Sure, we haven't been to Front Street for a little while, but now our Front Street coverage is returning in force, with multiple posts in the same week! You may remember that just a couple of days ago, we told you about the upcoming renovation of a church turned warehouse on the 1500 block, which commenters have clarified will be turned into office space. Today we turn our attention to the 1800 block, where a long vacant lot is seeing some new construction activity.
1814-16 N. Front St. is a large lot which stretches all the way to Hope Street. You can see in the image above that developers have constructed a new building on each lot, and according to the permits each building will contain three residential units. Residential buildings are by-right here, as the properties are zoned for multi-family use. We'd have guessed that the properties would be zoned commercial, but the homes next door would suggest otherwise.
Architecturally, the new triplexes look like they'll be something pretty different from what we're used to seeing in new construction. Each building will have upside-down U-shaped projections surrounding the windows which might simply be a visual detail or could possibly have some sound-muting quality, since the El rumbles directly above. Whether these projections have a functional purpose or not, they'll certainly help the buildings stand out from their neighbors. And while they may not stand out quite as prominently as the ski-slope building a few blocks to the south, they'll still be an interesting change of pace.
We assume that these units, like many other new ones on Front Street, will be offered as rentals. And if noise is no big concern for you, they're actually located very conveniently, with the Berks El stop just a block away and Frankford Avenue a mere three block jaunt to the south and east. We're not quite ready to pack our things and move to Front Street, but we can certainly understand why it's becoming more and more attractive to people looking for a new spot to live. If you're interested though, you'll probably want to include a line item for ear plugs in your monthly budget.