Keystone Development + Investment has started the conversion of the vacant office building adjacent to The Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Meeting (Plymouth Township). Keystone received conditional use approval for the project, which will have 150 units. The apartment building is named Monarq.

Before seeking approval for apartments, Keystone had spent five years seeking to modernize the office building but was unable to secure the necessary tenant(s). There was also a plan to convert it into a long-term care facility, which the township approved. However, the operator did not pursue those plans.

Keystone’s website describes Monarq as folllows:

Monarq is the most visible building in Montgomery County with a landmark location at the intersection of heavily trafficked highways. Constructed in 1970, its design and building systems are antiquated. Simply put, it is an icon waiting to happen. Reimagined, Monarq will emerge into the future as high-style residences that fuse cutting-edge design, inviting green spaces, breathtaking views, and ease of transit and walkability.

This apartment development is one of two at the mall. PREIT, which owns most of the mall property, has worked for several years to construct an apartment community on the site of the former IKEA office building on the Whole Foods Market side of the mall. Plymouth Township’s council amended its zoning code to allow apartments by conditional use, but PREIT has not yet sought that approval. The last plan discussed publicly involved 275 units.

Below is a photo of the building with the construction fence around it, plus three additional renderings.

Renderings: Keystone Development + Investment