It’s been nearly three years since the University of the Sciences merged with St. Joe’s, but real estate repercussions are still playing out. USciences received the vacant lots at 1258-60 S 45th St from the Redevelopment Authority more than 20 years ago, at a time before the blocks around Clark Park were generally considered part of greater University City. We suspect the school intended to develop the lots at some point. Rather than build anything, USciences cleaned up the nearly 4K sqft property and turned it into a pocket park, with benches, a walking path, and some landscaping.

Earlier this summer, the university sold the combined lots for $237,500. The new owner has already secured a by-right zoning permit for a three story building with 9 apartments. While there haven’t been buildings here since before the late 1990s, the newly proposed residential use is a return to form, as old maps and city records indicate a pair of attached homes were once on the site as part of the larger Parkwoods Apartments. Those structures may have only been two stories tall, but many have been replaced with 3 and 4 story buildings over the last few years.

The plans from Kore Design don’t have many details, but we can see the three story building will have two balconies along Woodland Avenue, along with three roof decks. Surely these units will be dedicated to student housing, like many of the newer buildings on the block. Unsurprisingly, the architects have been extremely careful to make sure that this project meets the requirements of the Zoning Code; we don’t imagine a 9-unit project would have much success pursuing a variance at this location. It’s also notable that the project includes only 9 units but could have included more density. This was surely intentional, as the inclusion of one additional unit would have triggered an affordability requirement, thanks to the Mixed-Income Overlay.

On the one hand, it will be a real bummer to see this little pocket park disappear. We are, in general, all for the use of small properties to inject a bit of green space into the urban environment. We’re not sure it’s as necessary here as in other parts of town though, with Clark Park across the street and Woodlands Cemetery not much further away. In this location at least, the immediate neighborhood won’t be wanting for public green space even with the redevelopment of this corner.

In fact, with trolleys running right by this property, it’s a perfect spot for transit oriented development that will provide residents access to both nearby public amenities but also the employment and education opportunities in University City and Center City. For all the times we complain about underzoned properties around Philadelphia, this block is, for a change, zoned appropriately, allowing for moderate density across the street from a large public space. With many of the nearby blocks dominated by single family zoning, there’s a real lack of opportunity for apartments with easy access to Clark Park. Fortunately, we can look forward to nine more units at the corner of 45th & Woodland, sooner than later.