1818 N 53rd StDelivered

A five-story, 98-unit multifamily building is under way at 1818 N 53rd Street in Wynnefield, with construction moving forward on a 30,259-square-foot lot owned by 53rd St Partners LP. The project was cleared to build in March 2024 and includes a roof deck, pilot houses, and an accessory parking garage. The structure uses a split construction type—Type IA on the first floor and Type VA from the second through fifth floors—achieved through horizontal separations that technically create two distinct buildings.

The site sits in CMX3 zoning, which allows the project to proceed by right without requiring special approvals. The developer acquired the property in 2022, and amendments to the construction plans were approved last August. The building will be fully sprinklered and include standpipes, typical of a project of this density.

This is the only significant multifamily project currently underway within a half-mile radius, making it an outlier in a neighborhood better known for single-family homes and small-scale residential. The scale suggests 53rd St Partners sees opportunity where others have yet to follow, though the lack of nearby comparable projects raises questions about absorption and the depth of renter demand in Wynnefield at this density.

If the building leases successfully, it could set a precedent for other underdeveloped parcels along the 53rd Street corridor, particularly those with similar CMX zoning. For now, though, this remains a bet on a largely untested market for workforce housing at this scale in a neighborhood that hasn't historically attracted multifamily capital.