Additional mixed-use building planned at site of Fishtown roundabout project

A four-story, 16-unit development project is in the works at the intersection of Frankford Avenue, East York Street and Trenton Avenue in Fishtown, where a roundabout is currently under construction.

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The complex planned for 2400-04 Frankford Ave. will consist of 15 residential units, commercial space on the ground floor and a green roof, according to the developer. 

Khosla Properties, a real estate development firm in Philadelphia, recently acquired the property located on the corner of Frankford Avenue and York Street, according to Rising Real Estate. 

Local architecture firm Canno Design has been selected to oversee the project. The property was formerly the site of a used car lot that sat vacant for several years. 

The mixed-use development, however, is not the first that has been planned for the revamped area. 

Another project consisting of 15 apartments and retail space is in the works across the street at 2401 Frankford Avenue, according to OCF Realty. That build is being led by Ambit Architecture. The site was most recently an appliance store that has since been demolished.

Construction of the traffic circle in Fishtown began in March as part of an effort to make the intersection safer for pedestrians, bikers and drivers. The expectation is that the entire intersection will be closed for construction through the summer.

The project consists of removing the existing traffic signals, installing new street lighting, curb line reconfigurations and islands for the new roundabout traffic pattern. New signing, line striping and upgraded curb ramps also will be implemented. 

Two detours have been posted during the work, one for smaller vehicles and another for trucks. The small vehicle detour sends vehicular traffic northbound from Tulip Street to Huntingdon Street and southbound from Coral Street to Dauphin Street. The truck detour directs trucks to use Girard, Aramingo and Lehigh avenues. SEPTA is detouring the Route 5 bus during the intersection's closure.

JPC Group Inc. was awarded a $1.28 million contract to complete construction of the roundabout. The project is being funded using Automated Red Light Enforcement funds.

The intersection, considered an elevated risk for drivers, was included last year in Philadelphia's High Injury Network, an accident tracking database that's part of the city's Vision Zero plan.

About 80% of all traffic deaths and severe injuries occur on High Injury Network roads, which account for just 12% of city streets.

High Injury Network's mapping methodology no longer includes the Fishtown intersection, but it remains eligible for the city's Modern Roundabout Program due to an analysis of crash data. 

The intersection was selected for the program in 2014 based on five-year crash data that showed 10 reportable crashes between 2009 and 2013.

The Modern Roundabout Program aims to replace geometrically complex signalized intersections in the city. Other intersections that have been considered for roundabouts include Ardleigh Street and Vernon Road, Cobbs Creek Parkway and 70th Street, Montgomery and Belmont avenues, and Pine Road and Shady Lane.