We did not see this one coming. We were perusing the ZBA calendar the other day and noticed 3315 Tulip St. among the properties on the list. Upon further examination, we discovered that a developer had purchased this 15K sqft parcel about a year ago for just under $300K and was planning seven new triplexes and eleven new single family homes. This project is rather unexpected because of its location. We've seen some rumblings of new construction in Port Richmond just past Lehigh Avenue and farther into the neighborhood closer to I-95. But this project will sit just a block off of Aramingo Avenue and is surrounded by industrial buildings, very close to the Harrowgate border. All that being said, the project went to the ZBA last week and got approved, so it certainly seems like it's happening.
We went to check out this property, to see with our own eyes and to try to understand why this developer is opting to build such a significant project at this seemingly remote location around the corner from the Temple Northeastern Ambulatory Care Center. When we made the hike to visit the property, it occurred to us that this developer might just be onto something. It turns out they're not the first ones to look at this block, and not by a longshot.
You can see, there's a row of four relatively new homes at 3361-67 Tulip St., two of which have sold while two more are still listed for sale for $330K. Around the corner on Agate St., there's a row of four more homes, all of which are currently listed for sale for $350K. A slightly larger new construction home at 3358 Agate St. sold earlier this year.
As we said before, this area is chock full of large commercial buildings, shopping centers, warehouses, and other industrial buildings. The residential projects we see today on Agate St. and Tulip St. are unexpected enough, it's hard for us to figure how 32 more units will fit into this puzzle. But not for nothing, we've wondered this for other projects at other locations in the past, and many of them have achieved great success. What do you think about these projects? Would you want to buy a home in this part of Port Richmond?