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Unique lot offers unique opportunity

When I ran across this listing on Craigslist, I had to follow up:

1500ft² – creative/agricultural/live-work space
Unique and Historic Storefront/Home for rent on 32nd street. Currently vacant, but owner would consider build-to-suit or similar for the right tenant. Possible live work space for artist, artisan, hair stylist, caterer, or even urban farmer. Unique triangular lot and building has a tiny corner frontage, but massive backyard. Obviously, final use will be dependent upon zoning approval. Please contact me for further information.

It turns out that one of the more interesting little vacant houses in Church Hill North has a new owner, and they are looking to make it a useful space.

“My mother purchased it at tax auction in October,” Lee Thomas says, “we are in the process of getting the yard into shape and fixing a bunch of minor code issues.”

The peculiar building, originally a storefront, sits on an even more peculiar lot.

“We believe this was an interesting case of form-following-code/zoning,” explains Thomas. “The frontage is only 2-3 feet wide [but] the lot cuts across the block and/or the neighbors lots on a 45 degree angle, all the way to the alley, so the yard is actually very large.”

Looking to try an urban farm? “I love the idea of leasing the yard/exterior on a seasonal/annual basis to someone who would garden and take care of the land, ” says Thomas says. “Final rent would depend on the terms and the specifics, but it could be quite cheap – I’m really looking for someone else to take care of the yard!”

The new owners are open to any reasonable use. The lot is zoned R-6 – Residential (Single Family Attached), which does allow “propagation and cultivation of crops, flowers, trees and shrubs which are not offered for sale on the premises” (among other uses).