157-unit apartment building proposed for Lehigh Avenue in Kensington

A 157-unit apartment complex is proposed for a desolate strip of Lehigh Avenue that’s been getting a lot of development attention as a location for large residential projects.

The six-story project at 2001 E. Lehigh Ave. from developer Isaac Singleton includes 7,763 square feet of commercial space and 59 underground parking spaces.

The architecture firm behind the project, Designblendz, said that the project is of the same scale with other new construction in the area such as The Pump House apartment building under construction to the east, which the firm also designed.

“The building considers the scale of new construction in the area such as 2157 E. Lehigh Ave. down the street along with the frequency of material changes that exist within the sections of townhomes between Frankford Avenue and Emerald Street,” Brian Corcodilos, CEO of Designblendz, said in an email.

The units are largely one-bedroom apartments, although there will also be 17 two-bedroom units.

The commercial space will be offered in two separate spaces, one of 3,461 square feet and one of 4,302 square feet.

Like the other residential projects completed or under construction on the corridor, Singleton’s apartment building is wedged between the five-lane Lehigh Avenue — listed among the most dangerous roads in the city — and the Conrail infrastructure that the railroad company has long neglected.

“There were many challenges to consider when designing this project, including an abandoned rail line infrastructure,” Corcodilos said, “some of which cannot be removed, a lack of open space for community members to gather, and a public security concern for spaces under the bridges that connect East Kensington to Port Richmond.”

The East Kensington Neighbors Association says it has been in conversation with the developer about keeping space open for a future trail that could run along the railway to connect cyclists and pedestrians to the Delaware riverfront.

“The design team provides a public path through the rear of the site that supports the community plan along with ample commercial space to activate an otherwise vacant corridor,” Corcodilos said.

The project needs approvals from the Zoning Board of Adjustment to move forward because it is taller than is allowed given the underlying land use rules and because the parcel is zoned exclusively for industrial development. Like much of the rest of the land along the railway embankment, it was used to discard derelict cars.

The zoning board meeting is scheduled for Dec. 13. First, an advisory Civic Design Review about its architecture and layout will be held Sept. 5.

East Kensington Neighbors Association seems supportive, especially if adding more residents to the area will bring more riders to SEPTA’s Market-Frankford Line and put more pressure for the city to embark on serious traffic-calming efforts on Lehigh Avenue.

“It seems to be fairly well received,” said Andrew Ortega, president of the East Kensington Neighbors Association. “We’ve always been supportive of larger scale residential in places where it makes sense, not in the middle of a rowhome residential block. And we’ve been proponents of transit-oriented development.”