During the cold winter months, we visited the 1400 block of Germantown Avenue, noting a block in transition. At that time, seven new homes were under construction and several older buildings were getting demolished. We promised we'd come back, and when we revisited the block earlier this week, we saw some changes since last time.
The two homes at 1404 Germantown Ave. have progressed, as you can see. Last time we were here, they were only framed out to two stories. At least one of these homes is under agreement at a list price just under $400K. Moving forward, another house will appear next door, joining two more homes fronting Orianna Street.
Moving up the block, the one-story building at 1418-22 Germantown Ave. has been available for sale for quite some time. Public record doesn't reflect that new buyers have stepped in, but the zoning notices on the building indicate otherwise. Developers, who perhaps have a zoning contingency, have plans for three duplexes on this site, each with a single parking spot. This isn't a done deal yet, as the ZBA will need to grant permission, but one would have to imagine some kind of project will rise here in the near future.
Closer to Jefferson Street, things have changed considerably. No longer are a bunch of old vacant buildings getting demolished. Instead, we've been left with some new vacant lots. Developers had concocted a plan to build a triplex and a couple of duplexes here, but that proposal was withdrawn before it went to the ZBA. We'd imagine that they're rethinking their plan, perhaps opting for single homes like the project next door. Speaking of the project next door, the five homes you see above were just foundations back in January. Now, all but one are under agreement at prices a bit below or a bit above $400K. Amazing.
Despite all of these changes, the block still has a ways to go. You can see in the first photo, the building at the corner of Germantown & Master looks pretty awful- but it was purchased earlier this year so that could soon change. The other side of the block is also in pretty rough shape, but the redevelopment of a couple of key parcels would change everything, as we've seen in the pictures above. It seems reasonable to expect that when we check back in on this block in another handful of months, it will have lurched forward again.