700 N Delaware AveDelivered

A seven-story, 279-unit residential building has delivered at 700 N Delaware Avenue in Northern Liberties, part of a steady march of multifamily projects filling in the waterfront corridor. The structure spans a sizable lot of more than 60,000 square feet and includes ground-floor and second-floor commercial shells left vacant for future tenants, along with rooftop amenities and accessory spaces. Northern Liberties Phase 2 Owner LLC took title in 2022, and the building was cleared to build in early 2021 under CMX3 zoning—a by-right path that allowed the scale without the need for variances.

The project began as a 192-unit plan, trimmed to 187 units in a 2021 amendment, then eventually expanded to the current 279 in later rounds of tweaks that touched everything from the package room to foundation design. The building is fully sprinklered and blends Type 1A construction at the base with Type IIIA above, a typical fireproofing strategy for mid-rise residential stacks. Most recently, approvals covered dimensional adjustments and the appointment of Pennoni as the special inspection agency.

This one slots neatly into a broader wave that's added hundreds of units along this stretch of Delaware Avenue and nearby cross streets. Within a half mile sit another 687 units from recent or in-progress projects, including a 182-unit building at 1130 N Delaware, a 107-unit complex on Frankford, and a 97-unit project on Christopher Columbus Boulevard. The cluster has made Northern Liberties one of the city's most active residential construction zones over the past few years.

With 700 N Delaware now leasing, attention will likely turn to the remaining underbuilt parcels along the waterfront. CMX3 zoning runs through much of the corridor, and the string of recent deliveries demonstrates consistent appetite from developers and lenders alike. Vacant commercial space on the ground floor here also leaves the door open for retail activation as the neighborhood's renter base continues to grow.