Port Richmond Apartments Owned by PHA: 220 Homes at Somerset Station, 2230 E. Somerset Street, Studios Listed at $1,169

Published October 25, 202619 min readBy VoucherMatch Editorial Team

Quick answerAs of October 7, 2026, Somerset Station at 2230 and 2248 E. Somerset Street in Port Richmond, Philadelphia, has 220 apartments, finished in 2024 and 2025 and owned by an affiliate of the Philadelphia Housing Authority since May 2025. PHA's plan lists 75 of them under project-based vouchers, with rent based on income. The manager listed studios at $1,169, one-bedrooms at $1,528 and two-bedrooms at $1,913 and $2,121 a month, some advertised lower with free months. There is no lottery: you apply to the building. Listed one- and two-bedroom rents are above PHA's voucher payment standard.

Last checked: October 7, 2026, against the Philadelphia Housing Authority's housing opportunities page for voucher holders, its release of May 14, 2025 and advisory of June 5, 2025, its fiscal year 2027 plan, Amendment 1 (approved by HUD June 11, 2026) and board agenda of April 17, 2025, the manager's listings on ShowMojo, the City's building permits in its permit records, the City's property record, PHA's Unit Based Program page and payment standards (schedule effective November 1, 2025), HUD's fiscal year 2026 income limits, the developer's project page and Naked Philly's report of April 3, 2023. The building's own site, somersetstation.org, blocks automated readers and was not read. The leasing office decides what is open and what it rents for; confirm there before you apply.

Somerset Station in numbers

220apartments, 187 in a six-story building and 33 in 11 three-story buildings
75apartments PHA's plan lists under project-based vouchers, with rent based on income
$1,169 to $2,121full monthly rents on the manager's listings of October 7, 2026
$58,080,000what PHA's affiliate paid on May 14, 2025
0.5 milesstraight-line distance to SEPTA's Somerset station on the Market-Frankford Line
Group 2PHA's payment-standard group for ZIP code 19134

Aerial photograph of a six-story apartment building with dark gray and pale panels and blue and yellow vertical stripes, behind a row of three-story brick and white buildings with planted roofs along a street, with rail tank cars on tracks at the left — Somerset Station from above, in an undated photograph from the developer: the six-story building behind and the three-story buildings with planted roofs in front. The tank cars at the left are on the freight tracks beside the site. Photo: Riverwards Group, photograph, developer's photograph, via Riverwards Group (cropped).

What Somerset Station Is and Who Owns It

Somerset Station is 220 apartments that the Riverwards Group built on land Naked Philly describes as "a former scrap yard", and that an affiliate of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) bought on May 14, 2025.

Addresses: 2230 E. Somerset Street for the six-story building and 2248 E. Somerset Street for the three-story buildings, on the permits and the deed record. The developer's page gives 2200 East Somerset St.
Owner: PHADC Somerset LLC, at PHA's headquarters address, on the City's property record (accounts 881000368 and 881000370). PHADC is the Philadelphia Housing Authority Development Corporation.
Developer, architect and builder: the Riverwards Group; Harman Deutsch Ohler, according to Naked Philly; Urban Renewal Builders LLC on the building permits.
Manager: the listings are posted by Madison Parke, which calls itself "a boutique Philadelphia property management company".
Price: $58,080,000 on the deed record and in PHA's plan.
Program: PHA bought it under the acquisitions program it calls Opening Doors. On April 17, 2025 PHA's board authorized project-based vouchers for "up to 100% of the units in each property acquired". PHA's plan lists 75 at Somerset Station.

Where the 220 apartments are, number of apartments

Six-story building, 2230 E. Somerset Street

187

Eleven three-story buildings, 2248 E. Somerset Street

View the data table

Buildings	Apartments
Six-story building, 2230 E. Somerset Street	187
Eleven three-story buildings, 2248 E. Somerset Street	33

What it means: 85% of the apartments are in the elevator building. The City's property record lists that building at five stories; the permit says six.

