Here\u2019s what to know about the future plans and how things are changing at The Waterfront:<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/TMC-L-waterfrontrendering2026-02-1.jpg\")
A rendering of The Waterfront that is being constructed in Allentown along the Lehigh River. The Waterfront Development Co. announced the completion of an updated long-term master plan on Tuesday. (Courtesy of The Waterfront Development Co.)
\nWhat is changing?<\/p>\n
In the initial plan for 12 buildings, the mixture included four office buildings, four apartment buildings and three parking structures.<\/p>\n
The new plan will have:<\/p>\n
One office building, but there will be room for hybrid office space in residential properties. The flexible office space could be used by health care and specialty services.
\nThree residential buildings that will hold about 560 apartments between them, along with a series of for-purchase townhome clusters around the site. Jaindl said the number of townhomes is still to be determined.
\nA hotel at 645 Waterfront.
\nSpecialty space, including maker space, in the north lots between multifamily residential and townhouse commons.
\nParking will be consolidated in shared structures rather than having standalone garages tied to individual buildings.
\nAdditional outdoor amenity spaces, public pathways and green spaces. Retail, dining and entertainment are still part of the plan and the thinking is to create a destination that complements the downtown.<\/p>\n
Jaindl said the area will resemble a neighborhood, rather than a campus.<\/p>\n
He said this approach was shaped by Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates, which followed a market study and a series of virtual and in-person workshops with community leaders and stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t abandon office \u2014 we right-sized it,\u201d Jaindl said. \u201cAnd we rebalanced the site so it works as a complete, long-term riverfront neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Jaindl](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/TMC-L-zachjaindl-1.jpg\")
Jaindl Enterprises COO Zachary Jaindl talks Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, about the expansive views of the Lehigh riverfront from the new 615 Waterfront Drive office building, the first building to open in Jaindl\u2019s Waterfront development in Allentown. (April Gamiz\/The Morning Call)
\nWhy make the change?<\/p>\n
The COVID pandemic brought changes to work habits in the Lehigh Valley and across the nation as more people started working from home. Many of them continued working from home<\/a> after the pandemic ebbed, forcing landlords and developers to rethink what to do with the empty space.<\/p>\n \u201cThe last decade \u2013 especially the period following COVID-19 \u2014 brought fundamental shifts in how people work, live and use space,\u201d Jaindl said. \u201cOffice is still viable in the Lehigh Valley, particularly within the NIZ, but only at the right scale and with the right level of flexibility. At the same time, housing demand has proven far more durable.<\/p>\n \u201cThe updated master plan reflects that reality.\u201d<\/p>\n Jaindl has been paying attention to the housing shortage in the Lehigh Valley<\/a>, which has been estimated to be around 9,000 units by the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission. With a growing population, local governments and developers have been trying to keep up.<\/p>\n The Valley is considered one of the most competitive apartment markets in the country<\/a> and has a vacancy rate of about 5%, well below the national average of 8.5%. Rents are up more than 25%, compared to 16% nationally.<\/p>\n \u201cThe regional housing market remains strong,\u201d Jaindl said.<\/p>\n Is there danger of overdevelopment?<\/p>\n Blocks away from The Waterfront, other developers are erecting apartment buildings in the NIZ.<\/p>\n Urban Residential Properties, in partnership with The Manhattan Building Co., is building approximately 283 apartments and 40,000 square feet of commercial space<\/a> at the site of the former Neuweiler Brewery at the corner of Front Street and Pump Place.<\/p>\n