A new six-story, innovative apartment community from GMH Capital Partners and Wexford Science & Technology will open in August in Philadelphia’s “Cellicon Valley.” ANOVA at uCity Square will feature 461 smart apartments, 14,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, a two-level parking garage, and 12,500 square feet of amenity space.
Located in University City, the development joins uCity Square, a 6.5 million-square-foot mixed-use community comprised of retail, residential, clinical, office, and lab space around an open-air public square. The community is home to companies including Amicus Therapeutics, NRG, Spark Therapeutics, and Penn Medicine. ANOVA at uCity Square will provide living options for the neighborhood’s growing population of students, young professionals, and third-shift workers at neighboring Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, and others.
“At GMH, we see a tremendous value in providing innovative and simplified housing that is designed to meet the growing needs of professionals working in the life science sector,” said Gary Holloway Jr., president of GMH Capital Partners. “By understanding the needs and busy lives of the innovation district worker and student, GMH is developing and managing communities to provide effortless living to our residents. Through our partnership with Wexford Science & Technology, we believe ANOVA at uCity Square will foster the perfect live-work blend for those entrepreneurs, innovators, health care professionals, professors, and graduate students learning or working in the heart of Philadelphia’s innovation district.”
The development will provide an array of floor plans, furnished or unfurnished, from studios to three-bedrooms. Smart features will include 1-gigabyte, high-speed secured wired and wireless internet in units and throughout the building; smart thermostats and lighting; keyless entry with a mobile video intercom system; a package system; and an electric vehicle charging station. All units will feature designer bathrooms with walk-in showers, in-unit washers and dryers, quartz countertops, and stainless-steel appliances.
ANOVA at uCity Square, a certified Fitwell building, will have a focus around health and wellness. Residents will have access to a wealth of amenities, including a 2,500-square-foot fitness center with a yoga and spin studio; a pool and courtyard with a hot tub; indoor and outdoor lounges; and a live-work blend with co-working spaces, soundproof office pods, a cybercafé with complimentary coffee bar and beer taps, a golf simulator, and a dog-washing station. Additional perks will include refrigerated delivery lockers, climate-controlled storage, grocery delivery, a hospitality suite for out-of-town guests, dog walking, housekeeping, and laundry and dry cleaning services. Residents also will have access to a bike repair station as well as on-site BMW i3 car-sharing with a ride-sharing lounge.
“Today’s innovation districts have become live, work, play, learn environments that improve creativity, productivity, and work-life balance,” said Thomas Osha, senior vice president of innovation and economic development at Wexford. “ANOVA at uCity Square provides the connectivity, integration, and quality-of-life amenities that are in demand by today’s knowledge workers.”
