Developer Michael Young has released an architectural rendering of the 43,000-square-foot apartment building he intends to build at the top of the Hill, near the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike. 

This comes on the heels of his having recently taken down the 5,000 square-foot commercial building that formerly sat on the site at 8623 Germantown Avenue, which housed a Santander Bank and the custom frame shop Palladio. The frame shop has since moved to the corner of Germantown Avenue and Evergreen Street, next door to Kitchen Capers.

The site is zoned CMX 2.5, which means that Young is developing the four-story, 30-unit building “by right” and does not need to seek a variance nor consult with neighbors. He told the Local last week that he is planning to complete construction within the next 18 months. 

Young, who lives in Lafayette Hill, said he is planning two retail spaces on the ground floor and 12 two-bedroom units and 18 one-bedroom units above, which will be available for rent. His company is still doing market research to determine what those rents will be, he said. There will be some parking at the rear of the building, but not enough for there to be a space for every unit. 

While the exterior of the building will be brick, Young said, the color has yet to be decided. “It will be in keeping with the brick that you typically see in Chestnut Hill,” he said. 

The building which just came down, and formerly housed the Santander Bank and the custom frame shop Palladio, was built in 1978 and was about 5,000 square feet. 

Chestnut Hill residents have expressed concern about how the new building could affect the historic Chestnut Hill Baptist Church, which is located next door. 

One group of neighbors is already fighting a different developer’s plan to build a five-story, 33-unit apartment building directly on the other side of the church, on the now-empty lot at 10 Bethlehem Pike. 

They say Young’s proposed building could effectively sandwich that historic building, with its elegant spire and tall, elongated windows, between the two. 

The 10 Bethlehem Pike project remains in limbo, as neighbors are fighting it in court. In a recent Court of Common Pleas ruling, a judge revoked its permits, but the development team has plans to appeal.

If both projects are constructed, a total of 63 new residential units will appear on the corner of Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike.

Young is part of the ownership group that recently completed two twin towers with large digital advertisements on the 1100 block of Market Street in Center City. The Towers, which are called The Girard and The Ludlow, include an Iron Hill Brewery, a T.J. Maxx and an AT&T store on the ground floor. Above them both are a total of 560 living units.