Two apartment buildings with art studios planned for empty Kensington lots

Two adjacent empty lots East Kensington may soon become the site of two apartment buildings, each with art studios and parking.

Plans for the projects went up on the Civic Design Review (CDR) website this week ahead of a meeting next month. They detail two apartments at empty lots on 1924 Hagert Street and 1929 York Street—properties that are separated only by a small road.

The first project at Hagert Street calls for 21 artist studios and 11,500 square feet of amenity space (including a pool, fitness, and club room) on the first floor as well as 45 below-ground parking spaces. Upstairs, the six-story apartment includes 142 residential apartments, which are primarily one-beds, though the plans include a few two-beds and studios. There’s also a green roof and a roof deck included in the plans.

The York Street project is similar but smaller, with 19 artist studios on the first floor, 20 parking spaces, and 107 apartments on the second-through-sixth stories. Like its neighbor, the building has a green roof and a roof deck, but it doesn’t offer amenity space or two-bed apartments. The units themselves are one-beds and studios.

Both lots are owned by Universal Building and Construction Inc., and the buildings are being designed by JKRP Architects.

The land has been vacant for over a decade, but it used to be home to industrial dye works buildings from the late 19th century through the mid-20th, according to city records.

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