Exterior views: from the northeast (left) and south (right)
I’ve been working on a project for a new building at the corner of Reed and Bancroft Streets in the Newbold section of South Philadelphia. The lot is zoned for a single-family dwelling, but the clients would like to build a two-unit building instead, which will require a variance. This variance will benefit the neighborhood for several reasons:
- The lot is currently empty.
- The clients want to build a quality building, which they will continue to own and maintain over the long term.
- The value will go up for this property, meaning more tax money for the City that will (mostly) go towards our schools.
- The value of surrounding properties will go up, meaning higher resale values for the neighbors.
- The building will house new residents, giving the neighborhood a few more votes in local elections.
- Because the building will be new, the rents will be market-rate or higher, which means it’s unlikely to be used by people who are up to no good and are looking for a cheap place to do it.
- And finally, of course the building will be well-designed.
The first part of the variance process is to file appeal paperwork. I’ve spent some time surveying the neighborhood building stock, and have put together this map showing current land uses around the site:
The argument that we’ll be making, aside from those listed above, is that there are already a lot of multi-family buildings around, especially on Reed Street, where our property (black rectangle in the center of the map) fronts.
I’ll be posting updates as this project develops.
