While we watch for 2017’s sortie of property deals to play out — including two core auto row-era(1), preservation-friendly buildings (2) in the Pike/Pine Conservation District and a block of 15th Ave E (3) — the story of what comes next for a big Capitol Hill property deal from the past is finally ready to play out.

A spokesperson for developer Equity Residential tells CHS that the project to create a six-story, 137-unit project with parking for 78 vehicles and a planned 3,800 square feet of retail space is finally ready to break ground this spring on the empty, weeded-over, fenced-off lot where neighborhood favorite Piecora’s served up its “New York Pizza” and slices for 33 years.

Piecora’s final night in April 2014 (Image: CHS)

It hasn’t been quite that long ago that CHS first reported on the deal for the family behind Piecora’s to sell the property way back on April 1, 2014. Equity Residential purchased the 14th and Madison pizza property from the Piecora family for a whopping $10.3 million, adding to Equity’s 30+ residential properties in the region. The Piecora family paid $3,045,000 to purchase the property in 2002. Soon after the Equity sale, Piecora’s announced April 15th, 2014 would be their last day. CHS stopped through to say goodbye. Vintage mercantile Happy Endings and ink shop Dark Age Tattoo also called the building home at the time of the sale.

Here’s what comes next at 14th and Madison (Image: Ankrom Moisan)

As the design for the project went through the public review process, the property sat empty and squatters and campers became an issue at the building. The structure was demolished in March of 2015 and the lot has sat empty and fenced-off since.

In the meantime, the mixed-use project set to rise on the lot achieved its final design review approval — with conditions — last summer. The Design Review Board stipulated more work needed to be done to align the project’s facade with the “topographic changes and pedestrian experience” along E Madison. Apparently satisfied, the city issued the land use permit for the project last August.

The Equity Residential spokesperson offered no explanation for the delay in the start of construction on the project but said the groundbreaking is slated to occur by June.