December 15, 2022
Courtesy/Haverford Properties/Bernardon
Riverview, a new mixed-use development that will include over 450 apartment units, a Sprouts grocery store and other commercial retail spaces, will be built on the former Festival Pier space.
Developers in Philadelphia started construction this week on a new mixed-use complex after years of delays.
Riverview is a joint project from Jefferson Apartment Group and Haverford Properties that will transform the former Festival Pier space into an apartment complex with 470 units and retail space, including a Sprouts grocery store.
The 9-acre development is at the intersection of Spring Garden St. and Delaware Ave. Construction crews broke ground on the site Wednesday to officially begin the project, WHYY reported.
The waterfront properties will be adjacent to the Delaware River and include four acres of open green space connecting to the Delaware River Trail and public art.
"The waterfront's time has come, and we are excited to contribute to it," said Charles Houder, president of Haverford Properties.
The apartment complex will feature studio apartments and one-, two- and three-bedroom units, some with private balconies. There will also be townhomes to rent. All the living spaces will range from 580 to 1,228 square feet.
The complex will feature amenities such as a pool that overlooks the Delaware River, rooftop lounges, a courtyard, grilling stations, two fitness centers, a clubroom lounge with fireplace, a game room with vintage arcade games, micro-offices, a conference room, a podcast studio, a pet spa and a bike room.
Riverview will be located two blocks from SEPTA's Spring Garden station.
"This community will undoubtedly be one of the most desirable places to live in Philadelphia," Drew Chapman, senior vice president and development partner of Jefferson Apartment Group, said. "The transformation is particularly remarkable because it will create a gateway straight from the Spring Garden SEPTA station through the welcoming street-level retail on both sides of the project to the stunning riverfront. We are confident this new mixed-use neighborhood development will offer the people of Philadelphia an exciting waterfront lifestyle in a setting and a location that is unique."
The Riverview project was postponed for years in part over environmental concerns. The Delaware River is home to the Atlantic sturgeon, a freshwater fish native to the Mid-Atlantic region that's considered an endangered species. Only about 250 are left in the river, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and so protections for the sturgeon had to be implemented into construction plans.
There is no timeline for the completion of the project.
