We have a number of friends that moved to the Sterling at 1815 JFK Blvd. post-college because the building offered reasonable rents and an outstanding downtown location. But the building was really showing its age, and the rents were reasonable because the apartments were generally crappy. Aimco, owners of the Sterling since 1999, began renovating the building a couple years back according to the PBJ, and the new units are a huge improvement. Granite countertops! Stainless steel appliances! Hardwood floors! You get the idea.
Not only has the Sterling seen its interior improve, but the building's "ground-floor" (actually it's up some stairs) retail has also been upgraded of late. Last year, Square One Coffee opened their second Philadelphia location here, as did Misconduct Tavern. With breakfast, dinner, and drinks now well covered within the building, perhaps the building's fitness center isn't sufficient to fulfill the residents' needs. If that's indeed the case, we've got great news. City Fitness has signed a lease for 40K sqft on the second floor of the building, which will by far represent their largest location to date.
According to Philly Mag, this space has traditionally functioned as office space, so this new tenant will open up a huge chunk of the building as a retail amenity for residents and nearby office workers alike. With 40K sqft, the location will be almost twice the size of the Graduate Hospital City Fitness location, to give you a sense of just how large of a gym we're talking about. Look for standard gym fare with some extras, including executive locker rooms, retail partnerships, and tons of classroom space. And if you're lucky, that dude at your gym that grunts extra loudly when he works out will be there too.
Opening is expected at the end of next year or the beginning of 2018, so plan accordingly.