At the end of last year, beer drinkers in the Fishtown and Olde Richmond neighborhoods were stunned when their coveted beer distributor at York and Almond Streets closed. The 28,374 square foot, CMX-2 zoned parcel, which was also known for its Christmas tree sales during the holidays, was presumed to be sold to a developer when a “sold” sign was hung along the building’s York Street facade. However, since the beer distributor’s closing, no action has happened on the site and no news has been released about what is planned for the property. That is, until now.
In anticipation of the new owner’s meeting with the Civic Design Review (CDR) on June 6th, plans for the proposed development were released.
The development team is planning a 4-story, 45 foot tall, 82,541 square foot building with 87 residential units, 7,781 square feet of commercial space, 38 automobile parking spots, 35 bicycle stalls, a green roof, and a roof deck on the corner site.
The plans call for grey brick along the ground floor and metal panels and Hardie Plank Lap siding on the upper facade. The parking entrance is planned for the back of the building on Boston Street while the commercial space will occupy the whole York Street frontage with the residential lobby on Almond Street.
By-right, parking is not allowed in the CMX-2 zoning district. So, we are not sure if this project will need approval from the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) in order to proceed, or if they are grandfathered into having parking due to the existing property’s condition. If this project does in fact need a variance, we imagine the development team could choose to pursue a similar plan with no parking by-right.
We were definitely sad to see the family-run beer distributor close last year. A ton of beer distributors have shut down in order to make way for multifamily development in Philadelphia over the last decade. However, we do think the proposed project is a higher and better use of this large, prime parcel. York Street is one of the main corridors in the 19125 zip code, but it is lacking commercial density. We’re happy to see a large retail space included in the plans.
How do you feel about the plans? What would you like to see open in the commercial space? Maybe a beer distributor?
Kyle is a commercial real estate agent at Rittenhouse Realty Advisors, a homeowner, and a real estate investor in Philadelphia. Kyle uses his extensive Philadelphia real estate market knowledge to help his clients buy and sell multifamily investment properties, development opportunities, and industrial sites.
Email Kyle@RittenhouseRealty.com if you are looking to buy or sell a property
Instagram: @agent.kyle