Rendering of 1772 North Front Street. Credit: Lo Design.

Permits Issued for 1772 North Front Street in Olde Kensington

8:00 am on March 13, 2022 By Colin LeStourgeon

Permits have been issued for a multi-family renovation and addition to an existing three-story pre-war rowhome at 1772 North Front Street in Olde Kensington. Designed by Lo Design, the project will add additional floor space to the existing structure while the remainder of the space will be renovated. Four apartments will be included in the project, as well as a commercial space on the ground floor facing Front Street. In total, the building will span 7,505 square feet of space, of which 725 square feet will be located within the addition. Construction costs are listed at $1 million.

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Rendering of 1120 Frankford Avenue. Credit: BLT Architects.

Philly YIMBY Considers an Alternate Layout for The Frankford at 1120 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown

7:30 am on March 13, 2022 By Vitali Ogorodnikov

Earlier this month, Philadelphia YIMBY published a detailed overview of The Frankford, a six-story, 150-unit mixed-use residential and retail development planned at 1120 Frankford Avenue (alternately 1120-36 Frankford Avenue) in Fishtown, Kensington. Designed by BLT Architects and developed by US Construction, the attractive Neo-Idustrial structure will create 7,166 square feet of ground-level retail and 83,372 square feet of residential space, contributing a significant volume of housing stock and a vibrant retail-fronted streetscape to the neighborhood. However, despite the positive impact the proposal promises to deliver, it arguably suffers from a squat, sprawling massing, which was likely crafted as a response to the neighborhood’s unreasonably low height limit. In this publication, YIMBY shares an alternate project layout of our own, which shows how a less restrictive zoning envelope would allow for a more organic relationship to the street, improved unit layouts, creation of new public space, improved pedestrian circulation,and even preservation of a locally beloved mural.

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2022 Philadelphia skyline massing looking northeast. Image and model by Thomas Koloski

YIMBY Presents the 2022 Philadelphia Skyline Massing

8:00 am on March 11, 2022 By Thomas Koloski

Over the years, the Philadelphia skyline has been changing continually with new buildings being constructed. YIMBY has recreated the historical growth via multiple skyline massing models. The first model was completed back in 2019 and since then a series of models were made, going back to 1905. The newest model represents the skyline in the current year, reflecting multiple milestone additions to the cityscape. Like most models other than the 2019 model, the section of the city represented in our the three-dimensional mockup is bordered by the Schuylkill River, Cherry Street, 12th Street, and Walnut Street. In this feature, Philadelphia YIMBY will be observing the city construction on the 2022 massing.

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