An apartment building proposed along Walnut Street in downtown Allentown has gotten a thumbs-up.
Plans for The Quarter were presented to the city’s planning commission Tuesday. The structure at 405 Walnut St. would have seven stories with 44 apartments. The bottom two floors would feature a gated parking garage with 30 spaces.
With the exception of some minor points, commission members seemed satisfied with the project after a presentation from Acela Architects + Engineers. They voted unanimously for preliminary final approval.
“I think there were a few minor comments, but nothing that can’t be addressed at the staff level,” commission Chair Christian Brown said before calling the vote. “I don’t see any reason to withhold giving approval for this.”
A review by city planning staff said the building would appear similar to apartment buildings already built along Walnut Street. Access to the garage would be from Fourth Street, through a parking lot for an office building off College Street.
The developer, Northport Properties LLC, is pursuing an easement with the neighboring office building at 411 Walnut that was subdivided into a different property. It would allow garage access through that parking lot.
Commissioner Jeff Glazier wondered about a proposed space for delivery trucks on the far side of the building and whether drivers in a hurry would simply double park on Fourth Street when dropping off a package.
“The question is where is the mail room? The mail room really needs to be accessed off of College Street,” Glazier said. “They’re smart enough to figure that out, and that’s where they’re going to go.”
The board recommended that the developer discuss having a loading zone for garbage trucks with the parking authority.
The project is outside the Neighborhood Improvement Zone, the city’s unique tax subsidy area that takes up much of the downtown.
According to Lehigh County property records, Northport purchased the property in October for $1.
In other business, planners approved an adult day care center to be built at South 12th and Lehigh streets at the site of a former Santander Bank branch.
The 15,100-square-foot building would serve 70-150 seniors, and provide medical care, meals and social services. It would be run by SeniorLIFE Lehigh Valley, which has a facility in Hanover Township, Northampton County.
A proposed Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen restaurant at North 19th and Tilghman streets had its preliminary approval reinstated and extended through Jan. 13, 2027. The project was delayed primarily by PennDOT permitting and a change in the applicant’s legal counsel.
When it was proposed in 2023, the project was met with some resistance from the city and some neighbors, who didn’t think it would fit in the historic West End Theater District.