A reader tipped us off last week that a rowhome had been demolished on the 4200 block of Chester Ave., around the corner from Clark Park and next door to the District 3 Health Center. We passed by the other day and discovered that the old building at 4213 Chester Ave. has indeed been demolished and there's now formwork in place for a new foundation.
When we went by, we figured that this would soon be the site of a new West Philly apartment building, likely covering the same footprint as the old home that was demolished. We figured there would maybe be six units max. Instead, according to the L&I Map, the developers, who bought the property earlier this year for $650K, are building a 26-unit building. Wowza. There will be eight bicycle parking spots, and no street parking. Though they needed a variance, we're pretty sure it was only needed to accommodate an extra unit or two. The lot is a surprising 11,500 sqft, which allows for a ton of units by right.
We would imagine that these apartments, like many built nearby in recent years, will target undergrads from Penn and University of the Sciences and maybe grad students too. While people might think that this is a lot of units without parking, we would contend that most of the people who end up living here will be walking to wherever they're going for work/school. And if you consider the 132 apartment units coming soon to 43rd & Baltimore, this immediate area is about to get an influx of new residents. Not that Clark Park or the Baltimore Avenue corridor can't handle it. In fact, we would imagine that the nearby businesses are downright enthused about all the new customers coming soon.