An apartment building with living conditions that Camden’s mayor described as “deplorable” just two years ago has undergone a transformation thanks to a $130 million overhaul.
For years, the 21-story affordable-housing tower previously known as Northgate 1 has been plagued by poor living conditions, safety concerns, and mismanagement.
Now under the ownership of Hudson Valley Property Group, the 321-unit building is nearly unrecognizable following top-to-bottom renovations that were completed in August 2025. Each unit was equipped with new kitchens, bathrooms, HVAC, and more as residents remained in the building throughout the construction process via on-site relocation.
The building’s future as affordable housing has also been secured for the next 20 years after the company extended the property’s Section 8 contract, ensuring residents for 96.5% of the units pay no more than 30% of their income on rent. The Encore is also restricted to households earning no more than 60% of the median income.
“They did everything they said they were going to do as far as fixing up the units and giving us a lot of amenities and other things like that,” said Karen Merricks, a nearly 30-year resident of the building and president of the tenant’s association.
Built in 1962 and now called The Encore, the apartment tower overlooking the Benjamin Franklin Bridge was viewed at the time as a sign that Camden’s future was bright.
Billed as a luxury residence, the building featured amenities like a swimming pool, a shopping “colonnade,” an underground garage, and a two-story penthouse with private roof deck access.
But the vision for the tower never materialized, and soon saw high vacancy rates and an ownership change decades later.
The building continued to deteriorate over time as maintenance requests went unanswered, units were illegally sublet, and it became a site for drug activity, Merricks said.
A 2022 inspection resulted in 1,000 violation notices, The Inquirer previously reported.
“Just a lot of chaos and confusion,” Merricks said of that time.
For the first time in her nearly three decades as a resident, she began to feel unsafe in the building she called home.
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Merricks was not alone, which is why safety was one of the first things Hudson Valley worked to address when they took ownership of the building in 2024, said Andy Cavaluzzi, cofounder and partner of Hudson Valley Property Group.
“A tremendous amount went in there because we wanted to be able to change not just the physical side of [the building]. … We were changing the whole perception and the culture, and that starts then with the operations and security,” Cavaluzzi said.
They worked on developing a security plan for the building that included a small number of armed personnel as well as major upgrades like cameras, access control, perimeter fencing, and vehicular gates.
“Now I’m back to feeling safe,” Merricks said. “They have armed guards here, security to make sure that no one’s coming in, roaming the hallways, smoking drugs in the exits, and stuff like that. That’s all been eliminated.”
‘Every part of the building was touched’
New York-based Hudson Valley Property Group specializes in projects like The Encore — buying rental properties with troubled histories and preserving affordable apartments and undertaking extensive renovations.
They spent about $150,000 renovating each unit, in addition to building-wide infrastructure improvements like all new plumbing and electrical, and exterior repairs, Cavaluzzihe said.
“Every unit was touched, every part of the building was touched,” he said.
Residents can also take advantage of a fitness center, a computer lounge, a community room, and a children’s room with an indoor playground. Through a partnership with Citizens Bank, Encore residents also have free internet service for the next 15 years.
Shared by hundreds of residents, the building also now has a working laundry room for the first time in years, he said.
The site of the former pool is now an urban farm in partnership with Highlands Alliance where residents can learn how to grow their own food and have first dibs on any produce that is harvested before it is sold at local farmer’s markets. The revenue generated from sales will go back into running the farm, Cavaluzzi said.
“Affordable housing doesn’t mean it’s a place that it’s less expensive rent but you’re going to have a lesser living experience,” he said. “That’s not what it means and it doesn’t have to mean that.”
Camden Mayor Victor G. Carstarphen said he was “impressed” by the enhancements, and called the transformation “simply remarkable” in a statement.
Driving across the bridge from Philadelphia, the building is hard to miss. Before renovations, it was clear to anyone driving by that it was in disrepair.
Now, the building stands out for a different reason.
Repairs to the facade and roof along with new windows, glass doors, and balcony fencing have transformed the tower “from this amazingly big eyesore that was there” into a beacon of positivity for the city, Cavaluzzi said.
“This is like Camden showing anyone else who wants to come in like, ‘Look, they were able to do it. This is what we want, this is what we expect,’” he said. “We want to be able to to elevate the city and we’re not OK with the status quo.”