We've had a couple of readers reach out over the last month or two, wondering about the huge property at 59 Leverington Ave., where a building that had been home to a kennel and perhaps more famously Rambo's Ice House, was recently demolished. This property is in a curious location, with Septa Regional Rail lines located immediately to the south, and the beginning (or the end) of the Manayunk Bridge Trail to the north. Smushed between the current and former rail lines is about an acre of land, something you probably wouldn't have guessed given the small size of the building that previously stood here.
According to a story from The Review, new owners came to the community last March with a plan to build a storage facility. The parcel is zoned for industrial use, so that type of business is not a problem for this location. But the code requires 47 parking spaces and 5 loading docks, and the owners were looking to include only 10 parking spaces and 2 loading docks. The article indicated that the people in the room were not moved by the idea of providing less parking, encouraging the developer to either work with the Manayunk Neighborhood Council on a revised plan or to simply build the project by-right. The project went to the ZBA as presented to the community and was denied.
So… now what? At this time, we don't see any zoning or building permits for something new, just permits for demolition. But the fact that the owners of the property have gone to the trouble of tearing down the building that was here gives us an indication that they will soon be moving forward with some kind of plan, or perhaps putting the property back on the market. What do you think would be an appropriate use for this parcel? Given the industrial zoning, the challenging location, and the high traffic on Leverington Ave., we'd posit that a storage facility might actually be the best use for this land. And if that is indeed what's happening, let nobody claim it won't have enough parking.