Permits Filed at 1525 South Taney Street in Grays Ferry, South Philadelphia

A pair of zoning permits have been issued for the construction of a new building at 1525 South Taney Street in the Grays Ferry neighborhood in western South Philadelphia. The earlier permit calls for the erection of a single-family household with a roof deck, an increasingly common feature in new construction in Philadelphia. A later permit outlined more technical details for the process, indicating intent for swift development progress. Standard Development LLC is the listed owner.

1525 South Taney Street, situated on the east side of the street, presently consists of an empty, fenced-in, overgrown ground lot, sandwiched between two two-story rowhouses. The site is among the handful of such lots along the mostly built-out block, a phenomenon to which urban theorists such as James Howard Kunstler refer to as “missing teeth” in the urban fabric. The new structure, which will almost certainly be a two- to three-story rowhouse, will act as effective urban infill that restores the block closer to its original state.

In the postwar period, large swaths the city, notably in North and West Philadelphia, have experienced widespread disinvestment, abandonment, and demolitions. Though South Philadelphia neighborhoods, such as Grays Ferry and Point Breeze to the east, have seen their own share of hardships, their urban fabric has thankfully remained generally intact. Compared to other parts of the city, the area counts relatively few unused lots, and projects such as 1525 South Taney Street further reinforce its urban and social cohesion.

South Taney Street, with 1523 South Taney Street on the right. Looking north. Credit: Google

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