The Morning Call has named The Waterfront one of the five most anticipated Allentown developments coming in 2024. The list looks ahead to the projects expected to shape the city in the year to come, and The Waterfront’s place on it reflects the momentum building along the Lehigh River.
A neighborhood taking shape
The Waterfront sits in Allentown’s River Wards, part of a broader transformation reshaping the district. The vision draws on what successful riverfronts have done in cities across the country: turn the water’s edge from a back door into a front door. Here, that means a neighborhood that brings together restaurants, retail, residences, and office space in one walkable place along the Lehigh River, with public plazas and a River Walk connecting it all.
Why the timing matters
Part of what makes the project achievable is infrastructure. The addition of Riverside Drive through the area opens up access and stitches The Waterfront into the surrounding street grid, a practical step that makes the larger neighborhood possible. Roads come first; districts follow. With that groundwork in place, the pieces residents have been watching for begin to arrive.
Anticipation grounded in progress
Being named to a most-anticipated list is recognition of what is coming, not just what is here. The Waterfront earned the mention because the plan is real and visible: ground that once served heavy industry is becoming a riverfront neighborhood, and 2024 marks a year when more of that vision moves from rendering to reality. For Allentown, it is one more sign that the riverfront is back on the map.
See what the anticipation is about. Explore Offices, tour River House, or walk the River Walk. Schedule a visit.
- "Here are the 5 most anticipated Allentown developments coming in 2024" | The Morning Call