A recent site visit by Philly YIMBY has revealed that demolition has not yet started at a single-story commercial building at 1701 Fairmount Avenue in Fairmount, Lower North Philadelphia. Located at the northwest corner of Fairmount Avenue and North 17th Street, the site will be cleared for the construction of a four-story mixed-use building with two commercial spaces and 24 apartments. Designed by Marshall Sabatini and developed by MM Partners, the project will feature roof decks and full sprinkling. Tester Construction Group will act as the contractor. Construction cost is specified at $5.3 million.
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Credit: Google Maps
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Looking northwest. Credit: Google Maps
The site currently houses Stone’s, a beer distributor that apparently remains in operation even though demolition and permits have already been issued. Permits list RLC Construction Inc. as the contractor and a work cost of $12,000.
When YIMBY announced the issue of demo permits last October, we ran an article that extensively documented the structure and looked at the development progress in the booming neighborhood over the past few years. And though we anticipated work to begin soon after permit issue, our latest site visit has revealed no demolition or construction progress whatsoever; if anything, it appears that only more murals have been added to the structure in the meantime.
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2022
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2022
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2022
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2022
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2022
1701 Fairmount Avenue. Photo by Jamie Meller. April 2022
The project is designed in an attractive Neo-Industrial style and is reminiscent of a prewar factory loft, boasting an exterior of red brick and large paneled windows. Off-white lintels and an understated cornice add nuance and sophistication to the design, while retail space at the ground floor will create a lively streetscape and contribute to the commercial corridor.
Our only gripe is that the site is clearly suited for a much larger development, given its ample size, location on a wide avenue, street frontage on three sides (Fairmount Avenue to the south, 17th Street to the east, and Olive Street to the north), and transit adjacency (the Fairmount Station on the Broad Street Line sits three blocks to the east). Unfortunately, it appears that the project will be build out to the maximum allowable extent under current zoning. Lest we squander valuable, centrally-located urban space on clearly underbuilt developments, the planning department must significantly upzone centrally-situated neighborhoods and transit-adjacent corridors.
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It may not be attractive but I’m sure some people who moved into the area were attracted to the commercial enterprise there. Where will the alcohol distributorship be relocated? Where is the next closest alcohol distributorship located? I hope City Planning is taking all this in to consideration. Does the business owner get any aid for relocation or a rent reduction in the new building? How does the residents feel about all this displacement and development? And once again, why isn’t the space being maximize for full development?
It will temporarily be relocated to 3145 West Jefferson Street during construction. The nearest beer distributor is Girard Beer Distributor at 820 West Girard. The business owner will have a tenant improvement allowance for the space in the new building as well as it’s temporarily relocated space. How is the space not being maximized, it is using a green roof bonus to increase the allowable density of apartment count.