Southern Land Co. Starts Construction on Philly Luxury Tower
Upon completion next year, the mixed-use community will rise 27 stories.
Rendering of 1602 Sansom St. Image courtesy of Southern Land Co.
Southern Land Co. has started construction on another luxury residential tower in downtown Philadelphia. The developer recently topped out The Laurel Rittenhouse Square in September, but has already broke ground on 1620 Sansom St., its 320-foot tall luxury mixed-use tower nearby in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood.
Southern Land Co. is expecting to complete 1620 Sansom St., which was designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, in winter 2023. The developer tapped Hunter Roberts Construction Group as the project’s general contractor and Faulkner Design Group as the interior designer. Southern Land Co. also used the city’s Mixed-Income Housing Bonus program to get an additional 75,000 square feet of residential space for the project, which resulted in a $2 million payment to the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund.
The 27-story community will offer 254 units in one- and two-bed units, ranging from 600 to 2,784 square feet, 14 of which are penthouse options. The community will have a club lounge, fitness center, coworking space, sky lounge with an outdoor pool, resident storage and onsite parking.
Southern Land Co. is also incorporating 5,000 square feet of ground-floor restaurant space, as well as 17,000 square feet on the second floor that can be used by a restaurant or health and wellness facility, into the community. The developer is planning to set back the building five feet from the property line, making for a wider sidewalk along Sansom Street that allows for outdoor dining and pedestrian engagement.
CREATING THE NEW CENTER CITY
The developer first acquired the property at 1620 Sansom St in December 2020 when it was still an old parking garage. Clara Wineberg, principal at Solomon Cordwell Buenz, said in prepared remarks, that the project is an important part of the Center City neighborhood’s transformation, since it revitalizes a previously underutilized site.
Besides 1620 Sansom St., Southern Land Co. is still working on The Laurel Rittenhouse Square, a 48-story luxury condominium tower that’s located a couple of blocks away in Center City. The developer landed a $295 million construction loan for the project in June 2019 and is expecting to see the first move-ins for The Laurel Rittenhouse Square in fall 2022.
