Several months ago, we told you about the ongoing renovation of a mixed-use building on the 200 block of W. Girard Ave., located around the corner from the Piazza and even closer to the neighborhood's still-newish supermarket. That project is still progressing, and should soon be approaching the finish line.
While it's nice to provide an update on a project we previously covered, today we're far more interested in the long-vacant lot just a few doors to the west. 225-29 W. Girard Ave. has been vacant for as long as we can remember. A reader tipped us off that it was listed for sale earlier this month for $400K which we confess seems like a pretty high price considering the property's location and odd shape. Still, if someone were to purchase this lot it would represent an interesting development opportunity.
Looking at an old listing, and according to the reader who tipped us off, there was once a mixed-use plan for this parcel which seemingly fell through. A restaurant was slated for the first floor with apartments above but site remediation costs could have submarined the deal. We found what looks like an old rendering for a project here, which could inspire a potential buyer.
If someone were to purchase this parcel and build here, we suspect they would have little trouble renting apartments or finding a commercial tenant. As we mentioned above, there are lots of people living nearby and plenty of other commerce in the vicinity. And both of those factors should only improve in the coming years, assuming that both the Liberty Square and Soko Lofts projects get off the ground as we suspect they will. Those projects would add hundreds of new neighbors to this property, which would be wonderful news for any commercial tenant.
Our only regret here would be the loss of one of our favorite murals in town. Look again at that wonderful image above, and be sure to note the way the headdress sticks out beyond the edges of the mural. Alas, such is the price of progress.