An experienced developer could most likely do something. It is real thin lot. It would not be an easy development either. They have no parking, nor is there any alley access behind the lot. So it would seem to me that if they were gonna build a duplex they would need to scrape the home, dig out the lot for underground parking and build. Perhaps they could get away with parking in the front of the lot and push the residence to the back. They would also have to watch out for density limitations.
Either way it is definitely not a job for beginners.
The agent that represented them was Kelly, an HUS franchise owner… I know him as well and he is generally a good guy… however I will admit this was not a good deal for these people…specially if you look at how long the home was on the market when they bought it. Shame on him…