Source: building permit CP-2021-006046 for a six-story structure with 187 dwelling units, and 11 permits (CP-2021-006175 to CP-2021-006197) for three-story buildings of three apartments each; PHA's release of May 14, 2025 gives the same counts.

Watch outthe listings and the developer's page describe "535" apartments, the developer's count for a larger plan. PHA bought 220. A second six-story building of 170 apartments at 2202 E. Somerset Street has a permit the City shows as issued and not completed, on land recorded under a different owner.

2230 E. Somerset Street, from permits to leasing

December 2021the City issues the building permits.
April 3, 2023Naked Philly reports the site fenced off after a "recent groundbreaking".
March to July 2024the City marks the 11 three-story buildings complete.
April 29, 2025the City marks the six-story building complete.
May 14, 2025PHADC Somerset LLC buys both properties.
June 6, 2025the date PHA set for the grand opening.
June 11, 2026HUD approves the PHA plan that lists 75 project-based vouchers here.

What it means: PHA bought the buildings 15 days after the City closed the last building permit.

Source: City permit and property records; Naked Philly; PHA's release of May 14, 2025, advisory of June 5, 2025 and plan amendment.

Six-story apartment building with dark gray panels, pale vertical piers, turquoise accent strips, rows of windows and recessed balconies, seen across a patch of grass — One side of the six-story building at 2230 E. Somerset Street, in a photograph the Philadelphia Housing Authority posted with its grand opening advisory in June 2025. Some apartments have recessed balconies. Photo: Philadelphia Housing Authority, photograph, housing authority's photograph, via Philadelphia Housing Authority (cropped).

Where 2230 E. Somerset Street Is

The buildings are in ZIP code 19134 and City Council District 1, on a site the developer places "on Somerset and Tulip Streets" in Port Richmond.

Where the buildings sit

19134the ZIP code on the permits and in PHA's plan
District 1the City Council district, whose member is Mark Squilla
Under 0.1 milesstraight-line distance to the nearest bus stop, on Route 54
Freight tracksbeside the six-story building, with tank cars on them, in the developer's aerial photograph

Neighborhood name: PHA and the developer say Port Richmond. The developer adds that the site "borders East Kensington", PHA's housing page says "just outside of Fishtown", and Naked Philly calls the area the Kensington-Port Richmond border.
Apartments nearby: see voucher apartments in Port Richmond and in Kensington.

SEPTA's Somerset station on the Market-Frankford Line, photographed in March 2017. It shares its name with the apartments and is about half a mile from them in a straight line. Photo: Ii2nmd, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped).

What the Rent Is and Who Qualifies

There are two kinds of apartment at Somerset Station: 75 that PHA's plan lists under project-based vouchers, with rent based on income, and 145 others. The manager's listings price apartments in dollars and do not say which kind they are.

Apartments at Somerset Station by kind, number of apartments

Under project-based vouchers, rent based on income

Other apartments

145

View the data table

Kind of apartment	Apartments
Under project-based vouchers, rent based on income	75
Other apartments	145

What it means: about one apartment in three has rent tied to income. The plan does not say which sizes they are.

Source: PHA's fiscal year 2027 plan, Amendment 1, Table 4, which lists "Somerset Station" with 75 project-based vouchers and describes it as an "Existing development designated for low-income individuals and families". The second row is the remainder of 220, calculated by VoucherMatch.

Apartments on the manager's listings, October 7, 2026
Apartment	Size	Listings	Listed price	Deposit shown
Studio, one bath, 2230 E. Somerset	500 sq ft	4	$974, $1,072 and $1,169 (two)	$1,169
One bedroom, one bath, 2230 E. Somerset	590 to 760 sq ft	6	$1,400 (two) and $1,528 (four)	$1,528
Two bedrooms, two baths, 2230 E. Somerset	982 to 1,188 sq ft	3	$1,767 and $2,121 (two)	$2,121
Two bedrooms, one bath, 2248 E. Somerset	681 sq ft	6	$1,913	$1,913

What it means: four prices appear without an offer attached, $1,169, $1,528, $1,913 and $2,121, and each equals the deposit shown for that size.

