In its April 2013 issue, Philadelphia magazine introduces a new real estate section and the first feature is “The Host List 2013,” which details which neighborhoods people are “clamoring to live in” and where “houses are selling the fastest”.   The list is a mix of more established neighborhoods like Rittenhouse, New Hope and Bryn Mawr, along with those poised or in the midst of redevelopment like Fishtown/Kensington.  Conshohocken made the list!

So what does it say about Conshy?  It opens with how the townhomes “wedged between a McDonald’s drive-thru and I-76” in West Conshohocken all sold (22 units) for their listing price of between $382,000 and $450,000 as an example of how desirable living within 19428 is.  It brings up the reasons why the 20-30 somethings find the area desirable such as ease of commute to the city, modern river front apartments and a nice mix of restaurants.  What is the downside of Conshy?  The article mentions the traffic across the bridge during rush hour (an elected official told me recently that we do not have a bridge problem, but an intersection problem).

A couple of themes that run through all of the profiled neighborhoods are walkability, local businesses and ease of commutes, home values and ease of selling the home if you want to move on.  One very relevant line that pertains to the current discussion on proposed developments is, “New construction in the 1.03-square mile area boomed between 2001 and 2009; these days, Conshy is managing the line between welcoming builders and maintaining the existing aesthetic of a place where locals can enjoy a taste of convenient small-town life.”  With the proposals such as the Wawa, a boutique hotel, over a thousand apartment units, etc., what makes Conshy one of the hottest neighborhoods could be enhanced or lost depending on the outcome of the decisions that will be made in 2013 and 2014.

Here is a link to the article, but please note the section of the article about Conshohocken is not included on the website version.  You are going to have to shell out $4.99 to read it.