The Philadelphia Housing Authority on Monday officially broke ground on a sweeping overhaul of the Westpark Apartments in West Philadelphia, kicking off a multi-year plan to gut and remake the three worn-out high-rises into mixed-income buildings with ground-floor shops. Governor Josh Shapiro and Mayor Cherelle Parker turned up for the ceremony, which officials framed as the start of reconnecting the isolated campus to the neighborhood around it and making daily access to transit a lot less of a haul.
Federal Cash And A High-Profile Ceremony
In a press release, the Philadelphia Housing Authority said it has lined up roughly $21 million in federal support to help cover the first phase of construction and the infrastructure needed to plug the site back into Market Street. As reported by NBC10 Philadelphia, Shapiro and Parker joined housing leaders for the groundbreaking, where officials said the redevelopment is expected to bring new retail space and hundreds of additional homes across the three buildings.
Why The Towers Are Changing
The three towers date back to the 1960s and have been dogged for years by out-of-service elevators, persistent leaks and other deferred maintenance that officials say would cost tens of millions to address. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that roughly 327 families were living on the campus before residents were relocated in 2022. Advocates have cautioned that even when tenants are promised a right to return, moves on this scale can scatter tight-knit communities.
Who Will Lead The Rebuild
According to the authority, a development team led by L+M Development Partners and MSquared has been tapped to guide the overhaul. The joint venture, called Westpark Community Partners, is named as the developer in early planning documents. PHA President Kelvin A. Jeremiah told the agency’s press office that the approval “gives PHA the ability to begin negotiating an agreement with the developers” and stressed that resident leaders had a role in choosing the team.
What The Master Plan Proposes
Designers are pitching a denser, mixed-use campus that could ultimately reach around 1,000 units, with the first phase replacing about 327 homes and projected to finish by 2027, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The plan keeps the existing towers but converts them into mixed-income buildings, then fills in the open land between them with mid-rise apartments, rowhouses, new public plazas and ground-floor retail, turning what has long been a superblock into more of a street grid.
Transit, Streets And Federal Support
Federal infrastructure funding will cover a new internal street network, pedestrian and bike routes and a plaza meant to plug the complex directly into SEPTA’s 46th and Market station, PhillyVoice reported. Officials say the new streets are meant to break up the campus and finally give residents straightforward access to Market Street transit and shops instead of treating Westpark like a walled-off island.
Neighbors, Timelines And Next Steps
PHA leaders told PhillyVoice they intend to move quickly on the first phase, with construction expected to last roughly 15 to 18 months once it is underway. “We’re moving fast,” Jeremiah told the outlet, and the agency has reiterated that families who were relocated will retain a right to return to the redeveloped units as each phase opens.
