We stopped for a tasty salad at One Shot Cafe the other day and noticed two different, unrelated projects taking place in the vicinity. Immediately next door at 215 W George St., an empty lot that we’ve wondered about for quite some time is on its way to becoming a house. S&S Developers, who purchased the 17’x77′ lot for $135K earlier this year, is constructing a triplex, pouring the foundation fairly recently. No word on whether these will be rentals or condos.

New foundation

And cafe next door

Perhaps more excitingly, construction is officially underway for the Stable Flats project, another collaboration between Onion Flats and Domani Developers. Soon enough, twenty-seven new Passive-House certified residential units will rise here, on the former site of the 76 Carriage Co. stables. This project has been in the works for years, now notably scaled back from an original plan for many more units (ah, remember those days?). Foundations are going in now, and the methods are, we confess, unfamiliar.

From a distance

Closer look

You could see an old foundation in the pit

The workers on the site appear to be assembling a modular foundation system. Above, you can see preassembled foundation sections, waiting to be delivered into the pit. Has anybody out there had any experience with this method? Will cement be poured here at any point, since the homes won’t have basements? If not, we don’t understand how the new homes won’t, you know, fall over. Any insight would be much appreciated.

We snagged some renderings of the project from the Onion Flats site. Places look really nice and unique. But some of those renderings are a little creepier than we would prefer.

These are the foundations currently being "poured"

Aerial view of the entire project

Floor plans show garage parking and two decks

Seriously, was this scene necessary?

We’ll keep an eye on this project as it moves along, and bring you updates in the months to come.