ALLENTOWN, Pa. — More than two years after proposing an apartment complex on an East Side property where he played as a kid, a city developer has planning officials’ support.
Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday granted final approval for Manny Makhoul's bid to construct seven buildings that would house 180 apartments.
The large, undeveloped property — about 16.5 acres centered around the project's official address of 630 E. Turner St. — is one of few left in the city suitable for multifamily units, Makhoul has said.
Commission members thanked Makhoul for accepting their criticisms and improving the project throughout the long process, which kicked off in June 2023.
Makhoul initially proposed putting 180 apartments across four larger buildings on the vacant Rittersville property along Turner Street.
Plans now show five 2 1/2-story buildings with 30 apartments each and one with 20 units. A three-story building would feature 10 apartments and a sales office.
“It’s been a long evolution for this. It started really rough, and now, it’s … in a really great spot.”Lead project engineer Joseph Rentko
Makhoul agreed to many requests from commission, including wider sidewalks, bike-lane “sharrows,” a warmer color scheme and recreation space for future residents.
'Pedal to the metal'
The developer faced criticism for chopping down swaths of trees on the property without approval; he now is working with the city’s Shade Tree Commission on an internal landscaping plan for his planned apartment complex.
Lead project engineer Joseph Rentko of Black Forest Engineering has said the plan would include almost 250 new trees to atone “for the sins of cutting down the forest that was there.”
He also credited the protracted approval process for helping create a better project.
“It’s been a long evolution for this,” Rentko said Tuesday. “It started really rough, and now, it’s … in a really great spot.”
He said he will work “pedal to the metal” over the next few months to finalize plans and secure permits, with construction on the approved apartment complex expected to start in spring.
Former Allentown zoning official Alan Salinger in 2023 said he immediately identified the site as a potential place for redevelopment when he was hired to work for the city in the 1980s.
But it has remained an empty lot for decades.
Makhoul, who was born and raised on Allentown’s East Side and lived there for most of his life, said he often played basketball at his aunt’s house — which neighbored the site of the proposed complex — when he was young.
