ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A project to bring dozens of affordable apartments to downtown Allentown earned the support of city planning officials — again — this week.
Allentown City Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved Cortex Residential’s scaled-back plans to build apartments for people with low-to-moderate incomes.
The commission in June 2023 approved Cortex’s plans for a four-story, 52-unit apartment complex at the northwest corner of Walnut and South Eighth streets.
“I’m sorry to see the reduction, quite frankly. We want as much density and intensity as we can downtown.”Christian Brown, planning commission chair
The developer settled on those specs based on projections it could secure about $15 million in state tax credits. But Cortex got $14.3 million last month from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
That forced the developer to downsize its plans, Cortex co-founder Jonathan Strauss told planning officials this week.
The affordable housing development now is set to feature 38 units across three floors, after officials approved those plans Tuesday.
“I’m sorry to see the reduction, quite frankly,” Planning Commission Chairman Christian Brown said. “We want as much density and intensity as we can downtown.”
'Focused on affordable housing'
Brown asked if Cortex could offer some of the units to higher-income tenants to increase funding and maintain the project’s original size.
Cortex Residential is “highly focused on delivering an affordable housing community” in downtown Allentown.Jonathan Strauss, Cortex Residential co-founder
But Strauss said his company is “highly focused on delivering an affordable housing community” in downtown Allentown.
There are about 2,000 recently built, market-rate apartments around the proposed affordable housing complex, Strauss said.
He called downtown Allentown a “mixed-income community.”
“The one product type that actually is lacking is new, quality affordable housing,” Strauss told LehighValleyNews.com.
Opening up the project to other markets also would have jeopardized funding from the PHFA.
Cortex also got $2 million from Allentown’s allocation of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the affordable housing project.
Winter demolition planned
Many of the building’s units would be set aside for residents who are paid 20% of the area’s median income, or about $14,000 per year, Strauss has said.
The building also would include units for residents in the 40%, 60% and 80% AMI income levels.
Cortex plans to demolish the parish house next to Life Church on South Eighth Street to create more space for the affordable housing complex at the corner.
The historic former St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church will not be touched as part of the project, according to the developer.
Demolition tentatively is slated to begin in December, Strauss said after again getting planners' approval for the project.
