Permits Issued for Three-Unit Building at 2421 North 7th Street in North Philadelphia East

The stunning resurgence of the long-devastated interior of North Philadelphia East continues unabated. Following a string of recent residential submissions in the immediate vicinity, permits have been issued for yet another addition to the neighborhood, this time at 2421 North 7th Street. The building will replace part of a large vacant lot situated on the east side of the block between West York Street and West Cumberland Street, a few blocks to the northeast of Temple University. The submission calls for a ground footprint of 1,280 square feet, interior area of 2,559 square feet (which translates to around 850 square feet per apartment), and a roof deck. Permits list Old Kensington Holdings L. as the owner, Christopher Menna as the design professional, and JPL Construction Inc. as the contractor, the latter being a team behind many of the recently-proposed surrounding developments. Construction costs are specified at $180,000.

In July of last year, YIMBY published a feature titled Grandeur and Desolation, which used four low-rise residential proposals along North 7th Street as a springboard for an in-depth look at a neighborhood decimated by the postwar advent of depopulation and demolitions, the remnants of its glorious past, and the prospect of a promising future. We predicted that much more development will likely arrive on its vacant lots in the near future, and, just as we anticipated, permit filings for new construction along the stretch began pouring in in the coming months. The latest filing is now one of more than a dozen that we’ve tracked during the period.

The current site of the proposal at 2421 North 7th Street is quite desolate, yet upon completion it will join several other buildings currently proposed on the block. The building’s setting is positively scenic, as it is located across the way from the Gothic-styled campus of The Highway Temple of Deliverance at 2401 North 8th Street, where the church’s powerful and soaring bell tower stands as a significant landmark on the local skyline.

Credit: Google Maps. The site of the proposal at 2421 North 7th Street is on the right.

Highway Temple of Deliverance. Credit: Google Maps

Highway Temple of Deliverance. Credit: Google Maps

Local real estate growth is driven in large part by the housing needs of the ever-expanding student body at Temple University, which has steadily fueled construction in the surrounding area for at least the past 20 years. However, the residences would also hold appeal due to the proximity of mass transit (the Susquehanna-Dauphin Station on the Broad Street Line and the North Philadelphia Regional Rail station both sit within a 15-minute walk to the west), short commute to Center City, and the existence of a well-established local community with numerous small businesses and a readily walkable streetscape.

Philly YIMBY looks forward to hearing further development news from the neighborhood.

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