657 N Preston StUnder construction

An eight-unit residential building is under way at 657 N Preston Street, adding four stories of apartments to a block just south of Girard Avenue in Powelton. The project, cleared to build last fall and now in mid-construction, will include a cellar, private roof deck, and penthouse structure, with full sprinkler and standpipe systems built in. Two amendments late in 2025 addressed details on the front elevation and added a two-hour-rated shaft enclosure, signaling the sort of tightening-up that happens once framing exposes coordination issues.

The 2,125-square-foot lot is zoned RM-1, which permits mid-rise residential by right—no variance, no zoning relief. Ownership rests with 657 N Preston St LLC, which acquired the parcel in 2024 and moved quickly to construction. The site previously sat vacant, a gap in an otherwise dense stretch of rowhouses and small walk-ups west of 40th Street.

Preston Street is catching a wave of infill that's spread across Powelton over the past few years. Within a half mile, 186 new units have been delivered or are in the pipeline, including a 14-unit building on Mount Vernon, a ten-unit project at 40th and Haverford, and a handful of smaller structures in the high single digits. This is a neighborhood absorbing a steady diet of RM-1 and CMX-2 mid-rise, especially on underutilized corners and lots that once held garages or single-story commercial.

The Preston Street project reinforces the pattern: mid-sized parcels near transit and the University City core are reliably drawing investment, and the by-right zoning keeps timelines short. Nearby sites with similar envelopes—especially those fronting Girard or west of 40th—are likely watching closely. What was once a quiet residential enclave is now a testbed for modest-scale, market-rate infill, and the math keeps working.