Many of the larger new housing projects in Little Italy are nearing completion, leaving mostly development opportunities for smaller infill projects.

Little Italy's physical boundaries cover 48 square blocks and 206 acres; from Laurel Street in the north to Ash Street in the south and from Front Street in the east to Harbor Drive on the west.

Most of the parcels for the construction of large projects have been taken up, said Alan Nevin, director of economic research for MarketPoint Realty Advisors.

"There are only two properties large enough for bigger projects remaining that face India Street in Little Italy, the site of the current City Volkswagen and the site that has the Lenin Co.," Nevin said.

This coupled with the high demand in the condominium market has left every new condominium complex coming on line experiencing full reservation capacity, high interest or quick sell-out, Nevin said.

The majority of the remaining blocks have more property owners making large condo projects less likely in the future, said Jerry Selby, associate project manager for the Centre City Development Corp.

"Because of the ownership patterns, you have a lot of different owners, which makes it more difficult to put together a sizeable parcel," Selby said. "Because of this I would say we will see more infill before we see the larger blocks."

New apartment complexes under construction include Acqua Vista, Bella Vista, Billboard Lofts, Hawthorn Place, La Vita, Porta d'Italia Appartamenti, Portico, and Allegro Towers.

Acqua Vista, a 390-apartment building with 5,000 square feet of retail, constructed for Watt Commercial, is topped out and exterior finishes are under way. The project began in May 2002 and completion is slated for January 2004. The project site is surrounded by State, Ash, Columbia and Beech streets.

Allegro Towers, a 211-apartment building with 4,000-square-feet of retail, built for Allegro LLC, has foundation and garage work under way. The project began in April 2003 and completion is set for April 2004. The project is located along the east side of Kettner Boulevard between Ash and Beech streets.

Bella Vista, a 41-condominium project with 5,000 square feet of retail located at India and Cedar, has exterior finishes under way. Completion is slated for October 2003. The project is owned by Bella Vista Associates.

Billboard Lofts, a 24-apartment complex for Sebastian Mariscal, is undergoing exterior finishes and site work. The project broke ground in December 2002 and completion is slated for September 2003. The project is located on the northwest corner of Union and Ash streets.

Hawthorn Place, a 35-condominium project with 4,000 square feet for retail, has just completed framing. The project started in November 2002 and is slated for completion in November 2004. The project owner is Phillip Boczanowski and is located along the south side of Hawthorn Street between India Street and Kettner Boulevard.

La Vita, a 304-condominium project for Intergulf Development, is undergoing second-floor work. The project was started in November 2002 and is slated for completion in February 2005. The project site is bounded by Beech, State, Cedar and Union streets.

Porta d'Italia, a 200-apartment project with retail space, is undergoing exterior finishes. The project was started on July 2002 and completion is slated for January 2004. The project owner is Intracorp Development and is located at along the north and south sides of Grape Street between India and Columbia streets.

Portico, an 84-apartment project with 6,000 square feet of retail built for Intracorp Development, is undergoing framing on the second floor. The project broke ground in March 2003 and is slated for completion in October 2004. The project is located on the northeast corner of Ash and India streets