New York developer proposes 129 affordable apartments near Temple University

A 129-unit affordable apartment building is slated for 11th and Berks Streets in North Philadelphia, just east of Temple University’s campus.

The six-story structure will be built on land owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) but will be developed by New York City-based Jonathan Rose Cos., which has built two other affordable apartment complexes in the area.

The designer for the building is Philadelphia-based WRT architects, which worked with Jonathan Rose on other projects in the neighborhood.

“We’ve kind of been marching our way down the block,” said Marissa Hebert, an architect for the building with WRT. “This will be their third project in Philadelphia.”

The others include 120 units in Paseo Verde at the corner of Ninth and Berks and 133 units at NC Five at 10th and Berks.

“Being able to still have the site so close to Temple, to be able to put affordable units for the actual residents and long-term community members has been really great,” Hebert said. “You can see the impact of still having affordable housing in this neighborhood.”

The majority of the units — 61 apartments — will be affordable to those making 60% of area median income (AMI), or just over $44,000 for a one-person household; 54 units will be at 50% of AMI, which is just under $42,000 for a one-person household, and 14 will be for those making under 20% of AMI, or almost $17,000.

The project is being largely funded through Low Income Housing Tax Credits, a federal program, and subsidies through PHA such as the project-based Section 8 program.

The building will be carved into 60 one-bedroom apartments, 60 two-bedrooms units, and nine three-bedrooms.

“They said they would have the three-bedroom units on the first floor,” said Elizabeth Segarra, of Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha (APM), a nonprofit developer and the lead community group in the area.

“Why? Because they don’t want families on a third floor jumping, and then a single person complaining because they’re hearing too much jumping,” Segarra said. “So they’re going to keep that kind of environment on the first floor.”

The project will include 21 parking spaces and no ground floor commercial, although there will be amenities such as a gym and community room in the building.

On the rest of the site, PHA is planning to build 15 for-sale townhouses at affordable prices, as well as recreational spaces including a basketball court.

Hebert of WRT says the apartment building will be the largest “passive house” project in Philadelphia, in reference to a building standard that tries to minimize energy use in structures.

“That’ll mean lower utility costs for all the residents, better thermal comfort for them, and higher indoor air quality,” Hebert said.

Jonathan Rose plans to begin construction in December and anticipates the building taking two years to complete. Tenants will be able to move in early in 2029.

“It’s not only going to bring more people to the community, it’s going to bring more jobs, and it’s going to bring a live vibe in that area,” Segarra said. “They really knocked it out of the park.”