Construction permits have been issued for the development of a three-story single-family dwelling at 343-45 Shedaker Street in the Wister neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia, near LaSalle University. The new structure will rise from a vacant property situated at the western corner of the intersection of Shedaker and West Sheldon streets. The development, known as Workforce Germantown in zoning documentation, will hold 1,358 square feet of interior space. The project team, which frequently collaborates on similar development, consists of the Civetta Property Group and the Philadelphia Land Bank as the owners, Moto Designshop as the architect, Ruggiero Plante Land Design as the civil engineer, The Ramtin Group as the structural engineer, and Spruce Builders as the contractor.
Construction costs for the development are stipulated at $125,300, which comes out to approximately $92 per proposed interior square foot. The sum includes $93,800 for general construction work, $6,300 for electrical work, $7,200 for mechanical work, and $18,000 for plumbing work.
343-45 Shedaker Street. Project map. Credit: Moto Designshop via the City of Philadelphia
343-45 Shedaker Street. Project map. Credit: Moto Designshop via the City of Philadelphia
343-45 Shedaker Street. Site conditions prior to redevelopment. Credit: Moto Designshop via the City of Philadelphia
Similar to another rowhouse development by the same project team, situated at 111 East Springer Street nearly two miles to the northwest in Mount Airy, which YIMBY covered yesterday, 343-45 Shedaker Street will rise from a comparatively wide property.
The corner lot at hand measures 28 feet wide and 44 feet deep, extending to an under-three-foot-wide mid-block alley in the rear. The parcel is planned to be segmented into three parts, with the rowhouse standing as a semi-detached structure measuring 17 feet wide and 30 feet long, a 14-by-28-foot enclosed rear yard, and an 11-by-30-foot side yard at the street corner, which, surprisingly, will not be enclosed by a fence despite constituting a part of the property. Unfortunately, two mature street trees will be removed for the development, with no replacements planned even for the open, corner-facing section of the parcel.
343-45 Shedaker Street. Site plan prior to redevelopment. Credit: Moto Designshop via the City of Philadelphia
343-45 Shedaker Street. Site plan. Credit: Moto Designshop via the City of Philadelphia
343-45 Shedaker Street. Site conditions prior to redevelopment. Credit: Moto Designshop via the City of Philadelphia
The front facade will be clad in a combination of running and stack bond brick, as is common for similar projects wrought by the development team at hand. A notable and much-welcome change to the standard design is an addition of a steeply-sloped mansard at the third floor, a gesture that matches the Victorian-tinged, Second Empire-inspired prewar rowhouses that line the block. Less fortunate is the omission of both a basement and a roof deck, features that would have significantly improved the quality of life for the building’s residents. However, the omissions are understandable given that the structure is developed as a city-associated project.
Despite seemingly being tucked away in a somewhat remote corner of the neighborhood, the property at 343-45 Shedaker Street is surprisingly accessible to a number of salient amenities situated within a ten-minute walk, such as LaSalle University, Wister Playground, Wister Woods Park, the Wister station on the SEPTA regional rail, and Germantown Avenue, a major commercial thoroughfare that carries the route 23 bus.
343-45 Shedaker Street. Zoning table. Credit: Moto Designshop via the City of Philadelphia
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
Considering a construction cost of $125,300, the front facade is especially attractive. Moto Designshop produces high quality work.
“Moto Designshop produces high quality work.”
I agree, Craig.
But in Moto’s Workforce Housing series, the side walls are typically windowless and clad with vinyl siding. That’s why I’m guessing the side walls of 2100 and 2148 Master Street will be windowless.
And I imagine that the side wall of 343-45 Shedaker facing Sheldon Street will be built without windows, similar to the north side wall of 2172 North Franklin Street (facing West Susquehanna Avenue).
“vinyl siding”
Correction: “lap siding”