It was a little over a month ago that we checked in on Liberty Square, the major mixed-use project that’s under construction on the property bounded by Germantown Avenue, Thompson Street, and N. American Street. This project, from Blackstone Development, first starting coming together back in 2013, but construction only got started last fall. When it’s finished, Liberty Square will include 201 apartment units over three buildings, a 153 space underground parking lot, and a bunch of retail space. It’ll resemble the Piazza, and will stand with the Oxford Mills project as one of the most significant developments in South Kensington.

So why are we bothering to check in again on this project, after such a short time? Quite simply, it’s all about the renderings. Over the weekend, someone from Blackstone reached out to us, sharing some renderings for the project. To date, we’d only seen some basic elevations drawings and an overhead view that didn’t really give us a great sense of what to expect on the ground. The new renderings paint a pretty impressive picture of what’s to come.

We’ve been saying for years that this project should be a game changer for South Kensington. As it is, while we’ve been waiting for it to move forward, the neighborhood has seen a development explosion, with new construction stretching farther north and west than we would have ever predicted. With Liberty Square (and maybe Soko Lofts, someday) creating a residential and commercial center in the neighborhood, it will only serve to make the area more attractive for people trying to decide where they’d like to live. Now that we know what Liberty Square will look like when it’s done, it’s time to start to think about what kinds of businesses will open in its retail spaces. We’d have to think that anything other than a coffee shop would be a welcome addition for the neighborhood. What do you think?