Apartment Profile: A First Look at The Kelly
The first building in Cross Properties' NoBA development is ready to receive its first residents.
The game room at The Kelly. | Photos: Kevin Crawford via Cross Properties unless otherwise noted
Let the rejeuvenation of Bala Avenue begin.
Cross Properties’ NoBA project aims to do nothing less than revitalize Bala’s Main Street by bringing new residents and shops to the neighborhood business district.
And the first thing they’re doing is bringing in the residents.
The Kelly, as crews were putting the finishing touches on the exterior. | Photo: Sandy Smith
The Kelly, which officially opens tomorrow (May 16th), is the first of three buildings Cross will build as part of the NoBA development.
Like most of the new apartment buildings coming online in the city and suburbs, this one offers lots of leisure and recreational amenities for residents.
On the inside, it has a resident lounge and a game room with a big-screen TV and a billiard table cleverly disguised as a dining or conference table.
The demonstration kitchen/café at The Kelly
It also has a café and bar space done up like a Parisian-style kitchen. Although it lacks a cooktop, it’s equipped to handle catered events, and residents can reserve it for their own parties. “We wanted to have a kitchen-like space [where residents and guests could] have a bite together, have a drink together and make community,” says Cross Properties Managing Partner Kevin Michals.
The lounge. Residents also have access to two boardrooms, one of which is visible in the background at right, and work alcoves
Of course, there are indoor and outdoor fitness and recreation spaces. Besides the indoor fitness center and yoga studio, there are three outdoor amenity spaces: a serenity garden located between the fitness center and the SEPTA Regional Rail tracks, a roof deck with grilling stations and a dog park, and a second-floor terrace with an outdoor kitchen, a putting green, and ping-pong table. Five of the second-floor apartments have private terraces that also open onto the community terrace.
The living room in a model two-bedroom-and-den apartment. | Photo: Sandy Smith; staging for model apartments: Little Black House
Residents will also have access to top-notch recreational facilities next door: a Lower Merion Township-owned park with an indoor basketball court, tennis courts, a pickleball court and a playground for the kids. “These are millions of dollars’ worth of amenities that we didn’t have to pay for; these are kept up by the township and our tax payments,” says Michals. (Of course, tenants pay some of those taxes in their rent.)
The den in the model two-bedroom unit. It can also serve as a home office or guest bedroom; the building also has a guest apartment that residents can reserve to house out-of-town visitors
The apartments themselves have large windows that let in lots of light and offer great views, especially from the upper floors. Their bedrooms have walk-in closets — something not common in apartments, Michals says — and some even have kitchens with double sinks, which will enable Jewish tenants to keep kosher. Michals also pointed out that one of the building’s elevators will stop at all floors on Saturdays to allow observant tenants to enter and leave their apartments.
The living room in a model one-bedroom apartment
The kitchen in the model one-bedroom apartment
The bedroom in the one-bedroom model apartment
The Kelly is the first of three buildings that together will comprise Cross’ North Bala Avenue revitalization project. When complete, the “NoBA District” will consist of three buildings: the Kelly, the Grant and the Mayer. (Anyone notice a theme here?) Together, they will have 258 upscale apartments, 15,000 square feet of amenities, 7,000 square feet of co-working space and 10,000 square feet of retail space, including a European-inspired food hall in The Mayer.
The Kelly by the Numbers
Address: 10 Union Ave., Bala-Cynwyd, Pa. 19004
Number of units: 109 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, ranging in size from 516 to 1,270 square feet. Some two-bedroom units have dens. Many apartments have balconies. Five second-floor units have terraces that open onto the community terrace.
Number of parking spaces: 167 covered garage spaces, plus limited guest and on-street parking.
Pet policy: Cats and dogs welcome, up to two per unit, with a $350 pet fee at move-in and additional pet rent per month ($35 for one pet, $50 for two). Some breed restrictions apply, but there are no size restrictions. The building also has a dog spa.
Rents: One-bedroom units, $1,600 to $2,195 per month; two-bedroom units, $2,780 to $3,970 per month; two-bedroom units with dens, $3,150 to $3,320 per month; three-bedroom units, $3,800 to $4,970 per month.
More information: The Kelly website; 215-853-2040
