A Gated Community Going Up Next to the Berks MFL Station
From warehouse to contemporary rowhomes and apartments, 150-80 W. Berks St. exemplifies the changing neighborhood
The area near the Berks stop on the MFL/El/L was not long ago one of the unfortunate centers of the opioid epidemic, which we unfortunately reference far too often on this real estate-focused affair. Signs of the industrial past mixed with the overall disinvestment of the neighborhood to make these blocks feel what could best be described as “sad” about a decade or so ago. But as River Wards-adjacent development has continued to expand outwards from its Northern Liberties/Fishtown epicenter, we are starting to see more and more changes to this pocket of Olde Kensington/Norris Square.
And if you would like to see an incredibly clear indication of this trend, look no further than 150-80 W. Berks St., a former warehouse just two blocks from the Berks station. Plans have come and gone over the years, with townhome and apartment proposals leading to the eventual demo of the building, leaving the property empty for years as it awaited its fate. The most recent plans? 29 townhomes, 6 condos and 2 commercial spaces for what is being called Millennial Village.
After not seeing action earlier this year when we went to check things out, a visit today shows plenty of work taking place. This project from Center City Development with a look from DesignBlendz is now out of the ground, with foundation work taking place across the site, and a few of the future rowhomes already at full height.
But while the past may have consisted of a fenced off property, the future here will be gated, as in a gated community. Drive aisles will separate the different portions of the property, which is predominantly rowhomes, with condos over commercial at the two northern corners of both Mascher and Hancock. The renderings actually don’t include a gate at the driveway entrance, so perhaps this is more of a marketing ploy as opposed to an actual means of separation? Either way, the future of the site is much, much different than the very recent past.
This is quite a pivot from the past, huh? Luxury townhomes may seem out of place here, but when you take a look around in 2025, you realize that this stretch has indeed become something of a village for millennials. Looking north across Berks, 171 W. Berks brings us newish-construction apartments and Monarch Yoga while the adaptive-reuse at The Paper Factory next door brings a freshened look to yet another older building.
Glancing eastward towards the train, even more young professional-focused options are available. Sacred Vice Brewing and Essen Bakery are just two of the closest examples of the changing food/beverage/retail offerings within a few minutes’ walk.
While we are most definitely fans of transit-oriented development and the benefits it offers in many, many ways, we feel a bit odd writing about a new gated community where stray needles were once the norm not long ago (In fact, if one looks closely, a security camera has been installed on the telephone pole at Berks & Mascher sometime since 2023). It is most definitely good to see the area growing from a built environment perspective, but evolving and doing a 180° are quite different things. As Philly continues to grow and figure itself out in in the latter half of the 2020s, it will be interesting to see how the old and new continue to interact, creating a likely new dynamic across the city in the years ahead.
Great write up as always, and also ‘Millennial Village’ might be the worst name I’ve ever heard.