Source: Madison Parke's listings on ShowMojo, read October 7, 2026: 19 priced listings and one general listing without a price. Three of the six at 2248 E. Somerset are copies of one listing.

Watch outfive listings advertise "2 Months Free", and three of those add: "First and last month free on 12 month lease. Price reflects first month free over course of lease." By VoucherMatch's arithmetic, $1,169 less one month in twelve is $1,072 and less two is $974; $1,528 less one month is $1,401; $2,121 less two is $1,768. Ask what monthly rent the lease itself would state.

HUD income limits for the Philadelphia area, fiscal year 2026
Household	50% of median	80% of median
1 person	$42,950	$68,750
2 people	$49,100	$78,550
3 people	$55,250	$88,350
4 people	$61,350	$98,150

What it means: a family of three earning up to $55,250 fits PHA's stated limit for an income-based apartment.

Source: HUD income limits for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area, fiscal year 2026 (median family income $122,700). PHA's Unit Based Program page sets the limit for project-based apartments at 50% of median. PHA's plan says its acquisitions program supports "rental units targeted for households earning less than 80% of Area Median Income."

Income limit and minimum income on the priced apartments: the listings give neither. Ask the leasing office.
Age: no age rule appears on PHA's pages or the listings.
Deposit: one month's full rent on the priced listings. The general listing advertises "$500 Deposit for Move In".
Pets: the listings say "Dogs ok" and "Cats ok" and give no fee.
Utilities: the listings do not say which utilities a tenant pays.

Furnished living area and kitchen with white upper cabinets, a blue-gray island with four stools, a stainless steel refrigerator, range and microwave, a television on the wall and gray plank flooring — A staged living area and kitchen, from the developer's page for Somerset Station. The page does not say which floor plan it is. Photo: Riverwards Group, photograph, developer's photograph, via Riverwards Group (cropped).

Do You Need a Voucher, and Can You Use One at Somerset Station?

For 75 apartments you do not need a voucher, and for the others PHA and the manager both say vouchers are welcome.

The 75 income-based apartments: how PHA says they work

The assistance belongs to the apartment"Under the UBV Program, the rental assistance is attached to the unit. If the family moves from the unit, the housing assistance remains with the unit."
What tenants pay"UBV Program tenants pay between to 26-30% of their adjusted income for rent based on their family size or specific UBV program." On $1,500 a month of adjusted income, that is $390 to $450.
Who screens youthe owner first. Then "the family is referred to PHA for eligibility screening for the HCV program, including income eligibility."
Income limit"The income limit is 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI) as established by HUD annually."
The waiting list"Owners of UBV developments maintain their own waiting list. Applicants must apply directly at the UBV development and are selected by the Owner and not PHA."
Not on PHA's posted listPHA's list of project-based developments is from November 2024, before the purchase, and does not include Somerset Station.

What it means: PHA's own voucher waiting list has been closed since its 2023 lottery, so these 75 apartments are a way to get rent set by income without holding a voucher first.

Source: PHA, Unit Based Program overview, read October 7, 2026. UBV is PHA's name for project-based vouchers.

Full listed rents at Somerset Station against PHA's payment standard for ZIP code 19134, dollars a month

Listed rentPHA payment standard, Group 2

Studio

$1,169

$1,280

One bedroom

$1,528

$1,390

Two bedrooms, one bath

$1,913

$1,660

Two bedrooms, two baths

$2,121

$1,660

View the data table

Apartment	Listed rent	PHA payment standard, Group 2
Studio	$1,169	$1,280
One bedroom	$1,528	$1,390
Two bedrooms, one bath	$1,913	$1,660
Two bedrooms, two baths	$2,121	$1,660

What it means: a studio is $111 under the standard. A one-bedroom is $138 over, and the two-bedrooms are $253 and $461 over.

