Great for the Neighborhood: New Development Coming to the Italian Market's 9th & Washington Corner

5 days ago
3 min read

Looking to buy, sell, rent or invest in the Italian Market? Call or text South Philly Vinny at 215-360-3434

Vacant Lot on the corner of 9th & Washington

Rendering of what's to come at the corner of 9th & Washington

If you've walked past 9th and Washington Avenue in the Italian Market anytime in the last decade, you know the corner I'm talking about. That stubborn vacant lot has been sitting there through more stalled proposals than I can count. Well, it looks like that's finally about to change, and the new plan is a lot more interesting than what was on the table before.

From Apartments to Retail: The New Plan for 1101-03 S. 9th Street

Midwood Investment & Development, the group that's been chasing a redevelopment of this site for years, just filed new plans for what they're calling the Shops at the Italian Market, and they've completely flipped the script. Instead of the apartment building they'd been pushing, this is now a retail-first project: a nearly 28,000-square-foot commercial complex with room for 7 to 11 storefronts.

Storefronts are planned to range from about 1,400 square feet up to 8,200 square feet. Think small specialty shops, food businesses, and maybe a couple of larger anchor tenants, all under one roof.

What's Actually Being Proposed

Here's what stood out to me from the marketing materials:

A large restaurant fronting Ninth Street
A rooftop bar and dining area
Building setbacks designed to create outdoor seating and gathering space along the sidewalk

Basically, this thing is designed to give that corner a real street presence, something the Italian Market has honestly been missing at that specific intersection for a long time.

Why This Matters for the Italian Market

This corner has been a bit of a symbol, and not in a good way. More than ten years of stalled and revised proposals will do that to a property. Midwood had previously proposed a seven-story building with 157 apartments, ground-floor retail, and underground parking, but that ran into real pushback from the neighborhood over density, traffic, and what it could mean for the day-to-day commercial rhythm of the Market. Pivoting to a retail-only concept is a pretty clear signal that the developer heard that feedback loud and clear. Leaning into the neighborhood's existing commercial character instead of adding residential density is a much easier sell to the community, and honestly, it fits the block better.

What This Means If You're Watching the South Philly Market

I talk to buyers, sellers, and investors in this neighborhood, and projects like this matter more than people realize. A long-vacant corner finally getting activated, especially with restaurants, retail, and outdoor gathering space, tends to lift the whole block. It's the kind of investment that makes a corridor more walkable, more attractive to foot traffic, and ultimately more valuable for the properties around it.

To be clear: this still has to clear community review and zoning approval before anything gets built, so it's not a done deal. But it's a real step forward for a site that's been sitting vacant for way too long.

If you own property near 9th and Washington, are thinking about buying in the Italian Market, or just want to know what a project like this could mean for your home's value, I'm always happy to talk it through.