{"id":167394,"date":"2026-04-16T10:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/167394\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T10:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T10:05:07","slug":"city-avenue-sees-more-changes-including-new-luxury-apartment-building-the-blayr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/167394\/","title":{"rendered":"City Avenue sees more changes, including new luxury apartment building The Blayr"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, Lower Merion<\/a>! \ud83d\udc4b<\/p>\n

City Avenue has undergone some big changes in recent years, with more possibly on the horizon. The former Lord & Taylor site is now home to a recently opened luxury apartment building<\/a>, while the future of the Saks Fifth Avenue space<\/a> remains unknown. Also this week, we\u2019ve rounded up spots to dine outdoors<\/a>, parents continue to push back on Chromebook use<\/a> in the classroom, plus, the county wants you to design its next \u201cI Voted\u201d sticker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Inquirer<\/p>\n

Inquirer Lower Merion<\/p>\n

A Weekly Newsletter<\/p>\n

Want to get Inquirer Lower Merion straight to your inbox every week? Sign up here for our guide to the news, stories, and events shaping life in your community.<\/p>\n

If someone forwarded you this email, sign up for free here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

City Avenue\u2019s identity continues to be slowly reshaped, moving closer to making the Bala Cynwyd corridor less of a car-centric office park capital and more a walkable hub.<\/p>\n

The Blayr, a new 217-unit apartment building at the former Lord & Taylor site, has added to the mixed-use offerings there. Opened late last month, the luxury residence adjacent to the Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center has 19,000 square feet of retail space and is within walking distance to the Cynwyd Heritage Trail and SEPTA\u2019s Cynwyd Line. <\/p>\n

Developments such as the Blayr are part of a long-running push to create a space where residents can live, work, and shop with ease.<\/p>\n

The Inquirer\u2019s Denali Sagner looks at how City Avenue\u2019s been reshaped over the years and what might come next<\/a>. <\/p>\n

With the closure of the Saks Fifth Avenue on City Avenue, a shopping destination opened nearly three-quarters of a century ago, more change may be on the horizon for that section of Bala Cynwyd. <\/p>\n

While redevelopment isn\u2019t likely imminent as Saks\u2019 parent company undergoes a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Bryan Fenstermaker, the president and CEO of the City Ave District, has some ideas for what could come of the site.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are looking for additional hotels,\u201d he said. \u201cSit-down restaurants, that is another angle that we\u2019ve been pushing hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Inquirer\u2019s Erin McCarthy took a look at the store\u2019s last few days, and what might come next<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa5 Also check out McCarthy\u2019s video inside Saks here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udca1 Community News<\/p>\n

Lower Merion Township\u2019s board of commissioners released a statement<\/a> last week about ICE activity, stating they \u201cwill not stand for violence, lawlessness, or persecution of any kind and will do everything in our power to protect and support all our residents.\u201d The board reiterated that the township won\u2019t provide resources to ICE agents without judicial warrants and that local police don\u2019t enforce civil immigration orders. There has only been one known instance of ICE activity in the township since nationwide crackdowns began, according to the board.<\/p>\n

A judge has thrown out a lawsuit accusing Bryn Mawr College of \u201cdeliberate indifference\u201d to the needs of students with disabilities after he said they failed to show the school deprived them of accommodations. The ruling comes nearly a year after six current and former students sued the liberal arts institution for what they said was violating the Americans with Disabilities Act<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The longtime owner behind Danny\u2019s Guitar Shop in Narberth is getting ready to retire on May 31, and when he does, the shop will close its doors<\/a>. Located at 102 Forrest Ave., Danny\u2019s opened 17 years ago and offers musical instrument sales and repairs, as well as guitar lessons. <\/p>\n

When Sleepers Awake comes to the Academy of Music later this month<\/a>, it will feature an Ardmore resident on stage. Brian Major is making his Opera Philadelphia debut in the reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, in which the baritone will play the court poet. Major is currently splitting his time between Philadelphia and New York, where he\u2019s also performing in the Metropolitan Opera\u2019s rendition of La Traviata. (Main Line Times<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Montgomery County\u2019s population continued to grow last year, according to the latest U.S. Census data. Montco added about 2,500 residents, putting it among the Philadelphia collar counties with the highest gains<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Montgomery County is searching for artists to design new \u201cI Voted\u201d stickers that will be handed out at the polls during the November election. This is the first time it\u2019s held a design contest for the stickers, which must be submitted by April 30<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfeb Schools Briefing<\/p>\n

About 200 parents have signed a petition seeking to opt their children out of receiving district-issued Chromebooks, part of an ongoing standoff between parents and the district over technology\u2019s role in the classroom. Parents have expressed concerns over how much screen time kids get at school and its impact on their development. The district has remained firm on its stance, though Superintendent Frank Ranelli said administrators will work with teachers to ensure there\u2019s \u201cmore play time, more pen and paper,\u201d The Inquirer\u2019s Maddie Hanna reports<\/a>. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s a school board facilities and purchasing committee meeting today at 9 a.m. on Zoom<\/a>, and tonight, Bala Cynwyd Middle School and Gladwyne Elementary School are hosting spring chorus concerts, while Penn Wynne Elementary School has its band and orchestra concert. There\u2019s a school board finance committee meeting tomorrow morning, and Saturday is Harriton High School\u2019s junior prom. Monday night is a regular school board meeting. And Tuesday through Thursday is PSSA English\/language arts testing for Black Rock Middle School students. See the district\u2019s full calendar here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f On our Plate<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfb3 Things to Do<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfb6 Modern Bliss<\/a>: The upbeat party band, known for covering everything from Taylor Swift tunes to Mumford and Sons songs, takes the stage. \u23f0 Saturday, April 18, 8 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $24.32-$56.93 \ud83d\udccd Ardmore Music Hall <\/p>\n

\ud83e\udeb4 Build Your Own Terrarium<\/a>: Learn to create a mini ecosystem during this workshop. \u23f0 Thursday, April 23, 6-7:30 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $70 \ud83d\udccd Plant 4 Good<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe1 On the Market<\/p>\n

A Bala Cynwyd home that blends past and present<\/a><\/p>\n

Built in 1930, this Bala Cynwyd home was updated in the last two years to give it a modern interior. The first floor features a living room with a fireplace, an office, a dining room, and an eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a wet bar. There are three bedrooms upstairs, including the primary suite, which has a gas fireplace and a renovated bathroom. There\u2019s more living space in the finished basement, including an additional bedroom. The home also has a patio and a two-car garage.<\/p>\n

See more photos of the home here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Price: $1.195M | Size: 3,962 SF | Acreage: 0.23<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f What other Lower Merion residents are reading this week:<\/p>\n

By submitting your written, visual, and\/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer\u2019s Terms of Use<\/a>, including the grant of rights in Section 10.<\/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":"Hi, Lower Merion! \ud83d\udc4b City Avenue has undergone some big changes in recent years, with more possibly on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":167395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[75419,183,185,184,186],"class_list":["post-167394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lower-merion","tag-city-avenue-blayr-apartments-saks-fifth-avenue-closed-outdoor-dining","tag-lower-merion","tag-lower-merion-headlines","tag-lower-merion-news","tag-lower-merion-township"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167394","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=167394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/167394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=167394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=167394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=167394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}