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Politics & Government

Funding Gaps May Derail New Ardmore Train Station

But business leaders and residents urged Lower Merion commissioners to move forward with the business revitalization project.

Financial constraints for the Ardmore Transit Center and Business Revitalization Project are prompting Lower Merion Township to focus on an option which would defer a new station and transit improvements, township Board of Commissioners President Liz Rogan said on Wednesday night.

Rogan provided an update on the project during a meeting of the board’s Economic Revitalization Committee.

Options

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In May, the board considered four options for the Ardmore Transit Center and Business Revitalization project, and chose Option 2—a proposal which would include a new train station, transit improvements and mixed-use development—provided that a $20-$23 million funding gap could be closed.

The project is proposed for the area between Station Avenue, the Amtrak/SEPTA train tracks, Anderson Avenue, and the Lower Merion Township Administration Building.

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The board agreed that if the money could not be found to close the gap, it would make a determination to instead proceed with option 3, deferring the new  station and improvements. (Like option 2, it would include a parking garage near the train station go forward with mixed-use development on Cricket Avenue.)

On Wednesday night, Rogan said that due to financial constraints “we really have to focus on Option 3,” which also defers a new pedestrian tunnel, platform improvements and making the station compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Federal $??

The township may reconsider Option 2, however, if it receives a $25 million federal grant for transit improvements from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Economic Revitalization Committee voted unanimously on Wednesday night to recommend that the full Board of Commissioners approve a resolution of support and authorization to seek letters of support for a TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Discretionary Grant application.

In the meantime, the township and the developer for the project, Dranoff Properties, are identifying ways to reduce costs.

Township Manager Doug Cleland said Option 3 still has funding gaps (an exact dollar amount was not available Wednesday) but the township hopes to eliminate any gaps for Option 3. Rogan said cost-saving measures for Option 3 had the support of the Ad Hoc Ardmore Committee when the group met Oct. 4.

They include reducing the size of the new parking garage from four or five stories to three, with 340 parking spaces, creating 120 new spaces for the area. To get to that number, the township code would need to be amended in order to allow for slightly shorter and narrower spaces in the garage, Rogan said.

“At this point, it doesn’t look like we could afford any mixed-use in the garage,” Rogan said.

Cricket Development

However, the plan still calls for a mixed-use building on the south side of Cricket Avenue.  That building would be seven stories high with 11,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor with 112 apartments above, Rogan said. There would be underground parking below and surface parking behind the stores.

The township also does not have sufficient funds at this time for the Below Market Rate (BMR) housing which was originally proposed as part of the project, Rogan said.

Option 3 Backing

During public comment, residents and business leaders spoke in support of Option 3 and urged commissioners to move the project forward.

C.D. Graham, a board member of the North Ardmore Civic Association, said the group believes “development on the Cricket lot is a good thing” and is happier with the smaller parking garage. He added that he's “disappointed there will be no significant improvements to the train station itself, since they’re badly needed,” but that Option 3 “is the best we can hope for” given the current economic situation.

Christine Vilardo, executive director of the Ardmore Initiative, said the business community “supports the project even in its current form.”

“The transit improvements, while they would be wonderful, are not the most important,” Vilardo said. What is most vital is bringing new residents, new retail and more marketing to Ardmore, she added.

Vilardo said BMR housing is not high up on the minds of business leaders right now but would like to see it addressed later.

John Durso, the Ardmore Initiative Board Chairman and branch manager for St. Edmond’s Federal Savings Bank, said he and other business leaders support the project, but he disagreed with one of the cost-saving proposals.

“We, the business community, feel very strongly there has to be some type of retail in that parking garage,” Durso said.

Speaking on behalf of the Ardmore Progressive Civic Association, Maryam Phillips said the civic supports the project, but disagreed with eliminating BMR housing from the project. Phillips said the “goal of affordable housing is still a very worthy one” and hopes it “is seen as a challenge and not a deal breaker.”

Commissioners on the Economic and Revitalization Committee spoke in favor of Option 3, with one exception.

Commissioner Lewis Gould said he agrees with moving ahead with the project—but not without transit improvements.

Developer Extension Tabled

The Economic Revitalization Committee postponed a vote until next week about whether to recommend an extension of the development agreement with Dranoff Properties. It recommended that the full board approve a “Term Sheet” which forms the basis for a revised development agreement between the township and Dranoff.

Rogan requested the delay because the township needs more time to negotiate with the developer. If approved, the extension would be for an additional 90 days, from Oct. 31 to Jan. 31.

 

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