New homes going up in Philly this spring

Spring is all about a fresh start, and for some that means new digs. We got the dirt on who’s breaking ground soon, and who’s planning to bring the coolest new abodes to the Philly market.

2201 E. Norris

Lawrence McKnight, President of BKM Properties, is expecting to break ground on this three-story, three-bedroom home this week. He anticipates about six months for completion, but mentions that the weather may interfere with that. This home isn’t the first in the area for BKM, and it certainly won’t be the last.

“Demand is outpacing our ability to deliver,” says McKnight. “We keep telling people we can’t build them fast enough.” McKnight also says that he’s very connected to the Fishtown and Kensington neighborhoods where he’s building: “We live in the neighborhood. If something goes wrong, we’re right there to fix it.”

The Perks: Third-floor master suite with balcony, roof deck with a view of Center City, hardwood floors, modern amenities (like stainless steel appliances), and what McKnight calls a “grandiose” foyer.

This three-story, three-bedroom home by BKM Properties is expected to be completed by next fall.

Metropolis

Pennsport is about to get a rather large residential addition at Secondand Wharton. Metropolis is the name of the 17 single-family townhome cluster being built by Rock Construction and Development. “The developer and I sat down and discussed all of the things that a buyer is looking for and tried to include all of those things as standard items in these homes,” explains Noah Ostroff, realtor at Coldwell Banker Preferred. The estimated completion date is late summer, leaving us just a few months to pack up our boxes and get over to the ever-evolving Pennsport neighborhood.

The Perks:Three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, roughly 3,000 square feet, fiberglass roof deck, two-car garage

There are just a few more months until the completion of these brand new Pennsport houses.

Fairmount possibilities

Nothing is certain yet, but it looks like Fairmount Ave might get new apartment buildings. Right now we’re interested in two proposed buildings that have been shown to the Northern Liberties Neighbors Association zoning committee. The first is at 420-42 Fairmount Ave. It’ll replace an old warehouse with 48 apartments. The second is a proposed 108-unit building at 312 Fairmount Ave, being developed by Klein Company. The NLNA asked that both projects be scaled down to better suit the area. We’re keeping an eye on both because if they’re done right, the buildings will provide a vibrant freshness to Fairmount Ave.

Is Fishtown your new hood?

Lawrence McKnight tells us about the growing popularity of the area he calls home. “At some point the market will get saturated. Everyone and their brother wants to be in and build in Fishtown,” he says. “Expanding out to East Kensington and Port Richmond in general is great to see. There are a lot of entry-level first-time home buyers in this area, and they’re making retail and restaurants happen, too.”