With financing secured, a former steel site began its rise on the Lehigh River.
The Waterfront cleared the milestone that turns plans into construction: the financing for its first phase. With approval from the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority (ANIZDA), the district secured the funding to begin building on the site of the former Lehigh Structural Steel works.
The Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ) is the mechanism. The Pennsylvania program, created in 2012, allows eligible state and local taxes generated within the zone to support development within it. It is a major reason downtown Allentown has attracted more than $1 billion in new investment, and it is what has enabled a riverfront district to rise where heavy industry once stood. The financing funds the district. It is not an offer of any kind.
With the first phase funded, the first building followed. 615 Waterfront, a six-story Class A office building, opened in 2023.
See the offices, and read how the NIZ funds the district. Tour the Offices. Schedule a visit.
- "First Building Coming To The Waterfront In Allentown" | The Morning Call