The Norristown Municipal Council has approved Philadelphia-based MM Partners’ proposal to build a seven-story apartment building at 69 E. Main Street, writes Jake Blumgart for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The proposal will be at the intersection of Main and DeKalb Streets. It will sit adjacent to the Justice Center Project, a renovation and expansion of the Montgomery County courthouse.

“The narrative was always ‘Norristown is going to develop,’ but it never really did until now,” said David Waxman, the founder and managing partner of MM Partners. “The courthouse alone is a $400 million project right next door. We can really start to move the needle.”

The building will have 116 units and include over 11,000 square feet of retail space as well as 28 parking spaces. The project will cost an estimated $28 million. Construction is projected to start early next year.

The land was once home to an old movie theater but has sat vacant for decades under Norristown’s city government control.

“You can’t just expect business to move into a place, you need the people first,” said Thomas Lepera, president of the Norristown Municipal Council. “So we thought density along Main Street would be the best option to bring people and businesses back.”

Read more about the development in The Philadelphia Inquirer.