Developers plan 7-story apartment building in Italian Market

A seven-story apartment building with parking spaces and retail could soon be coming to the corner of 9th and Washington, right in the middle of Philly’s popular Italian Market.

New York-based developers Midwood Investment and Development are behind the plan, which outlines a mixed-use building with a first floor that has over 15,000 square feet of retail space, and 157 apartments on the upper floors, according to a proposal that will go in front of the Civic Design Review (CDR) next month.

The apartments will include a handful of studios, and primarily one and two-bed spots. Developers also plan to create 48 private parking spaces and 72 public spaces underneath the project.

BLT Architects, via CDR

The space at 9th and Washington is currently occupied by Anastasi Seafood, one of the market’s few fresh fish stores, which has been there for over 80 years. The shop will move elsewhere in the market to make room for the new development, according to Philly.com.

Midwood’s plans for the Italian Market project have been in the works for a while, going all the way back to August of 2015, when Midwood proposed a five-story building with retail, 70 apartments, and a handful of trinity homes, the Passyunk Post wrote at the time. The neighborhood approved of the project at a meeting in 2015, though many raised concerns about the effect it would have on traffic flow, according to the Post.

The project proposal came back into play again in October of last year, when Midwood announced plans for an increased development—with eight stories and 182 units, according to Philly.com. Neighbors were not as supportive of the larger project, Philly.com wrote.

The newest, seven-story iteration last went in front of the CDR in March. The CDR cannot approve or deny a project, but they give suggestions on ways the design, size, massing and more could improve. Midwood will be back in front of the CDR on April 2 for another review.