A blighted site (formerly a gas station) sat vacant at two main neighborhood arteries.  Now with a bustling coffee shop on the ground floor and 9 residential units, the Famosa represents a fine-grained, urban in-fill project that balances the demand for housing, retail and community scale.   Brick was chosen for the commercial space in deference to older buildings in the area as a way to tie new to old.   A south facing plaza provides outdoor space for residents and the community alike, further stitching the project into the urban fabric.