Have lived in Brewerytown for 6 years, work in the neighborhood, and am involved in the civic association. I seriously considered buying one of those Otto condos because I like the neighborhood (proximity to Fairmount Park, IMO ease of access to the Parkway and Center City without living there, enough variety of local restaurants and spots to grab a drink, I like my neighbors, etc.), but I ultimately lost out on the unit I wanted.

I agree with others about trying before you buy into the neighborhood here because each block can give you a wildly different experience. That part has changed a lot quickly and it seems like a fine place to live and invest in — there is new dining, a community center type place for new moms, a youth dance studio, and a summer youth sports league at the park right there — but it’s definitely not for everyone (see: late-night summer parties at the park and the nonsense that people have to deal with on the 1400 block of Corlies). You’ll still have to confront some of the stuff that comes with living in a historically redlined part of North Philly that was hit hard by the crack epidemic in the 90s-2000s and recently gained hundreds of “luxury” rental units, but I sort of feel like that’s true of many places just beyond Center City