Developers have secured zoning permits for 824 new apartments around the former Hahnemann University Hospital in the month since City Councilmember Jeffery Young introduced legislation that would ban residential development in the area, prompting a rush to lock in projects before potential restrictions take effect. Recent permits include 163 units at 1501-1511 Race St. and 300 units at Martinelli Park on North Broad Street, while a separate 361-unit project at 222-248 N. Broad St. received approval in late December, significantly exceeding earlier plans. Young’s bill would create a zoning overlay covering nearly six acres of the former hospital campus, aimed at preserving the site for office, medical or educational uses and encouraging job creation, but critics, including legal experts and developers, have called the measure an example of illegal spot zoning. A city council hearing on the proposal is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 3, as much of the former Hahnemann site remains vacant more than six years after the hospital’s closure.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 1/27/2026