On Woodland Avenue in West Philly there's a solid amount of reinvestment happening now, and there's more on the horizon.
At 4619 Woodland Ave., HOW Properties plans to build a 16-unit three-story residential complex with a ground-floor retail spot. Three-bedroom units will rent from from $1850 to $2100 a month, with smaller units ostensibly renting for less. The property will likely cater to the growing student demand in West Philadelphia as rental prices increased last year in Cedar Park more than any other neighborhood in the city, according to rental service LiveLovely. HOW also developed The Residences at 1424 Fairmount, a project that knocked down an old seafood warehouse and built a collection of apartments. The design of the structure is similar to some buildings we've seen go up near Temple, with a mostly brick facade and metal-clad bay windows.
At the same time on this block the Orens Brothers, who are also redeveloping the Croydon at 49th & Locust, have plans to transform the now vacant Alexander Wilson Elementary into a residential complex. Remember, we first told you about this back in February.
Both of these projects are right in the gut of the University of the Sciences area, and are a few blocks from Clark Park. We'd be remiss if we didn't mention that Four Worlds Bakery is nearby. And the trolley runs right out front. Two autumns ago, the folks at the University City District turned a concrete triangle at 42nd & Woodland into the pocket park Woodland Plaza. And there are numerous locally-owned businesses and good places to eat along Woodland Avenue and nearby on Baltimore.
While West Philly has long been established as a residential area, in the past two years developers have looked to capitalize on large-scale development opportunities as students and young professionals have flooded the neighborhoods. Combine these projects with plans for 132 new units at 43rd & Baltimore, and several others near 38th Street, and it's clear that large-scale development is happening across West Philly.