When we checked in on the corner of 5th & Master a couple months ago, we were pleased to share the news that Core Realty had purchased the former umbrella factory on the northeast corner. After the success they had renovating two auto storage buildings into the Penn Treaty Village Pennthouses, we had no doubt that they could work their magic again and transform this hulking blighted building into something impressive. According to commenters that live nearby, workers have been onsite for months and even though progress isn't apparent from the outside, things are slowly moving forward and a resdential conversion is looking likelier than it has in almost a decade.
Assuming things go as we hope, this will be a huge step forward for the neighborhood and should encourage additional development nearby. Perhaps the developers that bought 1337-41 N. 5th St. last summer are banking on redevelopment across the street, as they're now proposing redevelopment for the corner across from the former umbrella factory.
Earlier this week, they went to the ZBA with a proposal for a new building with 31 apartments, first-floor commercial space, and twelve parking spaces. The project was continued, so it will likely come back to the ZBA next month. We feel like we might be missing something with this project, as the parcel is 6,700 sqft in size, which seems too small to accommodate the planned number of parking spaces plus a decent-sized retail space. But perhaps the developers are okay with having a smaller commercial space, as we imagine that a space large or small will be tough to lease at this location.
Does anyone know whether the community is on board with this project? Should we expect that it will eventually get approved at the ZBA? We certainly hope so, since the property is in dire need of redevelopment. And assuming the building across the street moves forward as we expect, continued blight on the southeast corner will stick out more and more in the future.