A couple of weeks ago, we looked at an interesting triangle located just north of Lancaster Ave. where we described an old corner bar, an exterminator supply shop, and some opportunities for redevelopment. At that time, we casually mentioned a new project in the works nearby, and today we figured we'd try to fill in the blanks a little bit. If you're at all familiar with the area, you've probably noticed an old two-story warehouse building at 3862-68 Lancaster Ave. with some really nice murals. And if you've passed by this address in recent months, you've probably noticed the building has disappeared.

According to public record, this property hasn't changed hands since 1989. But we would have to imagine that a new owner has stepped in and has taken the reigns on a new project at this location. According to the L&I Map, a three-story, 22-unit building with some first floor commercial will soon be rising at this site. We can only imagine that the project will target students, as most other new buildings have in this area in recent years. As for the commercial aspect, we just hope it's a legitimate effort to provide some retail to the corridor and not a half-hearted, doomed-to-fail commercial throw-in to satisfy the code. Remember, we've seen plenty of that near Temple in recent projects. One complaint- couldn't they go a little taller here, especially considering the five-story building next door?

That is, of course, the Monarch Storage building, which we don't believe has yet tasted the sweet nectar of redevelopment. Multiple neighborhood planning studies have suggested residential use for this building, but from what we can tell the owners are only interested in setting up new antennae on the roof these days. Or are we mistaken, and has the building been converted already? Either way, it will soon have a new building next door, and Lancaster Avenue will soon have dozens of additional residents walking the corridor every day. Here's hoping the new building makes a legitimate effort to fit in with its surroundings and the commercial space adds to the mix on the corridor.