Last week, we checked in on several ongoing new construction projects in the Brewerytown neighborhood. Some of these houses were replacing vacant land, while in other cases blighted homes were demolished to make room for the new construction. In either case, these projects represent important progress for an area that still has a stunning number of vacant properties.

Two new homes on 31st Street

But it seems that Steph-Sin, the developers for the homes pictured above at 31st & Baltz, are not just in the new construction business. Just around the corner from these homes, this developer is in the middle of a renovation job on the 3000 block of W. Stiles Street, a block with a ton of vacant homes.

In the past

Current view

According to the permits that were pulled for 3007 W. Stiles St., the developers are building a rear addition to the home in conjunction with gutting its interior. From the looks of it, the existing facade and cornice will remain. It’s also worth noting that the property immediately to the east was clearly rehabbed in the last couple of years, with some serious contrast between the two photos above. Despite these two rehabs, the block still needs a lot of help.

North side, we see lots of plywood

South side has its problems too

It should come as little surprise that many of the blighted properties on this block are owned by public agencies like the Redevelopment Authority and PHA. If only those groups would sell off these properties for market value rather than perpetuate blight in Brewerytown, the City would have more money and the neighborhood would be phenomenally improved. Ah, maybe someday…