A few months back, we first told you about a new duplex going up at 712 N. 19th St., on a block that exclusively features one-story homes set back from the street. The duplex looks to be nearly complete on the outside, though we spotted workers on the site, ostensibly tying up some loose ends.

From a distance

As you can see in the photo, this new structure doesn’t fit in with the surrounding homes even a little bit. And if you ask us, that’s a-ok. The one-story homes were built by PHA in the 1970s as for-sale affordable housing units, and we would humbly suggest that they were outdated the day they were built. To see a developer come in and implement an appropriate height and density for one of these lots is a little jarring to look at, but represents progress, in our estimation.

Closer look

Even closer

One feature that we wish that developer Tom McTaggart had emulated from the surrounding homes is landscaping on the driveway. Looking at the other homes, you see that there are tire tracks for cars to pull onto, surrounded on both sides by grass. Not only does this add a little green to the front yards, but it also has the fringe benefit of improving storm water management. As you can see, the front yard of the duplex is all cement, which will mean increased run-off from what was there before.

Hopefully, as the project crosses the finish line, some additional greenery will be added to the front yard. Or could there be some on the roof that we just aren’t seeing?