4 New Houses Approved for Manayunk

With no neighborhood objections, the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment approved four new single-family homes to be built at currently vacant garages in Manayunk.

City officials signed off on a plan Wednesday to allow developer Moxie Brothers LLC to build four, three-story, three-bedroom, 3.5-bath homes at 4570 Silverwood St. The Manayunk Neighborhood Council sent a letter of non-opposition regarding the project that wipes out a derelict and vacant garage that is often riddled with graffiti.

Attorney Rustin Ohler told the ZBA that the 80-foot wide building would be demolished and replaced with four attached rowhomes on 20-foot wide lots. The newly subdivided properties each will come with garages that account for one parking space. A one-way street between DuPont Street and Leverington Avenue, that section of Silverwood already prohibits parking on that side of the street, so no street parking will be lost.

Zoned as L-4 limited industrial, the property required a zoning variance for residential use.

Normally, proposals such as this are heard at regular MNC meeting. However, due to the civic group's summer recess, the developer met neighbors on site. From Harman Deutsch Architecture, Ryan Solimeo designed the property across from the steps to Roxborough and walked neighbors through the property.

"It was an unusual way to present a proposal, but being on site has its advantages over a rec. center. The neighbors, I think, were able to get a better feel of what we're trying to do," he said.

The civic submitted a letter of non-opposition, which civic President Kevin Smith confirmed to Patch.

The project will include new trees in front of the properties. Additionally, each home will have three decks going off of each level and the homes will not have basements due to the steep incline off the back.