Madison Farms, Kushner's Lehigh Valley MXD, Is Filling Up

Madison Farms, Bethlehem Twp., PA

BETHLEHEM TOWNSHIP, PA— In the two years since breaking ground, the  Kushner Real Estate Group and the  Silverman Group have transformed a former farm site into the largest privately owned mixed-use development in Pennsylvania, with shops and restaurants, and they’ve just completed leasing in the third building of luxury apartments in the community. “The site was brought to us about five years ago, and we were attracted to it because of its proximity to New Jersey,” Jonathan Kushner, president of Kushner Real Estate Group, tells GlobeSt.com exclusively. “It’s 70 miles from Manhattan, and there’s a real workforce base that’s already out there. The area is booming as far as industry is concerned, a lot of companies have located out there. We just believe in the area as a growth neighborhood.” Kushner says his firm didn’t want to do a small-scale development in the market. When the 100-acre farm that is now Madison Farms became available, he says, “we were immediately attracted to it because it was a size where we could really build a community and attract retailers, attract apartment dwellers, attract homeowners. We’re basically building a project that’s got all three.” There is a retail center of 150,000 square feet on the front 17 acres, and extensive open space on the remaining 83 acres, plus 832 housing units (566 multifamily rental units plus for-sale residential), Kusher says. The first phase of 296 units is leasing well, he says. “This is not a New York-centric market, which frankly, we’re happy to see,” Kushner says. “We wouldn’t want to be relying only on people who commute 70 miles a day by car to get to work. That’s not our market. Our market is people who live within 20 miles of their work.” After opening last July, the development at 4717 Freemansburg Avenue leased up the first rental building by September and the second in late November. Each building on the property contains between 29 and 39 apartments.

Clubhouse interior, Madison Farms, Bethlehem Twp., PA

The success of the rental portion of the community goes hand in hand with the immense popularity of the retail village, The Shops at Madison Farms . Businesses such as ShopRite, Starbucks, Provident Bank and others are within walking distance for Madison Farms residents, who also have access to a clubhouse and outdoor pool. The fourth rental building at Madison Farms is also located near the shops and the clubhouse, and is now available for lease, with one- and two-bedroom apartments starting from $1,295. “Fully leasing the third building at Madison Farms when we only broke ground on the project two years ago is something we are tremendously proud of,” says Jeremy Kaplan , chief operating officer of The KRE Group . “The community is doing extremely well, and it’s not just from a numbers perspective. Lehigh Valley renters have embraced Madison Farms and its unique brand of pedestrian-friendly, amenity-rich living wholeheartedly.”