vine Street Expressway to the south to the Temple University area to the north. Today we look at the still-unrealized potential of this rapidly growing yet underbuilt district, held back both by zoning ordinances and local status quo, by considering an eight-story, 188-unit mixed-use development planned at 1527 Callowhill Street. Based on this case study, we lay out a proposition for greater building density both at the site at hand and throughout the surrounding neighborhood.

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3021 Diamond Street Elevations

Permits Issued for Four-Unit Building at 3021 West Diamond Street in Strawberry Mansion, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story, four-unit multi-family building at 3021 West Diamond Street in Strawberry Mansion, North Philadelphia. The building will rise three stories and span 4,455 square feet of new construction area. Permits list the owner as Matriarch 090713 LLC, with KCA Design Associates as the architect and Real Estate For Humanity LLC as the contractor.

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5303 West Girard Avenue

Permits Issued for Three-Unit Building at 5303 West Girard Avenue in Carroll Park, West Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story attached residential building at 5303 West Girard Avenue in West Philadelphia. The commercial building permit approves a new Type VB structure with R-2 residential occupancy and three dwelling units. The property owner is listed as SDB Developers LLC. Field Vision Properties Inc is listed as the contractor. Loney Engineering and Consulting LLC is responsible for the designs.

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2533 North 12th Street Elevations

Permits Issued for Two-Family Building at 2533 North 12th Street in Hartranft, North Philadelphia

Permits have been issued for the construction of a three-story attached building at 2533 North 12th Street in Hartranft, North Philadelphi. The permit calls for a two-family household living structure spanning 3,040 square feet of new construction and lists features such as a cellar, roof deck, and roof deck access structure. The Door LLC is listed as the owner, with KCA Design Associates LLC as the architect and Lynx Management Solutions LLC as the contractor.

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