It was just last week that we found ourselves at the intersection of Frankford Ave., Lehigh Ave., and Coral St. at the tippy top of East Kensington. As we were checking on the Coral House rising on what was once a surface parking lot, we mentioned the shuttered Kensington Community Food Co-op, which closed back in February. We were completely unaware, however, that there were plans ahead at 2666-72 Coral St. when we discussed the future of this property. Let’s take a quick trip through recent history to check out the corner once again.

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The corner of Coral & Frankford back in 2014, pre-Co-op
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The same corner in 2024, post-Co-op, but with the Coral House
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A rendering of the Coral House from Canno Design

After we talked about the huge transformation planned in this very specific area, is it any surprise to hear that even more change is afoot? A zoning permit was issued yesterday for a 19-unit, mixed-use structure to rise on the site of the corner building and its low-rise neighbors along Coral. Called the Lehigh Building, this design comes to us from Ambit Architecture, who also designed the building going up next door. We’re not certain of the ownership group due to the LLC that owns it, but based on the branding and location, we surmise that Archive Development may be expanding their East Kensington holdings once again, as they are the developers for the adjacent project.

This mixed-use building is slated to rise five stories, with ground-floor commercial and six bicycle spaces below 19 residential units on floors two through five. A rooftop deck will be included for residents, along with a yard along Lehigh Ave. to provide some green space. No car parking is to be included for this CMX-2.5 zoned property, which has an industrial-inspired design, with large windows on the ground level commercial portion and red brick to the building’s apex. The commercial space will help anchor the intersection, which is going through just a few changes here and there.

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A view of The Lehigh Building on the corner
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Another view from Frankford Ave., looking towards Lehigh Ave.
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An aerial rendering gives another perspective of the plans

After talking about the potential of 600+ new units coming to this corner, what’s another 19? What would have been an earth-shattering project just a decade ago now barely moves the needle when it comes to density at this location. Once again, the pace of development across the city, and in this area in particular, moves in the blink of an eye.

UPDATE (4/16/2024): We incorrectly identified the architect for the Coral House, and this has since been corrected. Ambit Architecture was also kind enough to provide updated renderings of The Lehigh Building, which are included above.