The Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) has set its sights on North Central Philadelphia for their next office, noting a recent development boom in the neighborhood as a major reason for their decision.
L&I will cut the ribbon on their new office at 1514 Cecil B. Moore Friday, and they hope to eventually bring in “dozens” of inspectors to the site, according to L&I spokesperson Karen Guss. She said the decision to open the office came after a growth in staff in the past decade, from around 100 field inspectors, to 150.
The news reflects a rapid change to the North Central Philly neighborhood, which has seen a boom in both residential and commercial developments since 2014, according to Guss. The increase in new construction means L&I inspectors are frequent visitors to the North Central neighborhood—so much so, that choosing it as the location for their new office made sense, Guss said.
She said L&I used analysts to determine which Philly neighborhoods are seeing the biggest increase in new construction or in developers applying for building permits. Other than North Central, Point Breeze was the other Philly neighborhood undergoing a big development boom, and will likely be the spot for their next office, Guss said.
Curbed has covered many of the developments and proposals contributing to the North Central (and surrounding area) construction boom. There is, of course, the Temple University proposals, like the controversial stadium—which would erase part of 15th Street—or a community engagement center on 1301 Diamond Street—which is now an empty lot. But there are also non-Temple projects eyeing the area, like the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s affordable housing project on 2000 North 11th Street. Go a little south to 1324 North Broad Street, and there’s a major 18-story residential tower called “The Nest” that broke ground in the fall.
A rundown of the neighborhood on FixList, shows that a lot of properties in the North Central neighborhood have been recently zoned for new construction or have received a new construction permits, especially around Ingersoll and Sybert streets.
- Temple releases more details on stadium [Curbed Philly]
- Neighbors oppose Temple’s community engagement center [Curbed Philly]
- New affordable housing project to replace old Norris homes [Curbed Philly]
- 18-story tower on North Broad breaks ground [Curbed Philly]