The 400 block of Wiota Street is a rather quiet residential block in West Powelton, just north of the very bustling 4000 block of Baring Street. Prior to this decade, the street, and many of the surrounding blocks, were rife with vacant lots and structures. Now, due to its proximity to the college campuses of University City, the street is a major construction zone. As we walked from the northern end of the block, we spied three brand spanking new apartment buildings in a row, at 439 Wiota Street, which are part of a project called 40/Spring which also encompasses similar looking buildings around the block on 40th Street. We checked in on this site last fall and now the project is just about finished and most of the units are already reserved or occupied.
Further south down the street, we caught view of two adjacent properties undergoing different development situations. At 414 N. Wiota, a freshly poured ground floor signifies what will be a new 3-story home, oddly without a basement. Immediately to the north, a 2-story building is being converted into three apartments. Both of these projects are under the same ownership and are being designed by the same company, Group G.
Even with all of the development activity on this street, sizable vacant lots remain. We wonder how long it will take before the current owners realize the opportunity they are missing. Some vacant properties across the street from the 40/Spring project are tax delinquent and have been for a very long time, so it's hard to say how these when or how these properties will change hands. On the other hand, the northwest corner lot at the intersection of Baring and Wiota is owned by NCFM Landholding, Inc., the same people that developed the 40/Spring project. So it's quite possible that property is next on the docket.
Of course, on Baring Street, the new construction will fit right in.