The Philadelphia Business Journal and Philly Voice recently covered Federal Realty Investment Trust’s conditional use approval to build a six-story, 260-unit apartment building within the Willow Grove Shopping Center.
The Maryland-based development firm released the news of its approval on July 27 and expects to begin construction this fall as long as it receives the proper site work approvals.
The building will replace a parking lot at 122 Park Avenue and is expected to have 20,000 square feet of street-level retail and restaurant space, plus a parking garage.
Its proximity to the Willow Grove train station, which is on SEPTA’s Warminster Line, made the location stick out to developers.
“The key is the location of the train station,” Federal Realty Vice President of Regional Development Mark Brennan told the Business Journal. “We have the ability to deliver a high-quality, mixed-use environment with walkability of the train station and we have a long standing track record of developing quality products that weave residential and retail together.”
Brennan anticipates demand will likely come from young professionals and couples. SEPTA officials have been seeking to increase ridership in the Philadelphia area by encouraging transit-oriented development. The Regional Rail system remains at about 50-55% of its pre-pandemic ridership levels.
Upper Moreland Township’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan says the township’s “single-family residential neighborhoods will be substantially supplemented by additional living options in the form of attractive, modern apartments (including transit-oriented development residences) in a vibrant, mixed-use Willow Grove town center.”
A 275-unit apartment complex was built along York Road a few years ago by local developer J.G. Petrucci Co. Inc.
For the full story in the Business Journal, you can click here. For Philly Voice’s article, you can click here.
For our previous coverage, you can click here.
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Renderings courtesy of BERNARDON: Architecture Interior Design Landscape Architecture