1700 Frankford AveDelivered

A three-story mixed-use building with nine apartments and ground-floor commercial space is now complete at 1700 Frankford Avenue, filling a 4,351-square-foot site along one of Fishtown's most active retail corridors. The project, which cleared approvals in mid-2023, required underpinning work and is fully sprinklered. The commercial component was originally planned as a single shell but was later divided into three separate storefronts—a smart flex that should help lease-up in a neighborhood where smaller, independent operators tend to thrive better than large-format tenants. A subsequent amendment revised the residential layouts upstairs, suggesting the developer fine-tuned the unit mix as construction progressed.

The site is zoned CMX2, which permits the building by right without zoning relief or variance theatrics. Ownership sits with 1700 Frankford Owner LLC, which acquired the parcel in 2022 and moved quickly to get shovels in the ground. The timing lined up with a broader wave of infill development along this stretch—within a half-mile radius, roughly 500 new units have either delivered or are in the pipeline, including notable projects at 1716 Frankford (40 units), 1713 N Front (55 units), and the much larger 114-unit building at 1440 N Front.

What stands out here is the project's modest scale in a corridor increasingly dominated by larger plays. Nine units isn't moving the needle on housing supply, but it's a disciplined approach to an irregular lot that might have sat vacant longer in less frothy times. The decision to carve out three retail bays rather than one also reflects a realistic read of Frankford Avenue's tenant pool, where quirky, chef-driven spots and boutique shops tend to outperform chains.

The delivery adds another data point for owners eyeing similar underused lots in the immediate area. With CMX2 zoning allowing three stories of mixed-use by right and construction costs still penciling—at least for now—shallow infill sites like this one remain viable candidates for small-scale projects. Whether the next round of development tilts toward scrappier nine-unit buildings or continues the push toward 40-plus-unit mid-rises will depend largely on how quickly the current pipeline absorbs and what the for-sale market does in the next 12 months.