We must be unconsciously craving a taquito as 711 has been on our mind all day. This morning, we reported on a 28-unit redevelopment plan on the site of the 711 in Queen Village. Now, we move our attention to Fishtown.
The one-story 711 building and surface parking lot at 23 W. Girard Avenue, which was formerly a Long John Silver’s and KFC, has seemed more and more out of place as development has boomed in Fishtown over the last 5 years. The property is a 250 foot walk to the Girard El Station, and Fishtown has become an extremely desirable place to live. A mixed-use, transit-oriented development is much more appropriate for this location, which is surrounded by some of the best restaurants and bars in Philadelphia.
It seems like the owners feel the same way as they are proposing a 97-unit, 97,270 square foot development on the 20,838 square foot CMX-3 site. We imagine the project will include ground floor retail space fronting Girard Avenue. As the site is zoned CMX-3, a project of this size should be able to proceed by-right without a zoning variance.
We look forward to seeing renderings of this project and getting more details when the development team presents to the Civic Design Review (CDR). From the basic information we have available, this project will definitely be a higher and better use of the land than the auto-oriented convenience store currently occupying the site. There is no word on if 711 will occupy the new building.
With approximately 100 feet of frontage on Girard and more than 200 feet of lot depth, there’s a huge opportunity to build a special retail space here. We imagine the owners will build out a sizable commercial space with high ceilings and large street-facing windows in order to attract a premium tenant. Time will tell.
How do you feel about this project? If 711 doesn’t reopen in the new space, what kind of business would you like to see anchor the building?
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
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