A recent site visit by Philadelphia YIMBY has revealed that, roughly a year after the project reveal, construction has still not started at the site of a 13-story, 162-unit building planned at 1428 Callowhill Street in Spring Garden, Lower North Philadelphia, though construction permits have been issued at the end of 2021. Designed by j2a Architects, the structure will span 117,624 square feet and feature parking for 31 cars and 74 bicycles. Permits list BSI Construction as the contractor and specify construction costs of $19 million.
1428 Callowhill Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2023
1428 Callowhill Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2023
1428 Callowhill Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2023
1428 Callowhill Street. Photo by Jamie Meller. May 2023
The building will rise from an irregular, L-shaped site at the intersection of Callowhill and North 15th streets, although the property does not include the parcel facing the street intersection directly. The proposal makes very effective use of the lot, where it replaces a parking lot without displacing any of the prewar buildings that comprise the densely built-out lot.
Permits were issued on New Year’s Eve 2021, within hours of the expiration of the full ten-year tax abatement program for new residential construction. A year and a half later, however, no apparent work has been observed at the development site, where a parking lot continues to operate.
Rendering of 1428-38 Callowhill Street. Credit: J2a Architects.
Rendering of 1428-38 Callowhill Street. Credit: J2a Architects.
Aerial view of 1428-38 Callowhill Street. Credit: Google.
Rendering of 1428-38 Callowhill Street. Credit: J2a Architects.
1428-38 Callowhill Street. Rendering credit: J2a Architects
The site is situated across the street to the southeast of the Philadelphia Inquirer building, and will rise prominently enough to share local skyline with its iconic neighbor. Being located a block to the north of the Interstate 676, aka Vine Street Expressway, it will also make for a minor contribution and northward extension of the skyline of Center City, which nominally starts just to the south of the Expressway.
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Wow! Great renders!
The question to be answered is if councilmantic pressure is behind the refusal to let the developer proceed on starting construction.