320+ New Units at Broad & Girard
Three side-by-side projects are rapidly changing a gateway to North Philly
Broad & Girard is one of the major crossroads in the entire city, serving as something of a gateway to the different neighborhoods that radiate out from this intersection. On the SW corner, three projects in different states of completeness have made this block look a touch different than it did back in the summer of 2021, when an already closed CVS and a couple of other low-rise buildings dominated the block.
What you see above is actually three different projects, and - oh, crap! - there just happens to be a convenient aerial diagram below showcasing each of them. Let’s scope it out before getting into the details for each.
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Let’s work our way south, starting at the former CVS. 922-38 N. Broad St. is perhaps the biggest change of them all, with the low-rise retail spot making way for a mixed-use project to be anchored by a Lidl grocery store. Hightop is the developer here, with CosciaMoos designing this contemporary, bay-heavy approach. 196 units will grace the upper floors, with parking for 40 cars/64 bikes accessed from Broad St. via a new curb-cut. Oh, and this sits almost immediately on top of the BSL entrance, making this as transit-oriented as it gets. Windows are going in and the waterproof wrap is going up for this project that’s reached full height.
Immediately to the south, where a gray building stood that was home to a Core Civic Reentry and Treatment Facility, an eight-story project at 918 N. Broad St. is looking nearly complete. Trinity Realty Companies is developing this 49-unit apartment over 3K+ sqft of retail, with a classic look from Canno working nicely with the surroundings in terms of scale and feel. Three parking spaces are included for this one, with parking accessed from the tiny N. Carlisle St. along the back of the building.
The last of our trio of projects is at 906-16 N. Broad St., which at long last has some news. Three one-story retail spots used to stand here, though they were demolished almost a year ago. Plans from YCH Architect have been on the table for several years, but we have an update: a commercial building permit was issued just last week, clearing the way for this six-story, 94-unit building to finally rise. Look for a traditional red brick approach here, with modular construction for the upper floors - meaning we should see this go up pretty fast once things get started.
Obviously, 300+ new apartments would change any block, but for this to be dropped side-by-side-by-side here is pretty stunning. And this doesn’t even account for several proposals immediately across the street which would see more residents and retail join the block. We love the influx of hundreds of residents at such a transit-accessible location, and we definitely appreciate the new anchor spot on the corner along with the other commercial options to come.
However, we couldn’t help but think of the impact to the surrounding blocks, especially after seeing the *ahem* demographic make-up of the people rendered in the above images. For an area that is predominantly Black, there’s a noticeable lack of diversity amongst those shown ambling down Broad. Even assuming a student-focused marketing approach with Temple University not far away, 57% of Temple’s most recent incoming class identified as students of color. Let’s hope these projects, once completed, provide more value to the existing communities than the renderings suppose.