Shopping development would fill open space in Bryn Mawr

A proposed development on Lancaster Avenue, a key corridor on the Main Line, would bring new restaurants, shopping, and offices to an undeveloped tract in Bryn Mawr.

The $20 million development still requires final approval from the Lower Merion commissioners. It could open in spring 2016 and would incorporate a vacant 1920s-era garage at 909 Lancaster Ave., between North Merion Avenue and North Warner Avenue. A strip of vacant shops behind the garage would be torn down.

"Bryn Mawr has a history," said Paul Aschkenasy, the property owner and developer. "We're trying to keep some of old Bryn Mawr in this."

The project would bring high-end eating and shopping to a tract the township has sought to develop since releasing a master plan in 2006, said Scott Zelov, a Lower Merion commissioner.

"I think it makes sense for Bryn Mawr," he said. "It fills the gap along main street."

The tract is one of the largest undeveloped sites in Bryn Mawr, Zelov said.

Aschkenasy acquired the almost 13,000-square-foot brick garage in 2008, when it housed offices for Verizon. It has been vacant since the purchase. It was once used by SEPTA as a garage for buses. Plans call for expanding the building's L-shape footprint by about 4,500 square feet and replacing some brick walls with glass. A new building of about 37,000 square feet is also planned, with a second floor devoted to office space. The site would have 190 parking spots.

Along with the commissioners' approval, the state Department of Transportation must approve plans for access to Lancaster Avenue, a state road. The commissioners have approved a preliminary site plan.

Rental costs are not finalized, but office space is expected to run $40 per square foot. Rent for retail space would vary, but could be about $50 per square foot. Brokers representing the developer are in talks with potential tenants. They declined to identify them, but said the businesses would have national name recognition.

Businesses near the property expect to benefit from the development.

"It could make this end of Bryn Mawr look really nice," said Natalie Norton, who has co-owned Salon A across from the proposed development site for 15 years. "We need it."

Bryn Mawr News, a convenience store and news shop, is also across the street from the site.

"If something comes, that helps," said owner Bharat Meshiya. "More foot traffic, more business."

A strip of rowhouses on Sargent Avenue holds the nearest residences to the site. Reaction there was mixed. Barbara Haupt, 63, a retired nurse who shares a home with her brother, said she was concerned about noise and traffic the development might bring.

"This is the kind of neighborhood where you can almost leave your door unlocked," she said, "and things are going to change."

Tiffany Smith, a 20-year-old student who also lives on Sargent, liked the idea of the development.

"I think it will be good," she said. "It's not like it's a bar or anything."

The development site is within walking distance of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, Bryn Mawr Hospital, and three colleges.

Said Aschkenasy: "There is no better location than this."

Source: Philly.com