Source: rents from the manager's listings on October 7, 2026, before any free-month offer; payment standards from PHA's schedule effective November 1, 2025, which puts ZIP code 19134 in Group 2. The payment standard is the most PHA counts toward rent and utilities for a household with a tenant-held voucher.

PHA and the manager say vouchers are welcome. PHA's advisory of June 5, 2025 says "The community welcomes active Housing Choice Vouchers". The listings say "PHA Vouchers Accepted!"
Over the standard is not an automatic no. The federal rule says that where "the gross rent of the unit exceeds the applicable payment standard for the family, the family share must not exceed 40 percent of the family's adjusted monthly income" at move-in. PHA sets some of its own rules under its Moving to Work agreement, so ask PHA what your share would be before you sign.
A voucher holder cannot be turned away for holding one. Philadelphia's Fair Practices Ordinance counts "the Housing Choice Voucher (sometimes referred to as "Section 8") Program" as a protected source of income.
Utilities count too. When a tenant pays a utility, PHA adds an allowance for it to the rent before comparing the total with the standard.
PHA's schedule is due to change: HUD's new figures took effect October 1, 2026, and PHA had not posted a new schedule by October 7, 2026. See how much Section 8 pays in Philadelphia, how the utility allowance works and the Philadelphia Housing Authority page.

Furnished living room with a pale sectional sofa, an oval black coffee table, a kitchen island with a black faucet, tall windows with white curtains and an air conditioning unit set in the ceiling — A furnished apartment at Somerset Station, in a photograph the Philadelphia Housing Authority posted with its grand opening advisory in June 2025. Photo: Philadelphia Housing Authority, photograph, housing authority's photograph, via Philadelphia Housing Authority (cropped).

How the Rent Compares With Rents in ZIP Code 19134

A listed studio is priced just under HUD's estimate of an ordinary rent in ZIP code 19134, and listed one- and two-bedrooms are priced 19% to 39% above it.

Full listed rents at Somerset Station against HUD's fiscal year 2027 fair market rent for ZIP code 19134, dollars a month

Listed rentHUD fair market rent, ZIP 19134

Studio

$1,169

$1,180

One bedroom

$1,528

$1,280

Two bedrooms, one bath

$1,913

$1,530

Two bedrooms, two baths

$2,121

$1,530

View the data table

Apartment	Listed rent	HUD fair market rent, ZIP 19134
Studio	$1,169	$1,180
One bedroom	$1,528	$1,280
Two bedrooms, one bath	$1,913	$1,530
Two bedrooms, two baths	$2,121	$1,530

What it means: a studio costs 99% of HUD's figure, a one-bedroom 119%, and the two-bedrooms 125% and 139%. If the tenant pays utilities on top, the gap widens.

Source: rents from the manager's listings on October 7, 2026, before any free-month offer; HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents for fiscal year 2027, in effect since October 1, 2026. HUD's figure is its estimate of the 40th-percentile rent in the ZIP code with utilities included.

Age is part of the price: HUD's figure covers apartments of every age in the ZIP code. These were finished in 2024 and 2025.
Rent data for this ZIP code: see Section 8 rent limits for 19134 and voucher apartments in 19134.

Who Gets Priority, Building Features and Transit

No preference is published for Somerset Station: no age rule, and no neighborhood or residency priority.

Priority on record

Order of applicationfor project-based apartments, PHA says owners select "according to date and time of application and the bedroom size required by the family."
PHA referralsPHA "may also refer applicants to the Owner from PHA's HCV waiting list."
Accessibilitya March 5, 2025 amendment to the building permit adds accessible toilet rooms to the amenity spaces. The number of accessible apartments is not published.

What it means: if you need a roll-in shower or other accessible features, ask for an accessible apartment by name. The developer's bathroom photograph shows a bathtub.

Source: PHA's Unit Based Program page; building permit CP-2021-006046.

