A long-planned apartment project in the Italian Market appears to be shelved, with the developer instead planning a low-slung retail complex on the southeastern corner of Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. According to a brochure from real estate consultancy MSC, residential proposals for the site have been scrapped and replaced with more than 23,500 square feet of retail space along with a 2,500-square-foot covered pavilion and outdoor deck. “First ground-up, new construction retail development in the heart of The Italian Market in over a generation,” the brochure reads. Since 2015, New York-based Midwood Investment & Development had planned an apartment building for the property. Instead of adding to the residential capacity of the area, Midwood’s new proposal would add outdoor dining options and a communal gathering space, which the stretch of the market south of Washington currently lacks.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 12/3/2024