In Fishtown, a longtime owner is trading his roses for rooms. For years, the lot at 300 E. Girard Ave. has served as a rose garden for its owner, leaving a curious gap at the southeastern corner of Girard & Marlborough. But now the owner plans to construct a building on this lot with ground-floor retail and two apartment units above with balconies looking onto Girard.

The lot in question

This address is situated on a stretch of Girard past Frankford Avenue that’s seen renewed interest and reinvestment over the last few years. Just across the street, a former auto supply store at the corner of Girard & Marlborough sold this spring for around $725K. Demo work is now underway at the location, but we have yet to learn what the final plans for the site include. We recently wrote about a three projects on nearby Girard Ave. corners. Just a couple of blocks to the west, for example, a mixed-use building is almost finished at Girard & Shackamaxon.

Just a couple of blocks away

According to public record, the owner acquired the 1133 Marlborough St., a five-unit rental building, for $440K back in 2005. As part of the deal, the sellers threw in the 25’x40′ vacant lot at the corner, which will soon be developed after a nearly decade-long lull. Fishtown Neighbors Association offered their support for the project in April. And while no news of a possible tenant has been shared yet, the project could should move forward quickly since its approval at the ZBA earlier this month. Stay tuned for more news about this corner and others in Fishtown in the weeks to come; we have a funny feeling this summer that development in the neighborhood is just getting started.

–Lou Mancinelli