It seems like another vacant lot in Point Breeze will soon disappear. 1401-03 S. 20th St. has been empty for as long as we can remember, which admittedly isn't as long as many neighborhood residents, but still. A bench that's popular with riders of (really waiters for) the 17 bus sits in front of this lot, which means a bunch of people stare at it on a daily basis. Recently, a construction fence went up around it, signaling that construction could be imminent.
Around the corner on the 1900 block of Reed Street, two homes are currently under construction and five more will soon follow. Remember, we told you about those projects just a couple weeks ago.
For the southern lot, the developers, who have owned the properties since 2010, are planning a single family home. For the corner lot, permits indicate a first floor storefront with an apartment on the two upper floors. Forgive us for not being filled with confidence about the current viability of the corner commercial space. But we hope we're wrong.
Just to the north, at 1313 S. 20th St., a new home recently sprung from the ground. This home has a number of vacant lots on either side, but the fact that a few have changed hands in recent years suggests that it might not stand solo for long. Interestingly, the developers decided to build by right (like the guys to the south), and elected to only build a home with 35' of depth. That's definitely on the smaller side as new construction goes, and it should be interesting to see what kind of impact that has on the sale price.
Hopefullly, the construction of this home means that a couple more will soon arrive, further filling in the gaps on the block. It certainly bears watching in the months to come.