43-unit residential new construction, zoned RM1.

A 43-unit, four-story building is rising at 2011 Eastburn Avenue in East Germantown, occupying a 28,000-square-foot site cleared to build early last year. The project includes a rooftop penthouse and was initially planned with a roof deck, though recent amendments have stripped that feature along with a trash chute, while adjusting siding materials and structural framing. 2011-21 Eastburn Avenue Associates LLC picked up the parcel in 2022 and is delivering the apartments by-right under RM1 zoning, which allows moderate-density multifamily construction without requiring variances.
The scope reflects a textbook suburban-style wood-frame multifamily product—TJI floor joists, sprinklered throughout per NFPA 13, and enough density to pencil on a large assembled lot without pushing height or amenities. The removal of the roof deck mid-stream suggests value engineering rather than design ambition, a practical response to soft post-pandemic construction budgets. At this scale, the building will be one of the larger new residential additions to the neighborhood in recent years, though not part of any visible wave; no comparable projects are underway within half a mile.
East Germantown has seen limited new construction, and RM1 parcels of this size remain uncommon. The successful delivery here could establish a rough pricing and rent floor for similar underused assemblages nearby, particularly if the sponsor avoids deep subsidy and targets market-rate or workforce tenants. The lack of nearby competition gives the building runway but also underscores the speculative nature of the bet—this is pioneer capital in a neighborhood still proving its appeal to renters willing to absorb fresh construction premiums.
The project's evolution—scaled-back amenities, structural tweaks—hints at a sponsor threading the needle between feasibility and finish. If absorbed well, 2011 Eastburn could greenlight similar infill on the neighborhood's larger vacant or underbuilt RM1 lots, though the absence of a broader development cluster means this remains a test case rather than the leading edge of a district-wide transformation.
📄 View the project's plan drawings (PDF)As this density arrives, InvestPHL is tracking 46 under-built parcels within a half-mile that a developer could still acquire and build — each carrying a builder's max bid. Addresses and figures are members-only.
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