Naked Philly Report on the 2300 Block of Naudain

From Naked Philly. See the article here.

Mending Continues on the 2300 Block of Naudain  

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Three homes lost after gas explosion are making a comeback

Mr. Fox

Thanks to our unquenchable thirst for Rival Bros. coffee, we often find ourselves walking on the 2300 block of Naudain Street on our way over to the cafe. This walk has featured non-stop construction on the south side of this block for nearly two years which in a vacuum is quite unexpected given the settled nature of the surrounding neighborhood. But if you recall, a gas explosion in the spring of 2014 resulted in the demolition of three homes and thankfully no fatalities.

A few years ago before the explosion

We wrote about the plans to rebuild the first of those three homes almost two years ago, as the owners were going through the permitting process. 2308A Naudain St. was zoned for single family use, but had functioned as a duplex for many years. As such, the ZBA gave their blessing to this use for the rebuilt building. Perhaps because the building is part of a condo development, the owners opted to recreate the white stucco exterior of the demolished building rather than opting for something more contemporary (or more traditional). They did, however, opt for a fourth story and we honestly cannot blame them even a little bit.

Recent view

While the owners of 2308A Naudain St. opted to rebuild their property, their neighbors to the west decided to sell off the land upon which their homes once sat. Developers purchased both lots, building a new home by-right at 2312 Naudain St. and going through the zoning process for the home next door. You can see, it appears as though work is now finished at 2312 Naudain St. while months of work remain next door.

New homes, viewed head on

From the west

This is surely a relief to neighbors on the block, who have been through quite a bit in the last few years. We imagine folks are already pleased that the gash in their block has been filled in, and they're looking forward with great excitement to a time in the near future when construction noise will fall out of fashion. It should be just a few more months.