Back in 2011, when the Southstar Lofts project was still just a twinkle in Carl Dranoff's eye, we brought 1323-25 South St. to your attention, lamenting its blighted condition. At the time, we gave you all the details on the property, which has been owned by a gentleman named Donald Turner since 1997. The building has a 2,240 sqft footprint and probably has an interesting history, but we can't find anything about it. Sadly, today it looks pretty much the way it did when we first told you about it more than three years ago.
But just when we thought the building would never get redeveloped, it seems that it could finally return to active use. Last month, signs appeared on the building announcing a presentation at a Washington Square West Civic Association zoning meeting.
Looking at the sign, you can see that Dog School wants to take over both floors of the building, with dog day care on the first floor and overnight boarding on the second floor. We're imagining big windows on the first floor, allowing passersby to peek in at the pooches lounging around. This would be the fourth location for Dog School, joining spots on 3rd Street in Northern Liberties, on the 1000 block of Pine Street, and on the 1700 block of South Street. Remember, we told you about that location's opening a couple of years ago.
We reached out to WSWCA to find out what happened at the meeting, and learned that a formal presentation hasn't actually happened yet. According to zoning chair Jonathan Broh, the Dog School folks have presented twice, but in an "unofficial capacity." Neighbors on Rodman Street apparently aren't so stoked about the proposal, and the zoning committee has concerns about the proposed use. The next zoning committee meeting is set for this coming Tuesday, but it's unclear whether Dog School will be presenting. Hopefully they will, and they'll be able to find some compromise to make the project work at this location. This building has been sitting vacant and blighted for entirely too long, and we'd be thrilled to see it occupied. Of course, you should take our desires with a grain of salt- we don't live nearby and any associated barking won't impact our lives one bit.