The 4224 Baltimore development site in 2013 (Photo by West Philly Local).
There’s finally some news on a development across from Clark Park that has been years in the making. The developers are set to proceed with the construction of a 132-unit residential building at 4224 Baltimore Avenue, the project that was first announced eight years ago and took a few years to get zoning approval.
The work is expected to begin within a few weeks, according to Barry Grossbach, Zoning Chair at Spruce Hill Community Association (SHCA), and will include installation of the fence around the construction area, removal of trees in the area, removal of existing sidewalks and installation of concrete barriers to provide temporary sidewalks, closure of parking around the construction area, and finally, beginning of excavation work.
Zoning approval was granted in June 2015 and building permit was issued in May 2019.
It’s not clear at this point what will happen to Clark Park Farmers Market, which operates every Saturday on 43rd Street between Baltimore and Chester in the close proximity to the construction.
“Undoubtedly construction will cause some local impact,” Grossbach wrote in an e-mail addressed to SHCA members. “We will work with developers to address any issues that are of serious concern.
SHCA is planning discussions with owners of adjacent properties and community groups (FOCP) to “address any issues that might arise in the future.”
Although some changes to the original development plan were made over the years, mostly involving its design, the essential mix of ground floor commercial and residential units is unchanged, according to Grossbach.
The latest rendering of the 4224 Baltimore Ave. development project is below. To learn more about the history of this development, go here.
June 22nd, 2021 at 3:18 pm
Lol. The sink hole is gonna swallow that right up
June 22nd, 2021 at 5:16 pm
[Edited] I live too close to that. Kill me.
June 22nd, 2021 at 8:59 pm
“long anticipated?” “set to proceed”
Whose side are you on? This is fine with you?
You are helping these developer clowns from outside our neighborhood leech and make more money?
THIS MONSTROSITIY IS UGLY & UNNECCESARY
June 22nd, 2021 at 9:15 pm
@P.S.H. yeah we definitely don’t need more housing in the neighborhood. Spruce Hill is closed! Find somewhere else to live!
June 22nd, 2021 at 9:18 pm
It looks like a milk crate.
June 22nd, 2021 at 10:49 pm
Well, we really don’t have a right to the City in any way. Not when there is money to be made. Let the Market rule- that is Freedom.. They will be helping us all by paving over every unpaved inch- and building to the skies! Bring on the bulldozers and whether the prices go up or down around here, know that at least SOMEBODY is making some money. This is America, this is Capitalism, this is White Supremacy.
June 23rd, 2021 at 1:52 am
Wow, what a beautiful piece of design. No wonder its taken a decade of careful work and planning to come up with such a gem. Just think, now we’ll have tourists coming to look at this in person. Maybe a couple units can be used for short term rentals, as the demand to actually stay in such a masterpiece I’m sure will be high. Wouldn’t it look even better if it were 4 or 5 floors taller? Can’t wait. Will it be done by fall, because students will be longing to live here.
I’ve forgotten, is this being built ‘by right’, did the zoning change to allow its construction?
June 23rd, 2021 at 9:28 am
It’s a by right project. Delays in moving to construction may well be to other parties involved in fighting approval. It’s a good development and I’m sure it will fill out fast as rentals. This was held up nearly a decade by unreasonable litigants.
June 23rd, 2021 at 11:40 am
Glad to see this vacant lot redeveloped.
In the future, this property will provide much-needed tax dollars to the city of Philadelphia, while allowing 132 more households to enjoy our beautiful neighborhood and patronize our awesome local businesses.
Welcome new neighbors!
June 23rd, 2021 at 2:56 pm
I love it. The apologists for Gentrification are missing so much- and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
YIMBY, White Privilege, and the Soul of Our Cities: https://shelterforce.org/2019/02/19/yimby-white-privilege-and-the-soul-of-our-cities/
June 23rd, 2021 at 3:59 pm
American Dream, are you coordinating the anti-gentrification poop study for this lot? Where should I drop off my fecal samples?
June 23rd, 2021 at 7:27 pm
Hated all the years I spent walking by that empty lot filled with trash, glad to see it’s finally going to contribute to the area
June 23rd, 2021 at 7:50 pm
When the evictions begin again, we’re going to need A LOT of solidarity. The groundwork has already been laid: http://phillytenantsunion.org
June 23rd, 2021 at 8:18 pm
james, are you just guessing or has there been court cases trying to stop this project?
paul, do you remember walking by this lot when it had a very servable and in use twin and a large garden to go along with the mature trees which will soon be coming down? If you’re upset by the conditions over the last decade, it seems odd to me to be glad that people who have caused those conditions are getting some praise.
