Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
The story that\u2019s told about Germantown<\/a>\u2019s downtown is often one of disinvestment, but a small contingent of community stakeholders and business owners are hoping to spin a new yarn.<\/p>\n The northwest Philadelphia neighborhood that centers around Germantown Avenue from West Johnson to Berkeley streets has seen controversies in the past decade, from the dismantling of the Germantown Special Services District<\/a>, to the changing stewardship of Germantown Settlement\u2019s residential properties<\/a>. Some residents say disengagement from elected officials hasn\u2019t helped. <\/p>\n But forces big and small are working to revitalize the community: Germantown United, the neighborhood\u2019s community development corporation (CDC), recently completed a plan to make Germantown\u2019s business district more walkable. Historic Germantown, the neighborhood\u2019s historical society, in July unveiled its new visitors center<\/a> that aims to connect Philadelphians and visitors to the area\u2019s deep history. And buzzy storefronts including Uncle Bobbie\u2019s Coffee & Books, Salam Cafe, Weavers Way Co-op, Cupbearer Coffee, and Attic Brewing bring much-needed services and third spaces to the neighborhood.<\/p>\n Leo Dillinger IV, the executive director of Germantown United, said new businesses have been reaching out to the CDC, the first step to lifting the business district up, \u201cbut with everything, it takes time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t want the corridor to change like a light switch and all of a sudden it\u2019s actively populated with a bunch of businesses that aren\u2019t offering affordable goods and services,\u201d Dillinger said. \u201cThat leads into the fears of gentrification<\/a> and displacement that are a major concern for the Germantown community.\u201d <\/p>\n Connecting corridors in Germantown<\/p>\n While it has the CDC, Germantown lacks a business improvement district to fund and oversee improvements to the area. And with the 2019 disbanding of the Germantown Special Services District, after accusations of mismanagement<\/a> and misappropriation of funds, the neighborhood lost a body tasked with keeping its main business corridors clean. <\/p>\n \u201cWe lack structure in order to have a commercial district that is thriving,\u201d said Patrick Jones, a Germantown resident who has organized community members around efforts to redevelop its public spaces and city-owned large vacant properties. \u201cA lot of us feel as though Germantown is a forgotten community in the eighth council district.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones said residents would like to see Germantown bring in a selection of sit-down restaurants and middle-class big box stores like Target or Giant. Dillinger said the CDC gets similar feedback.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now if you want to sit down and have a nice meal, you have to go outside of Germantown to do that,\u201d Jones said. The addition of Uncle Bobbie\u2019s and its cafe in 2017 \u201cstarted moving us in the right direction, but we want to see an actual restaurant in Germantown and it\u2019s just difficult to do that with the way things are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Having more organizational support beyond the CDC might allow that, he says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re lacking the resources to put attention towards advocating for ourselves,\u201d said Laura Lacy, co-owner of Attic Brewing Company, near Wayne<\/a> Junction. \u201cYou can immediately see the change when you\u2019re driving [out of Germantown]. As you get into Mount Airy, you start to see hanging flower baskets and landscaping on corners and trash cans.\u201d<\/p>\n The neighborhood\u2019s existing business hubs also feel disconnected. That\u2019s an issue that Germantown United is addressing with a five-year plan <\/a>to better connect West Chelten Avenue, Maplewood Mall, and Market Square for pedestrians. They\u2019re pushing for better overhead lighting, connecting business owners with the Department of Commerce\u2019s business security camera program<\/a>, and addressing cleanliness and improving greenery.<\/p>\n The plan also includes connecting with absentee landlords to discuss how their properties can better serve the community, Dillinger said. These landlords are at the heart of the problem, locals say.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s just a lot of commercial property owners who don\u2019t care,\u201d Dillinger said. \u201cThere are some who do and are invested in their properties and making sure that their tenants succeed. There are also commercial properties that are sitting in a portfolio of developers and, as a result, they just start to deteriorate.\u201d<\/p>\n Street safety is also a major community concern after a spate of hit-and-run fatalities<\/a>. This is a significant challenge for Attic Brewing, Lacy said. <\/p>\n Its location near Wayne Junction removes it from the commercial heart of the neighborhood, and her landlord\u2019s promises to develop surrounding lots into complementary businesses never panned out. It all amounts to less visibility and awareness of pedestrians in the area.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re talking about the safety of our team members … We\u2019re talking about the safety of our customers,\u201d Lacy said.<\/p>\n So too are the two vacant lots near Attic, which were part of a development plan years ago, Lacy said. \u201cAt what point does the city take it back? At what point does it become like you can\u2019t just let this sit abandoned like this?\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Cindy Bass<\/a>, who represents the area, declined to comment for this story.<\/p>\n Signs of new life<\/p>\n Still, business activity is underway in Germantown.<\/p>\n Indego, Philadelphia\u2019s bike share program, will enter Germantown<\/a> this fall with 10 to 12 stations from Wayne Junction to Chester Avenue.<\/p>\n Historic Germantown\u2019s Visitor Center opened in July. It\u2019s a jumping-off point to access the neighborhood\u2019s vast cache of historic cultural sites, which drive about 125,000 visits from the public and 25,000 from staff and volunteers annually who spend about $10 million in and around Germantown, according to Tuomi Forrest, Historic Germantown\u2019s executive director.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is that people get so interested and excited that they want to come back or expand their visits here,\u201d Forrest said. <\/p>\n A few new businesses on West Chelten Avenue are invigorating the area. Weavers Way Co-op\u2019s Germantown store, which opened in May 2024, has \u201cexceeded projections since day one, and our membership in Germantown has continued to grow,\u201d said general manager Jon Roesser. The co-op is open to the public, but its roughly 2,400 Germantown members get discounts and other benefits. <\/p>\n \u201cWe bring a lot of foot traffic to the avenue, we have about 1,000 transactions a day,\u201d Roesser said. \u201cThat\u2019s 1,000 people a day coming to the corner of Chelten and Morris that previously was exactly zero because the building was abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n Complimentary businesses have popped up nearby, including Cupbearer Coffee, Das Good Cafe, and Nutrition and Herbs Center.<\/p>\n