Strata III Receives Allentown Planning Commission Approval

On Tuesday, the Allentown Planning Commission approved City Center Lehigh Valley‘s plans to build a 71-unit luxury apartment building next to Miller Symphony Hall. Called STRATA III, it will be City Center’s third downtown apartment complex and will offer a dozen two-story lofts with private rooftop decks, a dramatic waterfall feature along the ArtsWalk and one retail storefront. The project is scheduled to be completed in late 2017 at a cost of approximately $17 million.

City Center’s first downtown luxury apartment complex was STRATA Flats at Seventh and Linden streets, which opened in July 2015 with 170 luxury units and is now fully occupied with a waiting list of 60 names. STRATA II, a 67-unit building on the southwest corner of Sixth and Linden streets, is currently under construction. The $23 million project is scheduled for completion in the spring of 2017.

ALLENTOWN’S REVITALIZATION IN FULL SWING

Downtown Allentown’s revitalization and development boom has included the opening of PPL Center, several office towers, the Renaissance Allentown Hotel and many restaurants, shops and art galleries. The neighborhood rebirth has sparked a renewed interest in luxury apartments in the heart of downtown.

From The Morning Call:

“City Center considers this a really important piece of the redevelopment of Downtown Allentown in the sense that it brings additional housing into the mix,” [City Center CEO J.B.] Reilly told city planners. “To truly have a vibrant urban environment, we need to have that residential mix with the office, the retail, the hospitality and so forth.”

DESIGNED TO BEAUTIFY AND COMPLEMENT THE NEIGHBORHOOD

STRATA III’s design puts the main entrance to Strata III on Sixth Street, adjacent to the ArtsWalk and alongside Miller Symphony Hall, and it will have second-floor courtyard. There will also be 104 parking spots available to residents and downtown visitors, with entrances on Sixth and Law streets. The retail space on the ground floor will be roughly 1,000 square feet on the corner of Sixth and Linden streets. The design also includes visual graphics along Linden for beautification of the street.