Staged bedroom with a bed, two bedside tables with lamps, two windows with blinds and sheer curtains, white walls and gray plank flooring — A staged bedroom, from the developer's page for Somerset Station. Photo: Riverwards Group, photograph, developer's photograph, via Riverwards Group (cropped).

In the buildings, and what is not stated

Apartmentsstudios of 500 square feet, one-bedrooms of 590 to 760 and two-bedrooms of 681 to 1,188, with central air, a washer and dryer, an island kitchen, stainless steel appliances, a dishwasher and a microwave.
Shared spacesPHA's advisory names "a gym, lounge, and gated access". PHA's housing page names "a rooftop deck", and the permit includes a common roof deck.
BalconiesPHA's photograph shows recessed balconies on some apartments.
Parkingthe permit includes an accessory parking garage. The number of spaces and the price are not in the records read.
Not statedwho pays for electricity, the application fee and pet fees.

What it means: ask about parking before you count on it.

Source: the manager's listings; PHA's advisory and housing opportunities page; building permit CP-2021-006046.

Bathroom with a bathtub behind a checked shower curtain, white subway tile, a toilet, and a dark gray vanity with a white top and a mirror — A bathroom with a bathtub, from the developer's page for Somerset Station. If you need a roll-in shower, ask for an accessible apartment by name. Photo: Riverwards Group, photograph, developer's photograph, via Riverwards Group (cropped).

Stop or station	Line	Straight-line distance
Somerset Street and Trenton Avenue	Route 54 bus	under 0.1 miles
Aramingo Avenue and Somerset Street	Route 25 and Route 89 buses	about 0.2 miles
Somerset	Market-Frankford Line (L)	about 0.5 miles
Huntingdon	Market-Frankford Line (L)	about 0.6 miles
Temple University	Regional Rail	about 1.7 miles

What it means: three bus routes stop within two-tenths of a mile, and the nearest rail station is the Market-Frankford Line at Somerset. See also apartments near the Market-Frankford Line.

Source: stop and station coordinates from SEPTA's open data (summer 2026 bus stops, station layers); distances calculated by VoucherMatch in a straight line from 2230 E. Somerset Street, so the walk is longer.

How to Apply for Somerset Station

You apply to the building itself: PHA's page says each building it has bought "has its own website with details on how to apply", and it links Somerset Station's.

Applying to Somerset Station

1Decide which kind of apartment you are asking foran income-based apartment if your income is under PHA's 50% limit, which is $42,950 for one person and $55,250 for three, or a priced apartment.
2Start at the building's sitePHA links somersetstation.org. It could not be read for this guide, so its form is not described here.
3Or use the manager's listingsMadison Parke's listings page shows each apartment with "Schedule a Showing" and "Apply Now". The listings give 267-458-4937.
4Ask for the income-based list by namePHA says the owner of a project-based building keeps its own waiting list. Ask how to get on it, and get the date and time of your application in writing.
5If you hold a vouchersay so at the start. Ask what monthly rent the lease would state and which utilities you would pay.

What it means: order of application counts for the income-based apartments, so apply early and keep proof of the date.

Source: PHA's Unit Based Program page and housing opportunities page; the manager's listings. The listings do not describe the screening for a priced apartment, the documents asked for or the fee.

What to have ready

Photo ID and Social Security card. for each adult
Birth certificates. for children in the household
Income. pay stubs, and award letters for Social Security, SSI or other benefits
Bank statements. the most recent months
If you have a voucher. the voucher and PHA's paperwork for a new apartment

Source: this list is VoucherMatch's. No document read for this guide gives the building's own list.

Watch outthe listings state no application fee. Philadelphia law caps a background or credit check fee at its actual cost or $50, whichever is less, and allows one fee per applicant in 12 months.

What Is Known and What Is Not Yet Published

The records settle who owns the buildings, how many project-based vouchers PHA's plan lists and what the manager was asking on October 7, 2026; they do not say which apartments are which.

