Empty lot across from Pats and Genos may become apartments

For years the fate of the empty lot across from the popular tourist hubs of Pat’s and Geno’s has been up in the air.

But that might change soon.

Last month zoning permits were issued for the two parcels of land (829 and 827 Wharton) that make up the lot, The Philly Inquirer first reported.

The permits divide the land up into four lots, three of which will have single-family townhomes that are 38-feet-high, with a roofdeck, according to records on the Licenses and Inspections website. The fourth will be home to a mixed-use construction with ground-floor retail and apartments.

The project is being headed up by Hightop Real Estate and Development, according to a representative for the group. Hightop recently published some renderings for the space, which they’re calling Wharton Flats. They say the five-story apartment building will have 5,400 square feet of retail space, 21 residential units, bike storage, and a gym. The apartments will range from one- to two-bed spots, according to the website’s plans.

The lot was formerly home to a church that was torn down in the early 1990s, reports the Inquirer.