We were in the neighborhood today, driving around and snapping photos of all the new construction projects going on around Temple, where the latest crop of graduates emerged into a white hot job market just last week. Were we generally aggravated by the number of closed streets due to said projects? Sure. Were we equally impressed at the scale of the continued development in the area. You betcha.

Standing at the corner of 18th and Berks Sts., we were particularly stunned by the number of projects we could see from that spot.

To the west, the finishing touches are being applied to the exteriors of 1803-09 W. Berks St., three duplexes being built by Como Properties LLC.

Three duplexes

Closer look from another angle

On the southwest corner of the intersection Blackstone Development is building a massive building at 1850 N 18th St. with numerous units and what looks like underground parking. We’ll be keeping an eye on this building as it goes up, as it will be one of the larger student housing structures in the area.

Steel beams are holding up the wood framing

Closer look

Looking north up 18th St., we see at least three more buildings being framed out. And there’s two more going up on the next block, north of Norris Street.

Looking north

At a certain point, you wonder if the bubble might burst in this neighborhood, dramatically reducing the construction activity or sending rental prices, currently in the $500-$600/room range, down somewhat. But we haven’t seen either happen yet. What will happen when the new dorms opens around campus in the next couple of years, however, is anybody’s guess.