Another big apartment building coming to 4200 block of Chestnut; revised plan for smaller one at 4000 Market

October 22, 2019

The development boom along the 4200 block of Chestnut Street will continue with a seven-story, 102-unit building that will likely begin construction early next year.

Developers presented the plan to the Spruce Hill zoning committee last night as part of the city’s Civic Design Review process required for buildings of a certain size and use. But neither the SHCA nor the city itself has much oversight over the “by right” project, the second major “by right” project on that block this year. A 278-unit building is underway nearby at the former site of the Christ Memorial Church at 43rd and Chestnut.

The building will include two floors of office space that will house Intercultural Family Services, a community services agency currently located in a row home across the street and at various other sites around the neighborhood. 97 one-bedroom and 5 studio apartments will fill out the remaining five floors.

The building will include 40 underground parking spaces for Intercultural Family Services employees.

The SHCA zoning committee also got a look at revised plans for a 42-unit apartment building at the southwest corner of 40th and Market. The plan would require the demolition of a Crown Fried Chicken and an adjacent donut shop to combine 4000, 4002 and 4004 Market into one lot.

The plan was originally presented in May and the zoning committee asked that the developer reconsider the building materials (they added brick) and create a small courtyard to allow windows in the rear of the building. The plan includes ground floor commercial but no parking (it’s on top of a subway station).

The committee also asked for some affordable housing in exchange for their approval. The developers added two “affordable” units under the city’s formula of 60 percent of area media income (AMI), which is about $45,000 per year for a family of four (Philadelphia’s AMI calculation includes suburbs).