The Lehigh Valley sits in eastern Pennsylvania, near the New Jersey border, home to more than 700,000 residents and a record $57.3 billion in annual economic output. One of the fastest-growing regions of its size in the Northeast, it was ranked the number one mid-sized region in the country for new development in 2025.
The region takes its name from the Lehigh River, which links its three largest cities: Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. On the river’s western bank in Allentown sits The Waterfront, a 29-acre riverfront district and the region’s newest, built to return the city to the water.
Metro Link
New York, NY
New York City is about 90 minutes east on Route 78, close enough for a day at the desk or a night on the town, far enough to leave the rent and the crowds behind.
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia is about an hour south on Route 476, with a major international airport, pro sports, and big-city culture all within easy reach when you want them.
Thriving Economy
Fortune 500
Two Fortune 500 companies, Air Products and PPL, keep their headquarters in the Valley, the kind of corporate weight a region this size rarely gets to claim.
Businesses
More than 15,000 businesses call the region home, from one-person startups to global manufacturers, proof of a making-things economy that never really left.
Live Well
Universities
More than a dozen colleges and universities sit within a short drive, Lehigh, Lafayette, and Muhlenberg among them, feeding the Valley a steady stream of talent.
Hospitals
Two major health networks anchor the region, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke's, keeping advanced care and two of its largest employers close to home.
Explore the Lehigh Valley
The Waterfront is one corner of a larger region. These go further into the Lehigh Valley, its economy, and the way to our front door.
The Waterfront is developed by The Waterfront Development Company, part of Jaindl Enterprises, a family-owned group of companies based in Allentown. The work is local, built by people who live in the Lehigh Valley, for the Lehigh Valley.
What began as a former steel site on the Lehigh River is becoming a district of homes, offices, dining, and open space. The vision is long-term, and the commitment is to the place itself and the city growing around it.
Mark W. Jaindl is an entrepreneur, developer, banker, and philanthropist. He began his career in the family business as Chief Financial Officer. In 1996, he founded American Bank, a commercial bank where he serves as Chairman and CEO. In 2011, he co-founded Jaindl Enterprises, a family-owned portfolio of companies based in Allentown.
COO / Co-Founder
Zachary J. Jaindl
Zachary J. Jaindl is a businessman and philanthropist, and the Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of Jaindl Enterprises. He oversees portfolio operations, real estate acquisitions, financing, and leasing, along with the day-to-day management of each division and its teams. His focus is the growth of the enterprise across the Lehigh Valley.
The Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) is a special taxing district created by Pennsylvania in 2012 to encourage development in center-city Allentown and along the Lehigh River. It is a big reason downtown Allentown has drawn more than $1 billion in new investment since, and why The Waterfront could rise where a steel mill once stood.
For the city, it has turned a former industrial riverfront into a growing district of homes, offices, and open space. For prospective tenants, it is also what lets The Waterfront offer Class A space at a competitive cost, in a setting the rest of the Lehigh Valley cannot match.
2012
The NIZ Act was made effective by Pennsylvania State Legislation.
30 Years
The Neighborhood Improvement Zone is in effect until 2042.
127 Acres
The NIZ spans various districts across the City of Allentown.
Understand The NIZ
The Neighborhood Improvement Zone is a state program and a real part of why Class A space here stays competitive. Read the guide, or talk directly to the authority that runs it.
