We claim to be lots of things, but experts on the history of land division in Philadelphia is not one of them. So we don't claim to understand why some blocks have lots that are 12' wide and others have lots that are 18' wide. It isn't clear to us why some properties even exist. And we certainly have no idea how it came to pass that some parcels on the 1900 block of George Street go all the way to Cambridge Street but some others stop after a mere 35 feet.
But the metes and bounds gods have spoken and yea it is so. One would expect these 560 sqft parcels to sit vacant, or perhaps house the occasional garage. But two different developers are instead thinking residential and now we're seeing four homes under construction here.
At a sheriff's sale in Janaury of 2014, developers purchased 1935 and 1939 W. George St., and later in the year they purchased 1937 W. George St. in a private transaction. Yesterday, when we snapped the photos above, a crew was working on three foundations. Only a few "doors" down, at 1923 W. George St., another foundations is already poured. All four of these homes will have floor plates smaller than 500 sqft, which means the architects will need to get creative to fit everything you'd expect in a new construction home.
Considering the remarkable development in the neighborhood, we believe that these little homes will actually sell pretty quickly. The solo home was listed for a bit at $425K then withdrawn, but it had a rendering to give us an idea of what's coming.
Remember, this is around the corner from 19th & Poplar, an intersection that's seen an explosion of development and has even more in its future. At either end of this block of George Street, we see construction. At 20th Street, a rehab is crawling along after a long facade repair. And at 19th Street, a row of four triplexes, stalled for awhile, is progressing nicely.
Do you think that the new homes on George Street will sell quickly? Or do people want more size when they buy new construction? Would you buy a home that's built on a little lot in Francisville? Or would you rather go to a different neighborhood and get more space for your dollar?