Residents are invited to learn more about development projects on Thursday, June 15 at the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee’s monthly meeting. The proposed construction of an apartment complex in a parking lot on the 4000 block of Baltimore Ave (see Google Street View below) is on the agenda.
The proposal for 4045 Baltimore Avenue was first unveiled by the developers in the Fall 2016. The complex would include 48 units, interior and off street parking, and 17 bicycle spaces.
The meeting will take place at the Spruce Hill Community Association building (257 S. 45th Street), beginning at 6:30 p.m.
June 15th, 2017 at 11:43 am
What is the name of the architectural firm?
June 16th, 2017 at 10:48 am
No more…please no more. 48 units??? All i hear is 48 more cars. Getting down Baltimore ave to 76 is already a nightmarish tangle of traffic. We need to reject squeezing more housing into the area. We dont want to become fishtown.
June 16th, 2017 at 11:20 am
FWIW, I agree about the traffic being congested in that area. The trolley portal and the terrible Baltimore/Woodland/Pine merge area are as much at fault as the amount of cars.
Parking is a different matter. The owner where this is being built, can’t fill the parking lot as it is (which surprised me as well).
He is getting rid of the lot while keeping some of the spots. There will probably be a net gain in cars and a net loss in parking. Will that net gain be 48, doubtful.
June 16th, 2017 at 2:12 pm
Housing is a serious issue in Philadelphia. We have so much space and yet we have homelessness. I think there should be just a few kind people who made it who are comedians, musicians, writers, lawyers, people on the news who are local, who all came from Philadelphia, who want to build a huge building devoted just for the poor and homeless to live and will be maintained by the City of Philadelphia. It’s not a crime to be a dreamer. But it is a good thing to act on your dreams!
June 17th, 2017 at 4:09 pm
I, for one, believe we have enough “luxury” apartments in the area. Who’s 1200+a month for a one bedroom?? Get the heck out of here! So disappointing. No one except penn students and faculty can afford that.
June 17th, 2017 at 5:20 pm
Jennifer, the answer is simple: just purchase the land and develop it yourself. If you’d like to take a continuous loss on your investment, that’s your concern. But if you think you can develop a building like this and charge less than that, you’re crazy.
20 years ago I moved almost across the street to Woodland Terr. At the time I paid $650 for a two bedroom apartment. It’s most likely closer to $1500 today. And it came with all the problems of 170 year old construction–leaky pipes, narrow stairs, no a/c in the summer, and old windows that let in the cold in the winter. New construction should have none of those issues.
The fact of the matter is there is no dearth of affordable housing in Philadelphia. It might not be where you want to live, but that’s the side-effect of a prosperous community. There seems to be plenty of decent, albeit old (see above) housing as you progress west.
June 17th, 2017 at 5:25 pm
I might add that the only reason this area is as booming right now is due to its proximity to Penn. Complaining about Penn students and faculty living in the area is like complaining about a zoo having too many animals.