After decades of decline, the City of Allentown is experiencing a period of major redevelopment, transforming into one of America’s most vibrant urban communities. A critical component of the revitalization was the introduction of modern market-rate housing options to complement the addition of Class A office space, retail, and entertainment venues.
STRATA West, one of many new structures in the downtown area, is a mixed-use development occupying half a city block and comprising two buildings. One building touts six stories and offers underground parking, first-floor retail and restaurant space, with the remaining four stories dedicated to market-rate apartments. The other is a three-story building offering first-floor retail and residential units on floors two and three. RETTEW assisted with the land development process, incorporating into the design a pocket park in the southeast corner of the development, along with a green roof. RETTEW completed land survey and land development plans, traffic engineering, and surveying services during construction.
Our previous urban development experience in Allentown, comprehensive in-house service offering, and strong relationships with state and local regulatory agencies helped RETTEW effectively engineer this complex urban site and expeditiously navigate the land development approval process. As a result, City Center Lehigh Valley brought online the first newly constructed market-rate residential component to the downtown Allentown revitalization effort.