City Avenue Needs More Grocers, Upscale Restaurants And Walkability, Plan Says
A disjointed stretch of Bala Cynwyd roadway, most famous for a BMW dealership and a Target store, needs a major overhaul if it hopes to compete with the likes of King of Prussia’s mall and Ardmore’s Suburban Square shopping area, according to a new plan filed with Lower Merion Township officials.
The area in and around City Avenue, the shopping district between Philadelphia and Lower Merion, could become a mainstay destination capable of capturing a sidelined $432M in retail sales over 10 years — if the township adopts a master plan focused on revitalizing a 3-mile stretch from Overbrook to Interstate 76, where retail properties are struggling with a 21% total vacancy rate.
The plan, endorsed by business leaders, was presented to the township’s building and planning committee last week, and emphasizes greater walkability and new offerings meant to activate the area, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported.
Designed to maximize use of a growing area where retail demand could rise an additional 45K SF by 2032, the plan envisions four nodes that would attract different categories of retailers, according to an accompanying report authored by retail brokerage MSC and real estate consultant RCLCO.
Under the plan, City Avenue itself would remain car-centered, but the retail mix would be boosted to include more anchor tenants like HomeGoods, REI and Ulta. Acme is the main grocery store along the strip at present, but Aldi and Lidl could be potential new tenants.
Nearby Bala Avenue would be transformed into a “Main Street” concept from City to Montgomery avenues, attracting restaurants, bars and coffee shops aimed at keeping people in the area at night and on weekends. That would require the City Avenue District to remove barriers to liquor licensing and installation of outdoor space, the report notes.
Boutique fitness centers and entertainment venues are envisioned near multifamily units planned along Presidential Boulevard and Saint Asaphs Road, while the area around St. Joseph’s University could be reimagined as an event-centric destination, with boutique fitness and housing-dining facilities aimed at keeping students nearby instead of venturing to Center City or Manayunk.
The plan is meant to bring together a “rowing team” of property owners, business owners and other stakeholders in the district, MSC Principal Douglas Green told Bisnow.
“All these individual owners have their own motivations, skill sets and capital, or lack thereof,” he said. “It is critical to build retail that is leasable and [to] lease to retail that is overall accretive to the district to row together. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.”
The area is already primed for change, with its mix of locals and out-of-town shoppers looking for services like salons, dry cleaning and daycare, among others, the report states. Enhanced retail options, giving them a one-stop experience, would entice them to stick around, the report adds.
Right now, people are forced to walk between parking lots to get to their destinations, City Avenue District CEO Bryan Fenstermaker told PBJ, while praising the plan’s ideas for pedestrian access.
“There’s nothing better than being able to walk from store to store or meeting people in an outside space,” he said. “You can have a different experience than [if] I parked my car and I ran in and ran out and got back in traffic.”
