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Fishtown, Kensington and Northern Liberties real estate news

I'm Jarrell James, a REALTOR with KW Empower. Every week on ReLLestate I go through the region's real estate news. This page is everything from those episodes about Fishtown, Kensington and Northern Liberties, newest first.

What's been reported

  1. Pennsylvania's draft Opportunity Zones 2.0 map shrinks Philadelphia's footprint. Southwest Philadelphia gains four tracts along Woodland Avenue, while Fishtown, Kensington and Brewerytown are left out of the draft.

    , Episode 62

  2. The post office site at 1602 Frankford Ave. in Fishtown sold for $4.3 million to JSC Real Estate and a partner. The postal lease runs through July 2027.

    , Episode 61

  3. The former Di Bruno Bros. plant at 435 Fairmount Ave. in Northern Liberties sold for $2.4 million. The plan is apartments with a rooftop greenhouse, and it needs a zoning variance.

    , Episode 60

  4. Post Brothers filed plans for a 241 unit building in Northern Liberties.

    , Episode 52

  5. The Northbank development on the Fishtown riverfront is replacing a large share of its planned apartments with hundreds of additional townhomes.

    , Episode 50

  6. A six story building with 108 units and ground floor commercial space was permitted at 1640 to 1648 North Hancock Street in Olde Kensington.

    , Episode 50

  7. A permit was issued for a three story building at 1808 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown, with commercial space below two apartments.

    , Episode 48

  8. Whole Foods is looking at a 9,400 square foot small format store at 1716 Frankford Ave. in Fishtown. It is a proposal, not a signed deal.

    , Episode 46

  9. Permits were issued for a seven story, 60 unit building with a fresh food market at 2221 North Front Street in East Kensington. A zoning bonus raised it from 39 units to 60.

    , Episode 38

  10. Construction permits were issued for a six story, 146 unit building at 2001 E. Lehigh Avenue in East Kensington, an $18.35 million project.

    , Episode 37

  11. Eclipse Development bought the vacant lot at 1400 Frankford Ave. in Fishtown for $2.65 million and plans 20 apartments over 7,000 square feet of retail.

    , Episode 34

  12. A seven story, 78 unit building at 1000 to 1010 North Delaware Avenue in Fishtown was finishing construction.

    , Episode 33

  13. A former coffin factory at 153 W. Jefferson St. in Olde Kensington listed for $2.89 million.

    , Episode 29

  14. The Inquirer compared what $1,900 a month rents in Fishtown, Lower Merion and West Philadelphia.

    , Episode 26

  15. Philadelphia's first sanctioned tiny home village opened in Kensington, with 120 square foot units and support services.

    , Episode 10

  16. A six story, 75 unit apartment building is proposed in a former warehouse at 3408 B Street in Kensington.

    , Episode 10

  17. Philadelphia Magazine paired pricey neighborhoods with cheaper alternatives: Fishtown for Queen Village, Logan Square for Rittenhouse, Mount Airy for Chestnut Hill, Lansdowne for Media and Collingswood for Haddonfield.

    , Episode 9

  18. Demolition permits were issued for St. Laurentius Church in Fishtown, vacant since 2014, to make way for a seven story building with 49 homes.

    , Episode 9

  19. Construction started on a seven story, 74 unit building at 326 North 12th Street in Callowhill, and on a 50 unit building on the 2300 block of East Norris Street in Fishtown.

    , Episode 8

  20. A four story, six unit building at 1429 Hope Street in Olde Kensington neared completion.

    , Episode 6

Prices, counts and percentages are what was reported the week each episode ran. They are news about the area, not a valuation of any one property.

Questions about Fishtown and Kensington

Which Philadelphia neighborhoods are in the draft Opportunity Zones 2.0 map?

The draft adds four tracts in Southwest Philadelphia along Woodland Avenue between 46th and 65th streets, keeps a smaller North Philadelphia cluster near Broad Street and Temple, and keeps Gray's Ferry and Point Breeze in South Philadelphia. Fishtown, Kensington and Brewerytown were in the first program and are not in this draft. Upper Darby and Millbourne are newly included. From Episode 62, October 27, 2026

What is planned for the old Di Bruno Bros. building in Northern Liberties?

Developer Jeff Tubbs and partners paid $2.4 million for 435 Fairmount Ave. and plan a few dozen residences, ground floor commercial space designed by Erdy McHenry, and a rooftop greenhouse and kitchen. The site needs a residential variance, and the team is aiming for zoning approvals by early 2027. From Episode 60, October 6, 2026

What is Post Brothers planning in Northern Liberties?

Post Brothers filed plans for another 241 unit building in the neighborhood. It is a submission at this stage, not a groundbreaking. From Episode 52, July 27, 2026

What changed in the Northbank plan in Fishtown?

The riverfront master plan dropped a large share of its planned apartment units and added hundreds more townhomes in their place. From Episode 50, July 13, 2026

What is being built at 1640 North Hancock Street?

A six story mixed use building in Olde Kensington with 108 apartments, ground floor commercial space and a parking garage, 122,804 square feet in total. HDO Architecture is the designer and Knight Rider Construction is the contractor. From Episode 50, July 13, 2026

Is Whole Foods opening in Fishtown?

It is proposed, not final. Developer Fishtown Collective presented plans for 1716 Frankford Ave. with a 9,400 square foot Whole Foods on the ground floor, much smaller than a typical store. Neighbors have raised concerns about a 24 hour loading zone. From Episode 46, June 15, 2026

What is being built at 1400 Frankford Avenue in Fishtown?

Eclipse Development plans a four story building with 20 apartments and 7,000 square feet of ground floor retail. It bought the vacant corner lot for $2.65 million. From Episode 34, December 15, 2025

What does $1,900 a month rent in the Philadelphia area?

In the Inquirer comparison covered in this episode: a 646 square foot one bedroom in a new Fishtown building, an 1,100 square foot two bedroom in Lower Merion, or a 1,740 square foot three bedroom rowhouse in West Philadelphia. From Episode 26, October 6, 2025

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Episodes that covered Fishtown and Kensington

More areas: Center City, Roxborough and Manayunk, Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, West Philadelphia, South Philadelphia, North Philadelphia, Northeast Philadelphia. See all.