Lehigh Valley’s success in creatively repurposing former industrial properties into hubs of entertainment, commerce, and housing was featured recently in a leading commercial real estate publication. 

Development magazine cited the SteelStacks complex on the former Bethlehem Steel property and The Waterfront live-work-play campus on the former Lehigh Structural Steel property in Allentown as leading examples.

Adaptive reuse is “one of the area’s strongest development tools,” the article said.

“Adaptive reuse throughout Lehigh Valley has transformed former mills, industrial campuses, hotels and breweries into places that attract local residents, visitors and investment, all while preserving the kind of architectural character that new greenfield projects cannot easily replicate.”

Kristin Cahayla-Hoffman, Vice President of Business Development & Attraction at Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC), told Development the Lehigh Valley is a mature market with a balanced and diversified economy that emphasizes placemaking.

“Our cities — Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton — have been revitalized with new housing, office space, and entertainment venues. The population is growing, and the region is one of the leaders in the state in drawing young adults,” she said.

The article included interviews by Kassie Hilgert, President & CEO at ArtsQuest, which operates the SteelStacks venue, and Zachary Jaindl, Chief Operating Officer of Jaindl Enterprises that is developing The Waterfront.

“When we look at The Waterfront, it’s not just another development to us. Our family has lived here for generations. We went to school here. We built our lives here. This project is about reinvesting in the same community that gave us everything,” Jaindl said.

Hilgert explained that preserving core industrial structures, including the iconic blast furnaces, “maintained the authenticity and sense of place that differentiates SteelStacks from traditional redevelopment projects.”

The article highlighted other adaptive reuse projects in the Lehigh Valley:

• H. Simon Silk Mill, which turned a former silk mill into apartments and businesses in Easton.
• Neuweiler Lofts, a mixed-used multifamily development being constructed at the site of the former Neuweiler Brewery in Allentown.
• Cityplace, the conversion of a former hotel in Allentown into apartments.

Development magazine is a publication of NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. It is read by commercial real estate professionals including decision-makers involved in the development, ownership, and financing of industrial, office, retail, and mixed-used properties.

Lehigh Valley’s adaptive reuse successes have also been profiled recently by Forbes.

(Photos by Donna Fisher Photography and The Waterfront Development Co.)