New Ardmore Train Station Facing $37 Million Funding Gap

After more than 15 years in planning and discussion, a complete overhaul of the Ardmore Train Station and surrounding area is still at least three years away from completion—and that's the optimistic timeline.

Lower Merion Township Manager Doug Cleland said the project faces a $37.3 million funding gap at the Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 2, and the final completion would be in 2014 at the earliest.

First conceived in its current capacity in 2008, the Ardmore Transit Center Project proposes a new two-level, ADA-accessible train station on the current site, and an eight-story mixed use building with luxury apartments and retail space next to it. A large commuter and residential parking garage would be built adjacent to the township public safety building.

Yet, the cost of the redevelopment could be prohibitive. The township contracted Dranoff Properties and Urban Engineers to do the development and design work respectively, which currently sits at a 45 percent design completion stage.

The current scale calls for a project with a total cost of $103.7 million, according to Cleland, yet just $66.4 million has been allocated for its completion. The most recent setback came in late 2010 when of funding from the project due to budget cutbacks. 

Karl Dranoff told the commissioners that he still thought the project was worthwhile, but requested time for his team to discuss ways to cut costs and reduce the scale slightly to better fit the budget.

"We have come a long way since the beginning of this project," Dranoff said. "There's no question we've hit some potholes here, but the world is different place than it was in 2008."

"I'm still here and I'm committed to this project," Dranoff said. "We will have to zig and zag to get to the point where we can build a project that everyone is proud of, but I think we can do it and we will do it."

The township will hold two ad hoc workshop meetings on the train station project for the public. Any and all ideas about the size, scope and viability of the project will be discussed in an open meeting, and suggestions could eventually be passed on to the developers.

The meeting dates will be March 3 and March 17, both at 6:30 p.m. in the .