PROJECT 2: Susquehanna Street

DESCRIPTION:

These two properties had been vacant for years and really needed to be demolished.

CHALLENGE:

Due to the zoning laws, if we demolished the buildings we would have lost 2 residential apartments because it would have been considered new construction as opposed to a renovation.  Aside from the zoning concerns we also had serious structural issues, as the two properties next door were also falling down and we were concerned that when we started construction on our projects, the two buildings next door would fall down onto our buildings.

SOLUTION:

To solve the structural issue of the two buildings next door we got in touch with the owners, The City of Philadelphia and a private owner.  After months of negotiation we finally got both the city and private owner to demolish both of the buildings.

With the structural concerns handled, we then had to resolve the zoning issue.   We decided to knock down our two buildings except for the front walls.  This allowed us to build 3 residential apartments and 1 commercial space in each building for a total of 6 residential units and 2 commercial spaces.