160-unit apartment complex planned for Southwest Philadelphia

West Philadelphia’s Haverford Square Properties is expanding to a new part of the city, with a proposal for 160 units in three buildings along Chester Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia.

The bulk of the units would be in two new apartment buildings, but the stately stone building that once housed the St. Divine Mercy School will be put to new use as well and will host 35 units. No parking will be provided.

“There haven’t been any new apartment buildings in this area in a very long time,” said German Yakubov, Haverford Square’s president. “It is a lot of homeowners, so there is not a lot of opportunity for apartment living, and we felt there is a market for that.”

Located at 6635-6639 Chester Ave., to the south of Mount Moriah Cemetery, the property once belonged to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Haverford Square obtained this portion of the property in 2022 for $2.5 million, according to a Fox & Roach Realtors webpage.

Haverford Square’s project is sandwiched between two other buildings that were once part of a larger Archdiocese complex. The adjacent church is still listed as belonging to the Catholic Church, while another former Archdiocese building is listed as belonging to a social services provider called Presbyterian Children’s Village.

The historical stone building that Haverford is turning into one of its apartment structures is not protected by local preservation regulations.

“We’re excited about utilizing and repurposing an old building that could have easily gone demolished,” Yakubov said. “It’s not protected, and it would have been a much easier development site if we got rid of it, but we wanted to keep it a part of the neighborhood.”

The 35 units in the former Archdiocese building are currently under construction and should be completed by early summer.

One new apartment building will contain 81 units, and the other will have 44. Construction on those is expected to begin a year from now.

Haverford Square will use zoning bonuses that allow the developer to build beyond what the underlying land-use regulations would otherwise allow. In exchange, the company will provide 16 apartments on site that rent for 50% of area median income, making them roughly accessible to those making $38,000 a year.

The market-rate units will rent for $1,300 for a one-bedroom or $1,700 for a two-bedroom. No variances or other permissions are required from the Zoning Board of Adjustment. That means neighborhood groups can have little influence over the project, although Yakubov notes his company has met with the community, which had concerns about parking.

Haverford Square largely concentrates its work in areas of West Philadelphia beyond the core of University City, where rents and demand are highest. The company has a large footprint in areas like Mantua, Parkside, and Belmont (where an ambitious proposal for over 1,000 units was unveiled last year).

Yakubov said he is confident there will be a desire for apartments in this corner of Southwest Philadelphia. He noted the access to parks, highways, and schools, including Joseph W. Catharine elementary directly across the street.

“We think there will be demand because there are no other options in the neighborhood,” said Yakubov. “There’s a lot of amenities nearby. People that can’t either afford a home, or don’t want a home, will have an option to live in an apartment.”