Think that as of the end of 2023 the Conshohocken, West Conshohocken, Plymouth, and Whitemarsh have built all the apartments they can hold? 2024 may be saying to “hold its beer.” There are approved projects that haven’t broken ground yet, there are several still seeking approval and a couple that have been floated (but haven’t started the approval process). There are also potential zoning changes in Conshohocken, West Conshohocken, and Whitemarsh that could bring more apartments.

Below is the breakdown:

401-403 Washington Street, Borough of Conshohocken/Whitemarsh Township (598 units) – APPROVED
This 598 unit apartment community straddles the border of Whitemarsh Township and the Borough of Conshohocken at 401-433 Washington Street on the Schuylkill River. It was previously approved under different ownership almost a decade ago and was never built. It then came under new ownership, KRE Acquisitions, which sought in 2021 some new zoning relief on the Whitemarsh side and a revision of the settlement agreement that was in place with the previous owner. It remains unbuilt.

101 Washington Street, Borough of Conshohocken (# of units unknown) – FLOATED
MoreThanTheCurve.com reported extensively about this over the summer. SEPTA was initially going to use the property for parking, but transit activists and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s editorial board advocated that SEPTA use the 6.5 acres at 101 Washington Street for apartments due to being adjacent to the train. Conshohocken’s borough council had removed residential uses from the riverfront in 2022 and initially lambasted the idea about apartments, however, that seems to have changed as SEPTA moved forward with exploring if there were interested developers (with the borough’s blessing). That is all we know for now.

1001 Washington Street, Whitemarsh Township (185 units) – PROPOSED
Just before the end of the year, High Top Development submitted a sketch plan to Whitemarsh Township that proposed a 165 unit apartment building and 25 townhouses on the David’s Bridal property at 1001 Washington Street. David’s Bridal filed for bankruptcy last year and decided to sell it’s headquarters. The property is adjacent to the Spring Mill Train Station. You can view the sketch plan here.

East North Lane/Righter Street, Whitemarsh Township (units unknown) – PROPOSED SUBDIVISION ONLY WITH DEVELOPMENT POSSIBLE IN FUTURE
Just before the end of the year, Alliance HP, the owner of the Spring Mill Campus, filed an application seeking to subdivide the two large parking lots situated between East North Lane and Righter Street.

The two parking lots encompass slightly more than 5.5 acres. The subdivision would create two parcels, with the lot on the Righter Street side being 3.129 acres and the one along East North Lane 2.423 acres. You can view the application here. The application states that the purpose of the subdivision is future development, but that no development is planned at this time. It has not yet appeared on an agenda in Whitemarsh.

701 Fayette Street, Borough of Conshohocken (9 units) – APPROVED
The former Exxon property has been approved for a mixed use building that would have retail on the ground floor with nine apartments above. This project has not broken ground.

Between 20 Ash Street and 225 Washington Street, Borough of Conshohocken (79 units) – PROPOSED
Millennium Waterfront Associates II, LP, which is associated with Brian O’Neill, is seeking to build a four story apartment building with 79 units on property that has long served as a parking lot. This developer initially appealed a decision from the borough on whether residential development was allowed by right in the SP-2 zoning district and won the right to appeal. The appeal than started, but hasn’t moved forward to a determination. Our speculation is that the borough and developer are working on some type of agreement or the developer is waiting out what happens with SEPTA’s desire to build apartments where residential uses aren’t allowed.

Fayette Street Overall, Borough of Conshohocken (# of units unknown) – PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENT
The Borough of Conshohocken created a task force to study creating a zoning overlay to bring new uses and redevelopment along Fayette Street. Essentially what they came up with would encourage the type of development that is approved at 701 Fayette Street (see above) at the former Exxon Station. The overlay language has not yet been adopted by the borough council, but if and when it is, it will likely bring mixed use buildings with ground floor retail and apartments above.

Plymouth Meeting Mall, Plymouth Township – Existing Office Building (150 units) – APPROVED
Keystone Development + Investment sought a zoning change that would allow existing buildings within the Shopping Center zoning district to be redeveloped into apartments by conditional use. This was approved and then the developer successfully sought to have the conditional use approved for the office building adjacent to the mall. The conversion has not yet started due to the need to resolve an issue with a sewer line that handles the mall property.

PREIT apartments at the Plymouth Meeting Mall (300 units) – PROPOSED
PREIT first sought to building 500 apartments at the site of the former IKEA office building that is located on the edge of the parking lot near the Whole Foods Market. That proposal was rejected by the township’s zoning hearing board. PREIT then proposed reduced the number of apartments from 500 to 300 and that proposal is currently within the zoning hearing process. Note that the original 500-unit proposal was appealed and is currently being considered in the courts.

Plymouth Township held a “public meeting” in which this issue was discussed outside of the zoning hearing process and the township’s position has seemed to soften towards the idea of apartments at the mall. Our speculation is that there is likely some compromise being sought behind the scenes.

Redevelopment of one building at Plymouth Woods Office Park off Plymouth Road, Plymouth Township (310) – FLOATED
Developer EQT EXETER informally proposed to redevelop a portion of the Plymouth Woods Office Park into 310 apartments. The office park is located off Plymouth Road between the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the Sussex Square Apartments, and the new single-family home community directly across from Plymouth Elementary School. The specific area in question is circled in the image above.

West Conshohocken Zoning Changes – PROPOSED
West Conshohocken is considering making some changes to its zoning that would create a town center along Front Street. All of Front Street between Catch 101 and WestSide Bar & Grille (except for the borough hall) is owned by the owner of the restaurants. While nothing has been at least publicly proposed by the property owner, there is the potential for redevelopment which could least to some type of residential uses (probably above retail). This could lend itself to West Conshohocken’s desire to make the area more pedestrian friendly and create a sense of a downtown. The zoning change has not yet been proposed, however, the borough has taken steps to study the issue.

927 to 931 Spring Mill Avenue, Whitemarsh Township – (20 units) – APPROVED
This 20-unit apartment building is approved, but not yet constructed (they have done some ground work).

Whitemarsh Township Zoning Changes – PROPOSED
Whitemarsh conducted a study of the Spring Mill area of the township (which is all in the Conshohocken zip code) and the study recommended adding apartments near the Spring Mill Train Station. The township has adopted the study, but still needs to amend the zoning to allow that type of development up East North Lane (see the Spring Mill Campus paragraph above). The zoning change has not yet appeared on an agenda, but we said proposed, because the township did adopt the study.

Photo – Picture of the apartments at 401 West Elm Street in Conshohocken under construction in 2024.