Fancy that, taking eminent domain off the table in Ardmore will save money...like $25 million...WOW!!!!

Main Line Life: Not as much money needed for Ardmore plan
By:Cheryl Allison

For more than two years, Ardmore redevelopment dominated discussions in Lower Merion. Though parts of the community disagreed on form and methods, most concurred the town needs a new train station, and the Lancaster Avenue business district could be revitalized.

So why has projected spending on the transit center and related initiatives actually decreased $25 million in a new draft capital spending plan?

Several factors went into the new figures, said Assistant Director of Building and Planning Angela Murray, who oversees the project.

One factor is the removal of the option to use eminent domain to acquire properties for the project. A different board of commissioners, with five new members, passed a resolution in March to take eminent domain, the threat of which had caused a backlash, off the table. That decision had an impact on the potential costs of acquisition, Murray said.

At the same time, commissioners signaled that they want a request for proposals from private development partners not to be limited to township consultants' unpopular "Plan B" for redevelopment.

The RFP, originally to be circulated to developers by early this year, is still being written.

In the meantime, construction costs of at least one component of the redevelopment plan, a new parking garage on the Bernicker Lot next to the Township Building, have soared and it's effectively on hold, Murray said. Potential development of the Cricket Avenue parking lot is also uncertain.

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