Eleven new single family homes are on the way in Fishtown, as members of the Fishtown Neighbors Association voted July 30th to approve a project for 1100 Hewson St.

The lot

Hewson St

Developers first presented a 12-home 11-garage project, designed by KJO Architecture, in June. After neighbors raised concerns about density, the developers reduced the number of units to 11 roughly 2,100 sqft homes with six fronting Berks Street and 5 fronting Hewson Street. The Hewson Street homes feature front-facing garages with three curb cuts. At last month’s meeting, neighbors also voiced concerns about increased property taxes as a result of the new homes.

Site plan

Homes on Berks St.

Homes on Hewson St.

Look at how close these homes will be to the highway!

As you’ve probably noticed from our constant coverage lately, Fishtown is in the middle of a building boom. In April, two homes were constructed on another block of Hewson St, on the other side of Girard Ave. A mixed-use development is coming to Girard & Shackamaxon. And there’s this Norris St. project nearby. And there are a bunch more we haven’t even gotten to yet! Hopefully, as more projects manifest in the area, it’ll mean even more residential development, but perhaps also new cafes and delis, restaurants and such. It will be interesting to watch those old places becoming something different.

And just to clarify: Neighbors pointed out, correctly, that property taxes in the neighborhood are likely to rise in the next few years. But that’s not because of this project or any other individual project. Instead, it’s due to the combination of a neighborhood improving on the whole and a needed correction of the chronically inaccurate property tax assessments in the entire city over the past several decades. Hopefully, assuming the City does it right in 2013, taxes will be fair for everybody in the years to come.

–Lou Mancinelli