University City, University City. Oh how there’s so much building these days in your part of town. When the projects are finished, it will mean a new Market Street west of 30th Street Station. One that area administrations have dreamed about for decades.

First, there’s the new Drexel business school. This past fall, UCSC started construction on an 11-story tower at 3737 Market St. that’s continued to move along since we told you about it a few months back. And then there are plans for a 27-story mixed-use high end apartment building located at 3601 Market St., announced by the University City Science Center last week.

3601 Market today

Construction on the 400K sqft high end building designed by BLTa is slated to begin this year, according to officials. It’s the Science Center’s first residential project ever, in its fifty years of existence. The project is a joint effort between UCSC, Baltimore-based Wexford Equities and Tennessee based Southern Land Company. Current plans call for 364 studio, efficiency and one- and two-bedroom apartments, and amenities will include a fitness center, a rooftop pool, 200 parking spaces, about 17K sqft of ground-floor retail, and a green roof. Expect residents to be a mix of Penn and Drexel (probably grad) students, with strong representation from people working at the Science Center as well.

Rendering of the future. Cira Center won't actually be next door. Rendering courtesy of Technically Philly.

It’s more than something of a needed development along a quieter (at least after 5pm) strip of Market Street. And with various improvements in the neighboring blocks developed by local institutions, like Chestnut Square and Spruce Street Plaza, this part of University City is becoming a modern model for redevelopment spearheaded by large institutions. And we can’t wait to see what’s next.

–Lou Mancinelli