June 23rd, 2021 at 8:35 pm
This development is unnecessary! We don’t need any new buildings in the neighborhood. In fact, we need fewer buildings! If we want to improve the neighborhood and fight gentrification, we should start demolishing buildings
June 23rd, 2021 at 8:41 pm
The demolitions will definitely be increasing. Who cares about the people who will be pushed out?
June 26th, 2021 at 9:45 pm
Red Dog,
To be honest I am a little upset that they didnt build when they did the demolition, but as they say if the best time to build was yesterday the second best time is now.
June 27th, 2021 at 8:49 pm
So insane that a lot sitting directly between TWO trolley lines has sat vacant this long. About time they got started.
June 28th, 2021 at 7:19 am
The “American Dream” of ownership of an overpriced home with artificially rising values can break all solidarity with our poorer, darker neighbors. The land- taken originally from natives- is broken up into parcels and commodified. Then the housing on top is jacked up in price to create profit out of nothing. Those who can compete jump on board, those who can’t have to get out. The end result is people who would celebrate the construction of luxury condos over every square inch of possible space. The so-called “affordable housing” part is mostly just Trojan horse.
June 28th, 2021 at 11:21 am
Hey there West Sillies!
Hey look, I just got to know.
Don’t mingle and fret my sillies.
It aint over until it’s over.
Please, let’s fly away from this place
Hey there my babies!
June 28th, 2021 at 5:24 pm
I just saw the monstrosity that they are building off of 38th between Sansom and Lancaster up close. It’s so cheaply built but it’s going up so fast. I blame Penn- but I also blame the more corrupt elements of the city government and of course the big developers- not only for this looming disaster but also in general. Real human beings are already living in these places and they probably didn’t get much of a choice in the matter.
June 29th, 2021 at 5:00 pm
As someone who speaks for most of us on this site…this is great news!
Let’s make the neighborhood better! Like adding some sprinkles at Swirl Cafe!
June 29th, 2021 at 8:36 pm
NIMBY vs. YIMBY is a constructed dichotomy that conceals more than it reveals. We should certainly have some new housing constructed in this world but the capitalist game screws everything up. We need affordable housing more than we need fancy, expensive housing. We need prices to go down, not up. We need less apartheid, not more. We still need our green spaces and in fact we need more free, public parks and reserves. The drive to accumulate capital is much more of a problem than a solution and we need strong community power, based in the people traditionally most excluded from the process.
June 30th, 2021 at 9:47 am
Building market rate housing keeps the older housing stock more affordable. Blocking development doesn’t help existing residents keep their homes, it hurts them and makes it more likely they will be forced out.
People don’t decide not to move to a neighborhood if you don’t build market rate housing there. They simply buy existing affordable housing out from under current tenants and renovate, or offer landlords more in rent than current tenants can afford.
There is simply no logic to the idea that an empty lot is better for keeping the neighborhood affordable than adding 132 units to the neighborhood’s housing stock. It’s absurd.
June 30th, 2021 at 10:56 am
The Market never exists in a vacuum. It is by no means some neutral savior. It can help us or hurt us, depending on the overall array of forces at work. A key element is the State (i.e. government generally), which plays an essential role in shaping market conditions. This certainly includes our most corrupt local politicians but it goes far beyond them and includes institutionalized policies towards rent and rent control, zoning, taxes and tax abatement and everything else which affects the lives of the real people struggling to live in the City.
June 30th, 2021 at 11:29 am
We have the LACK of transparency between the developer the Zoning Meetings and Jamie Gauthier.
Many Promises to the community dashed for a quick profit
This is just another example of neighborhoods being destroyed by Corporate LandLords!!!!
END THE TAX BREAKS
June 30th, 2021 at 1:24 pm
Don’t watch what the magician’s other hand is doing. No matter what the Zoning Board says they can and can not do, or this councilperson says this and and the other RCO (“Recognized Community Organization”) does that, it is THE SYSTEM itself which is working against us.
November 6th, 2021 at 6:34 am
Has the construction started on full blast?
December 22nd, 2021 at 6:17 pm
for those who are interested – the space was being used as an autonomous garden, and before that was a shelter. there’s some info in this publication about the garden and what was going on the last few years before this development started again. this could be a garden, or literally anything other than awful condos. there are many ways to halt construction, individually or as a neighbourhood.
https://anathema.noblogs.org/files/2018/07/VOL-IV-ISSUE-VII-PRINT.pdf