Known and not yet known, as of October 7, 2026

Known220 apartments in 12 buildings, owned by PHA's affiliate since May 14, 2025; 75 project-based vouchers in PHA's plan.
Two descriptions from PHAits advisory calls all 220 "high-quality affordable housing units". Its plan lists 75 project-based vouchers.
Three unit mixesPHA's housing page lists one- and two-bedrooms. PHA's plan says "studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units". The listings show studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms.
Not publishedwhich apartments and which sizes carry the 75 vouchers, and whether that waiting list is open.
Not publishedthe income limit for the priced apartments, and the rent a lease states when a free-month offer applies.
Not publishedwhich utilities the tenant pays, the application fee, pet fees and parking.

If You Need an Apartment Sooner

An income-based apartment can mean a waiting list, so keep other options moving.

4 bedrooms apartment in Kensington, Outside NYC — Philadelphia apartments on VoucherMatch that take vouchers, nearest to Somerset Station first

3 bedrooms apartment in Kensington, Outside NYC — Philadelphia apartments on VoucherMatch that take vouchers, nearest to Somerset Station first

Voucher in hand: browse Section 8 apartments in Philadelphia, or go straight to studios, one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms.
No voucher yet: read the Philadelphia Section 8 guide and check which waiting lists are open.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Somerset Station taking applications?

The manager had 19 priced listings marked "Available now" or open to showings on October 7, 2026, and PHA's page links the building's site. Neither says whether the waiting list for the 75 income-based apartments is open.

How much is rent at Somerset Station?

On October 7, 2026 the full listed rents were $1,169 for a studio, $1,528 for a one-bedroom and $1,913 or $2,121 for a two-bedroom. Some listings showed $974 to $1,767 with free months averaged in. In the 75 income-based apartments, tenants pay 26% to 30% of adjusted income.

Does Somerset Station take Section 8?

PHA owns it through an affiliate, lists it on its page of housing for voucher holders and says it "welcomes active Housing Choice Vouchers". A listed studio is under PHA's $1,280 payment standard for ZIP code 19134. Listed one- and two-bedrooms are above the $1,390 and $1,660 standards.

Is Somerset Station income-restricted?

In part. PHA's limit for the 75 project-based apartments is 50% of area median income: $42,950 for one person and $61,350 for four in 2026. The listings state no income limit for the priced apartments.

Who owns Somerset Station?

PHADC Somerset LLC, an affiliate of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, bought 2230 and 2248 E. Somerset Street on May 14, 2025 for $58,080,000, according to the City's property record. It bought 220 apartments, not the 535 in the developer's wider plan.

Is Somerset Station the same as the SEPTA station?

No. SEPTA's Somerset station on the Market-Frankford Line is about half a mile from the apartments in a straight line.

Are the rents at Somerset Station below market?

Not for most sizes, on the listings of October 7, 2026. HUD's fiscal year 2027 fair market rents for ZIP code 19134 are $1,180, $1,280 and $1,530 for a studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom. The full listed rents were $1,169, $1,528, and $1,913 or $2,121.

Sources for this article (16)

housing opportunities page for voucher holders (pha.phila.gov)
release of May 14, 2025 (pha.phila.gov)
advisory of June 5, 2025 (pha.phila.gov)
fiscal year 2027 plan, Amendment 1 (pha.phila.gov)
board agenda of April 17, 2025 (pha.phila.gov)
listings on ShowMojo (showmojo.com)
permit records (opendataphilly.org)
property record (property.phila.gov)
Unit Based Program page (pha.phila.gov)
payment standards (pha.phila.gov)
fiscal year 2026 income limits (huduser.gov)
project page (riverwardsgroup.com)
Naked Philly (ocfrealty.com)
somersetstation.org (somersetstation.org)
federal rule (ecfr.gov)
Small Area Fair Market Rents (huduser.gov)

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Every rule, date and dollar amount in this article is checked against the agency document it comes from, and the sources are listed above. How VoucherMatch articles are researched and corrected