{"id":1067,"date":"2025-10-15T07:09:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:09:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/1067\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T07:09:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T07:09:10","slug":"lower-merion-will-discuss-piazza-development-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/1067\/","title":{"rendered":"Lower Merion will discuss Piazza development Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lower Merion<\/a> residents will have an opportunity at a meeting Thursday night<\/a> to learn more about a long-awaited development coming to downtown Ardmore<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The Piazza development is a mixed-use residential and retail project set to bring 270 apartments, nearly 30,000 square feet of retail space, and around 480 parking spaces to Ardmore\u2019s main commercial strip. The development will stretch along Lancaster Avenue from Greenfield Avenue to Ardmore Avenue, replacing two car dealerships, a shuttered IHOP restaurant, and several vacant lots. <\/p>\n

Lower Merion Township will host a community discussion with developer Radnor Property Group at 6 p.m. Thursday at the township administration building on Lancaster Avenue.<\/p>\n

Piazza\u2019s plans<\/p>\n

The Piazza project, approved in 2021<\/a>, has been in the works for years, changing shape amid shifting economic conditions. <\/p>\n

The 3.5-acre tract of land along Lancaster Avenue is owned by VMDT Partnership, an affiliate of Piazza Auto Group, the King of Prussia-based car dealer that owns the two dealerships currently on the block. <\/p>\n

Piazza initially partnered with Toll Bros.<\/a>, a Fort Washington-based megadeveloper, in 2019. However, the partnership ended<\/a> in 2024 due to \u201cmarket conditions\u201d with \u201cthe pandemic and costs increasing,\u201d a representative for Piazza Auto Group\u2019s owners said at the time. <\/p>\n

Plans for the five-story development were submitted before Lower Merion adopted a 2019 ordinance limiting most buildings to three stories, exempting the Piazza project. <\/p>\n

The Piazza development will include street-level retail, apartments, and parking for both residents and shoppers. <\/p>\n

Though the overarching concept of the project has stayed the same, financial headwinds have limited some initial objectives, like putting a grocery store at Lancaster and Greenfield Avenues. A grocery store would have required two levels of underground parking, a financial undertaking that has become nearly impossible with rising interest rates<\/a>, said Chris Leswing, Lower Merion\u2019s director of building and planning. <\/p>\n

Instead, developers plan to bring a dining option, like a cafe, that would require less parking. A cafe, Leswing said, would help replace the now-closed IHOP, which he described as a beloved gathering place for some residents. <\/p>\n

Given that the development has already been approved, Leswing is clear that Thursday\u2019s meeting is \u201cnot a referendum on the project by any means.\u201d <\/p>\n

Rather, it\u2019s an opportunity to meet the developers, ask questions, and make connections. <\/p>\n

The developers are planning to break ground after Thanksgiving. Construction is anticipated to take two years. <\/p>\n

\u2018Big changes\u2019 in Ardmore<\/p>\n

The Piazza project is part of a string of developments that have transformed Ardmore<\/a> in recent years, lifting its business district out of a period of economic downturn and adding hundreds of new apartment units. <\/p>\n

Advocates have praised Ardmore\u2019s growing supply of walkable, transit-oriented housing and shopping, including projects like Cricket Flats and One Ardmore<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s another big piece in all of the changes that have been coming to Ardmore in the past five to 10 years,\u201d said Alec Hersh, executive director of the Ardmore Initiative, the community\u2019s business improvement district. <\/p>\n

According to township planning staff, the Piazza project will align with local and regional development goals, including the county\u2019s Montco 2040 Comprehensive Plan<\/a> and Lower Merion\u2019s 2016 plan<\/a>, which outline a need for vibrant mixed-use residential and retail developments in Lower Merion\u2019s historic commercial corridors. <\/p>\n

The Piazza project will be \u201can anchor to the business district,\u201d Leswing said. <\/p>\n

Lower Merion\u2019s changing landscape has not emerged without pushback. <\/p>\n

Some have described a disappearance of \u201csmall town\u201d culture, while others have raised concerns about increased traffic, overcrowded schools, and gentrification<\/a>. Developers of One Ardmore, a 110-unit apartment complex on Cricket Avenue, welcomed tenants only after winning a decade-long legal battle<\/a> with residents. <\/p>\n

\u00bb READ MORE: Is Ardmore the Fishtown of the Main Line?<\/a><\/p>\n

Leswing said the township \u201creally sweated the approval\u201d for the Piazza project, making sure the streetscape would add to, not detract from, Ardmore\u2019s charm. The project will include numerous pedestrian crossings and the extension of West Athens Avenue to Greenfield Avenue to improve connectivity. <\/p>\n

Hersh said the Ardmore Initiative has worked closely with the Radnor Property Group to communicate what residents want from their public spaces. Top concerns are parking, traffic, and a desire for \u201cthird spaces\u201d where people can connect with their neighbors outside work or the home. <\/p>\n

Getting the developer to set aside over 100 parking spaces for public use was \u201ca big victory for the business community,\u201d Hersh said. <\/p>\n

The Ardmore Initiative also worked with the developer to route traffic toward the back of the development and away from Lancaster Avenue, limiting backups on the main road. <\/p>\n

Hersh said he hopes the Piazza project will bridge the yearslong connectivity challenge between Haverford<\/a> College and downtown Ardmore. That commute will be improved with new landscaping, sidewalks, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, he said. <\/p>\n

The Piazza development, Hersh said, is another piece in the puzzle of \u201cmaking Ardmore the Main Street of the Main Line<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer\u2019s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com\/donate<\/a>. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org\/supporters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lower Merion residents will have an opportunity at a meeting Thursday night to learn more about a long-awaited…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[183,185,184,186,1098],"class_list":["post-1067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lower-merion","tag-lower-merion","tag-lower-merion-headlines","tag-lower-merion-news","tag-lower-merion-township","tag-lower-merion-township-community-discussion-piazza"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}